Light, supple, and robust: the gravel tyre holy grail/unicorn

[kiwisimon]

Originally Posted by Baron Blubba

Yes! Try the IRC Boken in the 40mm width!

If for some reason my road bike is out of commission, I'm very happy to do the proverbial planned 100% paved ride on these tires.

100% concur. IRC are sleepers.

[lorenbike]

I generally like anything by Panaracer, though I haven't been into gravel in a few years so there are probably more companies that have caught up with the supple casings. Rene Herse are worth the money IMO, I've had mixed success with gravelkings, but a sleeper of a gravel tire for the price (if you aren't interested in running tubeless) are panaracer paselas.

[Likes2ridefar]

Schwalbe g one r in tan wall 40mm tubeless survived arizona desert trails, dirt roads, and paved first round till I wore out the rear with zero flats. They ride smooth and fast across all surfaces with a surprising amount of grip off road. I rarely repeat tires but plan on using the same for an upcoming build.

[sblackmacken]

Given the mixed conditions, you might be well served by an oversize mix/medium cyclocross tire like the Challenge Grifo HTLR 38c, or the new Challenge Gravine HTLR. I haven't ridden the Gravines, but the 38c Grifo HTLR has a good balance of grip, speed, and comfort. A bit hard to mount initially, but worth the trouble.

The Vittoria Terrenno Mix is a bit more robust but a similar tread and available in different widths.

[pwgoode]

Originally Posted by kiwisimon

100% concur. IRC are sleepers.

Completely agree. I've used the Boken Doublecross for two winters now and they've been flawless. I used the regular Bokens last summer and they felt fast on pavement and gravel. They will be going back on the bike this spring.

[gravelreformist]

Love my Challenge Getaway Pro for this kind of riding. Rolls like a road tire. Decent enough traction. Protection that stands up to even 30-40mph descents on reasonably rough terrain.

I wore out one set, mounted a set of Tufo Gravel Thunderos which were fine - much better than average for gravel tires, but I swapped them out for a new set of Getaway's after less than 500 miles because I found I was not enjoying the longer sections of road on the Thunderos and was finding excuses not to take that bike. The fun is back with the new tires.

[EB]

Light, supple and robust are three characteristics that live on a spectrum from one another. There are clever weaves and such that can help a little bit but generally, the less material you have, the more "supple" the tire will feel but the more fragile it will be - and vice versa. The less material, the lighter, but also more fragile... and so forth.

I think the right choice on that spectrum is entirely dependent on your dirt, conditions, gradients, rocks, and terrain as well as the local seasons, and how fast and hard you ride.

You also should consider grip vs. rolling resistance, which is another important tradeoff when thinking about tires for riding dirt.

Very long way of saying that any one single answer here probably says more about the local conditions of the person giving the answer than anything else.

[kiwisimon]

Originally Posted by pwgoode

Completely agree. I've used the Boken Doublecross for two winters now and they've been flawless. I used the regular Bokens last summer and they felt fast on pavement and gravel. They will be going back on the bike this spring.

I've ridden IRC (Inoue Rubber Co) since the 90s as they were a team sponsor. I try some of the higher reputation tires but usually regret it.

[GParkes]

Originally Posted by Baron Blubba

Yes! Try the IRC Boken in the 40mm width! I put that tire on my Revolt and was *stunned* by how fast it is. Quiet, too!
I've ridden them up sustained 20% loose and washboardy gravel/dirt roads and, well...I lived! Very smooth transition from gravel to pavement, they just feel great everywhere. There is no claimed puncture protection technology from IRC, but I've got a couple thousand miles on them and have only had one tiny puncture, which I only noticed when I got home and realized that the back of my bike was all gooey with sealant.

If for some reason my road bike is out of commission, I'm very happy to do the proverbial planned 100% paved ride on these tires.

Agreed! I also ride the Boken Plus for the gravel/dirt roads in my area. In the winter, I ride the Plus' 32's on the road (plump up to 35 on my Emporias). Not sure why IRCs are not more common.

[tellyho]

Ooh, now I want to try the Boken. Just put some UD Cavas on (JFF version) but have zero miles on them yet. Snoq Pass were too fragile for my usage.

[djg21]

I like WTB Vulpines. The do well in the gravel /dirt in the NE that is packed dirt, corner well, and have a continuous center ridge for the road.

[Epicus07]

Originally Posted by tellyho

Ooh, now I want to try the Boken. Just put some UD Cavas on (JFF version) but have zero miles on them yet. Snoq Pass were too fragile for my usage.

Let me know how you like them compared to the RH SP.


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