Gravel tire rolling resistance tested

[warthog101]

Thundero 44’s going great in melbourne gravel, I have 4 mates on the Thundero 40’s here too. we don’t see sharp rocks so maybe that’s why they’re popular here.

Any links to any gravel routes in Melb?
I get down there occasionally and just do the Yarra trail out to Templestowe or Warrandyte and back. My young bloke is at Melb uni and staying in accommodation on Royal parade.

[tiberiade]

Just set up my first pair of Challenge Strada Bianca Pro HTLR in 40mm. I've been running Rene Herse slicks for years but wanted to give the Challenge a shot as they test faster, and I love the yellow sidewall.

Dear lord, they were the hardest tires to set up I have ever dealt with, over years and years of setting up my own tubeless tires. Just absurdly brutal to get the damn things onto the rim. I was setting them up on some new Farsports gravel wheels with 24 and 26mm internal hookless rims. I typically can do most tires I'm about 20min, and I fought with these tires for over an hour and a half. My hands are going to be sore and raw for sure.

Excited to see how they ride because everyone I have heard claims to absolutely love them, but unless it is a night and day difference in feel and speed compared to Rene Herse slicks, I just can't see myself making them my go to.

Same experience, and I gave up on the Strada as I didn't want to be on the side of the road struggling to unmount them to fit a tube if I ever had to. Also, they were very slippery.

[tiberiade]

If the thunderos can handle the rocky trails then the getaway pros should be fine.
Thunderos are hopeless for puncture protection ime. Lots of people here have had problems with em. Nobody is still using them.

There's new HD version with better puncture resistance now. Anyone tried them?

[warthog101]

If the thunderos can handle the rocky trails then the getaway pros should be fine.
Thunderos are hopeless for puncture protection ime. Lots of people here have had problems with em. Nobody is still using them.

There's new HD version with better puncture resistance now. Anyone tried them?

Interesting. They gripped well and rolled well, just punctured too frequently.
If those still roll ok and are tougher, might be worth a try.
https://www.tufo.com/en/gravel/detail/g ... undero-hd/

[CampagYOLO]

If the thunderos can handle the rocky trails then the getaway pros should be fine.
Thunderos are hopeless for puncture protection ime. Lots of people here have had problems with em. Nobody is still using them.

There's new HD version with better puncture resistance now. Anyone tried them?

BRR will be testing them in a few weeks time as they won the public vote.

[voicycle]

Any recommendations for a sub 35mm (real width measured has to be exactly 35 at most on 23mm internal rims, 36mm is too tight clearance) similar to the Gateway 40mm?

I am in love with my gateway, rolling resistance, grip and puncture resistance are the sweet spot for Northeast gravel for me. Been rocking them for more than a year now and wouldn't change at all.

I am looking for similar tires for my wife to put on her Caledonia 5, I have tried some measure 37mm wide tires and there's minor rubbing. 36 doesn't rub but not enough clearance. I am looking for 35mm measured or ideally 33 or 34mm. With knobs, good puncture protection and decent rolling resistance.

- Tufo have a too low puncture protection for my taste
- Same for Schalbe g-one RS
- Challenge Gravel grinder 33mm are an option, but pretty slow compared to the gateway

The old Raceking CX 35mm?

Conti TerraSpeed 35mm

This is a good shout because those tires tend to come up small. Very similar profile and performance too.

If that's still too big then I'd say you're into CX tire territory. Looking for a brand known for fast rubber compounds and ideally also for coming up big - could end up with a decent 33c option at approx 35mm WAM. Maybe Vittoria Terreno Dry? Or one of the Pirelli options? I've no personal experience with either in terms of sizing...

Just looked at the Challenge website and they also have the Almanzo which I'd never seen before. I don't think BRR has tested but they say it should sit between the Strade Bianche and the Gravel Grinder.

[CampagYOLO]

Any recommendations for a sub 35mm (real width measured has to be exactly 35 at most on 23mm internal rims, 36mm is too tight clearance) similar to the Gateway 40mm?

I am in love with my gateway, rolling resistance, grip and puncture resistance are the sweet spot for Northeast gravel for me. Been rocking them for more than a year now and wouldn't change at all.

I am looking for similar tires for my wife to put on her Caledonia 5, I have tried some measure 37mm wide tires and there's minor rubbing. 36 doesn't rub but not enough clearance. I am looking for 35mm measured or ideally 33 or 34mm. With knobs, good puncture protection and decent rolling resistance.

- Tufo have a too low puncture protection for my taste
- Same for Schalbe g-one RS
- Challenge Gravel grinder 33mm are an option, but pretty slow compared to the gateway

The old Raceking CX 35mm?

Conti TerraSpeed 35mm

This is a good shout because those tires tend to come up small. Very similar profile and performance too.

If that's still too big then I'd say you're into CX tire territory. Looking for a brand known for fast rubber compounds and ideally also for coming up big - could end up with a decent 33c option at approx 35mm WAM. Maybe Vittoria Terreno Dry? Or one of the Pirelli options? I've no personal experience with either in terms of sizing...

Just looked at the Challenge website and they also have the Almanzo which I'd never seen before. I don't think BRR has tested but they say it should sit between the Strade Bianche and the Gravel Grinder.

I spotted these on the Schwalbe website the other day which could meet the criteria:

https://www.schwalbe.com/en/gravel-read ... e-x-one-rs

They're due to be released next year according to Schwalbe.

[Yoln]

Thanks guys. I ended up going with Gravelking SK, giving panaracer another chance.

[BuffHamster]

Does anyone have any real world KM usage of the G-one RS? Looking at getting a set but concerned the wear life is short due to minimal thread depth.

[RDY]

Added another 20ml of sealant and rode it and it's fully sealed now. It's a 45mm on the AGX45. Did the 40mm rear on ARX49 today. I'd guess the air volume held by the 45mm on the wider rim is nearly double that of the 40mm. The 40mm is actually smaller than the Thundero 40 it replaced, but the 45mm is absolutely enormous, and quite a lot bigger than the Thundero 44mm.

Haven't ridden them in anger yet, but RR felt ridiculously low riding the 15km home from the bike shop. These have hardpack gravel, and downhill road (on broken lumpy asphalt) KOMs written all over them. The ride is so compliant it's ridiculous - if I can fit a 45mm on the rear it'll be like a magic carpet. But given how supple the sidewalls are and how they bulge out more than Thunderos or GK SKs, I'm slightly concerned about their ability to survive trails with a lot of loose rocks in braking zones and corners.

Done about 800km on the Getaway Pro HTLRs. They feel amazing. Best ride quality of any gravel tire I've tried, and most likely best bar none. RR feels very low. Expectedly they do have significantly less grip on loose surfaces, but then so does every other low RR tire vs the Thundero. The tread puncture resistance seems supreme. Zero punctures that I've been able to detect, and on some awful surfaces. Nor on the the sidewalls, though unfortunately these are a problem ... the rubber / plastic external coating over the cotton sidewalls is crumbling away from the entire sidewall (bottom to top) on both tires. This means the tires won't hold air. One was completely done and nothing I tried could get it to hold air for an acceptable amount of time (more than 2 hours). This became a problem after about 500km. The new tire is already crumbly after 300km, but I've painted the external sidewalls on both it and the original rear tire twice over with sealant. This has ''fixed' the issue for now. Challenge don't recognise this as an issue, but I've seen another acquaintence with some SB HTLRs with all the sidewall coating crumbling off - he says he's done 1500km and they hold air about 24h before going completely flat (which is still awful) ... but he's using Stan's, which is a nightmare as anything other than a race day sealant IMO. Without the sidewall painting mine are done in 2h. I enquired of them whether they were going to change to the smooth, seemingly thicker coating they use on the Criterium RS, which appears to be far more durable. However they denied there was any difference except color, which is very odd given the disparity in texture (GPHTLR is rough and tacky), apparent thickness, and wildly different durability (I haven't seen any crumbly RS tires yet). I suspect the hot, super dry, dusty conditions I ride in do the sidewall coating no favors, and in a cooler more humid environment they might last as long as the tread does.

I was curious to see how the XPs would do at BRR. Challenge were saying they were still very fast tires, despite them being so heavy, and the completely different puncture band and sidewall coating. The review's now up on BRR. I'd say he's being extremely charitable with a score of 3.8/5. They're heaviest and slowest in class, with significantly worse tread puncture resistance (one of the headline features of the GPHTLR) but better sidewall resistance - which isn't a problem on these anyway. I'm sure the new sidewall coating fixes the issues I mention above, but the performance seems to be diabolical. I can't see a use case for them at all. Seriously hoping the Thundero HD isn't such a disappointment ...

[pkaro]

I'm looking for a gravel tire for racing. Because of the length and bumpiness of the race, I'm looking for a tire in the width range of 47-52 mm. I don't need a super grippy tire, I'm looking mainly for comfort and straight line speed. The race is The Rift, about 200 km, of which about 20% or so is road, the rest being anything from smooth gravel to very rocky gravel (nothing super technical though).
My list of favourites is currently:
1) Pathfinder Pros in 47
2) Cinturato H in 50
3) Mezcals in 2.1"

Which would you pick, or are there any other suggestions?

[MisterNoChain]

I've been riding with the Cinturato H 45mm for a year now and it's a very fast rolling tire. With winter coming here in Belgium i'll be switching to the RC version, but if you dont need a very grippy tire the H is perfect for the job.
Jasper Stuyven won the European Championships gravel on a Cinturato H (for what it's worth )

[Pottermouse]

Just set up my first pair of Challenge Strada Bianca Pro HTLR in 40mm. I've been running Rene Herse slicks for years but wanted to give the Challenge a shot as they test faster, and I love the yellow sidewall.

Dear lord, they were the hardest tires to set up I have ever dealt with, over years and years of setting up my own tubeless tires. Just absurdly brutal to get the damn things onto the rim. I was setting them up on some new Farsports gravel wheels with 24 and 26mm internal hookless rims. I typically can do most tires I'm about 20min, and I fought with these tires for over an hour and a half. My hands are going to be sore and raw for sure.

Excited to see how they ride because everyone I have heard claims to absolutely love them, but unless it is a night and day difference in feel and speed compared to Rene Herse slicks, I just can't see myself making them my go to.

Same experience, and I gave up on the Strada as I didn't want to be on the side of the road struggling to unmount them to fit a tube if I ever had to. Also, they were very slippery.

Ha ha!

Not their gravel tires, but have had very mixed experience with Challenge tires.... Chicanes slip on nice and easy.... whereaas the Baby Limus are complete $%^(*&*(!!!"

[pkaro]

I've been riding with the Cinturato H 45mm for a year now and it's a very fast rolling tire. With winter coming here in Belgium i'll be switching to the RC version, but if you dont need a very grippy tire the H is perfect for the job.
Jasper Stuyven won the European Championships gravel on a Cinturato H (for what it's worth )

Indeed he did. It's worth noting that he had a puncture that required a wheel change, however!

The RC looks like a fine tire, but it tests slower than the M according to BRR and also isn't available in 50 mm width, both of which strike me as a little odd.

[voicycle]

I'm looking for a gravel tire for racing. Because of the length and bumpiness of the race, I'm looking for a tire in the width range of 47-52 mm. I don't need a super grippy tire, I'm looking mainly for comfort and straight line speed. The race is The Rift, about 200 km, of which about 20% or so is road, the rest being anything from smooth gravel to very rocky gravel (nothing super technical though).
My list of favourites is currently:
1) Pathfinder Pros in 47
2) Cinturato H in 50
3) Mezcals in 2.1"

Which would you pick, or are there any other suggestions?

I rode Pathfinder Pros in 42 this year and they were appropriate. I think I would have preferred the 47s given the conditions (or Mezcal 2.1 if I could have cleared them). Sounds like this year was abnormally dry though which was why so much of the course was so badly washboarded (someone told me race winners were over 30 mins slower this year than last year). It was to the point that I think the fastest bike this year would have been a full suspension xc mtb with drop bars and Pathfinder 42s - washboarding was bad enough that an extra 5-10mm of rubber wasn't really going to help. My body was more shaken up after The Rift than after completing the 2000km GBDuro a few weeks later.

I've not ridden the course in better conditions, but based on the bits which were a bit more damp and smooth I think my tire of choice in a 'normal' year would be the new 45mm version of the Continental Terra Speed (I normally ride the 40s for everything and only occasionally size up to 42 Pathfinders for puncture-heavy courses). That or maybe Cinturato M (rather than H) in 45?

In another dry year like this one if I couldn't have suspension I think my Pathfinder 47s would be alright, but if I could clear a 2.1 Mezcal I might try that instead. Might also take a look at the 50mm Conti Terra Hardpack?

The dry conditions also meant lots of loose sand on the front half of the course - probably not enough to make a huge difference, but higher volume tires were definitely at a disadvantage in these spots.

I'm not doing it in 2024 but would like to ride it again sometime. If I could afford the time and extra luggage weight I think I'd bring an alternate set of tires and arrive on like the Tuesday so I could pre-ride Weds/Thurs and still have Friday to swap tires if I wanted to. Also need to allow time to buy CO2 in Reykjavik unless you want to wait for neutral service mechanics to start selling them at sign on on Friday.

Every petrol station in the country has free jet wash wands - handy for keeping the bike cleanish after pre-rides!