Gravel tire rolling resistance tested

[CampagYOLO]

Anyone tried the Michelin Power V2? Seem like they could be a good option for British Gravel although can't find many user experiences? The Tufo HD look interesting but would worry about durability on the flinty gravel around here and hard to get in the UK

Used them about 2-3 years ago and I really like them, great tyres that roll well and grip well in British conditions until it gets too muddy.
Fairly tough when it comes to puncture protection and I got a lot of miles out of them.

Only downside was grip on cold wet tarmac was severely lacking which is backed up by BRR. I had a an off on a fairly innocuous turn and some other sketchy moments.

[CustomMetal]

Anyone tried the Michelin Power V2? Seem like they could be a good option for British Gravel although can't find many user experiences? The Tufo HD look interesting but would worry about durability on the flinty gravel around here and hard to get in the UK

Used them about 2-3 years ago and I really like them, great tyres that roll well and grip well in British conditions until it gets too muddy.
Fairly tough when it comes to puncture protection and I got a lot of miles out of them.

Only downside was grip on cold wet tarmac was severely lacking which is backed up by BRR. I had a an off on a fairly innocuous turn and some other sketchy moments.

Ah in that case might be perfect as I have 3 sets of wheels, one with 2.1" mtb 27.5 tyes for wet mud, one with gp5000 AR 35mm for winter road riding and these will just be for fast summer gravel on the ridgeway and a try at King Alfreds way

[CampagYOLO]

Anyone tried the Michelin Power V2? Seem like they could be a good option for British Gravel although can't find many user experiences? The Tufo HD look interesting but would worry about durability on the flinty gravel around here and hard to get in the UK

Used them about 2-3 years ago and I really like them, great tyres that roll well and grip well in British conditions until it gets too muddy.
Fairly tough when it comes to puncture protection and I got a lot of miles out of them.

Only downside was grip on cold wet tarmac was severely lacking which is backed up by BRR. I had a an off on a fairly innocuous turn and some other sketchy moments.

Ah in that case might be perfect as I have 3 sets of wheels, one with 2.1" mtb 27.5 tyes for wet mud, one with gp5000 AR 35mm for winter road riding and these will just be for fast summer gravel on the ridgeway and a try at King Alfreds way

In that case I'd highly recommend them.

I find it a little strange that they seem quite overlooked wen it comes to discussions about the best gravel tyres.

[CustomMetal]

In that case I'd highly recommend them.

I find it a little strange that they seem quite overlooked wen it comes to discussions about the best gravel tyres.

Yes that was my concern but glad to hear it's unfounded. I also like the new graphics which are more understated. I don't like the big blue and yellow Michelin man on some of their tyres....

[Nohands83]

Thanks for the input, think I will probably give the terra speed a go, the only thing I was slightly concerned about was the wet grip from the BRR results but hopefully I won't encounter too much of that in may.

I used a regular Tufo Thundero as my summer tyre last year and really liked them, rode them on some pretty rough parts of the Yorkshire dales as well. They felt noticeably fast and I took a few KOMs on them - will be happy if the speeds ride similar.

Another option in for your training tyre would be Vitoria Mezcal, not particularly fast but very grippy and durable, whilst feeling much more supple than the Pirelli (ridden those a quite a bit as well).

[Upcountry]

I can't get over how poorly Maxxis tires continue to perform on drum tests. I know that a drum isn't the real world, but there are tests out there confirming the differences and relationships between varying tires to confirm the drum results. The new Reaver was posted on BRR.com and its a full 9 watts slower(each tire) compared to a knobbier 40mm Terra Speed at 25ish psi...

[RDY]

The compounds on Maxxis road / gravel / xc tires just aren't competitive anymore. In fact they seem to have got worse and worse with time, rather than standing still.

[CampagYOLO]

I've always liked how grippy Maxxis tyres are on the rough stuff, they have some good tread patterns. They definitely do give up some rolling resistance on the tarmac though.

Would be happy to keep on using Ramblers/Ravagers if my gravel rides contained barely any tarmac.

[alexanderp1991]

Has anyone used the 2.1 inch Thunder burt compared to a 45 mm Tufo thundero? Wondering if the aero penalty will be too harsh.
My Thundero's are awful for punctures (they puncture on the road on the way to any gravel routes) so I don't really trust them even though they have barely done any miles. I also have clearance for 53 mm tyres so thiking of trying something proper chunky and thinking an XC tyre will still be more puncture resistant than the tufo?

[Agent041]

Has anyone used the 2.1 inch Thunder burt compared to a 45 mm Tufo thundero? Wondering if the aero penalty will be too harsh.
My Thundero's are awful for punctures (they puncture on the road on the way to any gravel routes) so I don't really trust them even though they have barely done any miles. I also have clearance for 53 mm tyres so thiking of trying something proper chunky and thinking an XC tyre will still be more puncture resistant than the tufo?

Have also Thundero, but the HD version. Superb tyre. Fast, excellent grip AND no puntures yet in +1k km ridden. The HD version is suposed to be more prone to punctures and according to rolling resistance, practicly as fast as normal Thundero.
https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.co ... hundero-hd

[emotive]

Has anyone used the 2.1 inch Thunder burt compared to a 45 mm Tufo thundero? Wondering if the aero penalty will be too harsh.
My Thundero's are awful for punctures (they puncture on the road on the way to any gravel routes) so I don't really trust them even though they have barely done any miles. I also have clearance for 53 mm tyres so thiking of trying something proper chunky and thinking an XC tyre will still be more puncture resistant than the tufo?

I ran an older (non tubeless) version of the Thunderburt 650b x 2.1. They roll well. Similar to Thundero I would say.

If you are getting punctures on the road this is probably small wires or glass. Tubeless sealant should cope easily with small holes such as this. I am having good success with Milkit sealant. Their valves make setup and top up easier too. What sealant are you using?

[alexanderp1991]

Has anyone used the 2.1 inch Thunder burt compared to a 45 mm Tufo thundero? Wondering if the aero penalty will be too harsh.
My Thundero's are awful for punctures (they puncture on the road on the way to any gravel routes) so I don't really trust them even though they have barely done any miles. I also have clearance for 53 mm tyres so thiking of trying something proper chunky and thinking an XC tyre will still be more puncture resistant than the tufo?

I ran an older (non tubeless) version of the Thunderburt 650b x 2.1. They roll well. Similar to Thundero I would say.

If you are getting punctures on the road this is probably small wires or glass. Tubeless sealant should cope easily with small holes such as this. I am having good success with Milkit sealant. Their valves make setup and top up easier too. What sealant are you using?

I went over a small pot hole and it tore the tyre. Two of the large plugs couldn't fix it so I had to repair the tyre from the inside at home.
Ridden over that hole with my gp5000s on my road bike many times. No idea why it failed like it did. I went back and investigated the road and there was nothing there. Part of me is thinking maybe I had a weak patch on the tyre?

The tyre was full of holes when I took it off a second time which had sealed with sealant. So little thorns were getting in but they sealed easily.
It's a very fast tyre though. I've hung onto much faster riders during events.
Sealant is OKO Magic fibre milk.

[RDY]

Terra Speed 45 (tan - new E25 rated).

I remember quite a lot of posts elsewhere in the past about extremely slack fit on both the Speed and Trail, making it difficult / impossible to pop the bead into place with a compressor or tubeless-cylinder-pump. Well, the 45 I was planning to use on the rear for a new setup was the slackest fit I've ever experienced on any tire. The Lezyne at 210psi doesn't even puff the tire slightly, it just blows straight out. It's so slack I can't really see how it will work ... it's not that it's not super tight (like Challenge tires), it's very loose.

Anyone else had recent problems? I'm slightly amazed that *Continental* QC / tolerances are this bad. I've never seen anything like this on their road or MTB tires, and like I say, it's the slackest tire I've ever used - period.

[bobones]

One of these usually works for loose tyres:

Add another round or two of tape
Seat tyre using.a tube then remove tube keeping one side of bead seated and inflate
Lube tyre bead and rim with soapy water and push beads into central channel before inflating with compressor

[RDY]

This is too loose to be safe to use even with a hooked rim. The only further thing I'll do is see if a compressor can seat it (I'm dubious). I'm just surprised that Continental would produce this crap.