Tires for gravel and pavement

[Thumper33]

It's a 2022 specialized turbo levo, so 29 front 27.5 rear. I'm commuting on it and the ride is about 3/4 pavement, but 1/4 fun fast trail w some gravel. Total of 8.5 miles each way. I'm looking for something that will roll better and take paved corners better, but still keep the gravel part fun. I thought about a pair of thunderburts. I'm not sure those will corner very well on pavement though, just roll fast.

Recommendations?

 

[MountainBoy]

On gravel and pavement the traction is determined by the rubber compound and tread patterns, knobs, etc. just displace gravel and reduce traction. Your best bet is a wide slick. Its width would be determined by how much floation the type of gravel requires, and if floatation is not required because the gravel is packed and angular, then how much comfort you want. Probably somewhere between 2" and 2.3" would be good.

I've ridden wide slicks for years on all kinds of surfaces (although I don't have any right now). They even work well during heavy rain because the contact patch is small enough to not need rain grooves to prevent hydroplaning. If the lack of a tread pattern makes you uncomfortable (for many people it does), then maybe you would like some Schwalb gravel tires like the G-One Bite Evo's.

 

[Hardtail]

It's a 2022 specialized turbo levo, so 29 front 27.5 rear. I'm commuting on it and the ride is about 3/4 pavement, but 1/4 fun fast trail w some gravel. Total of 8.5 miles each way. I'm looking for something that will roll better and take paved corners better, but still keep the gravel part fun. I thought about a pair of thunderburts. I'm not sure those will corner very well on pavement though, just roll fast.

Recommendations?

I ride Thunder Burt Super Ground 29" x 2.1" as my commuting tyre, with similar terrain conditions to yours. They are great, I did try the tan wall Super Race but they are too thin and puncture easily. I have ridden many fast tarmac miles on the Thunder Burt in all weather and have never had an issue with traction, but everything is relative... I think they are the lightest and fastest gravel tyre you can get in that size so I always travel with a puncture plug kit and Co2 canisters.

 

[Doomanic]

I'd be looking at Eddy Currents;

Or Johnny Watts;

I admit to slating the EC in the past but for what you need they'd be very good. The JW would be better on the tarmac but worse of the gravel.

 

[steve_sordy]

I have a 27.5 x 2.6 WTB Trail Boss TCS Light that has the centre knobs worn down by 3/4. I have bought a replacement for the winter and will put the old one back on for the summer. But it would suit pavement/gravel use very well.

 

[Boon6000]

It's a 2022 specialized turbo levo, so 29 front 27.5 rear. I'm commuting on it and the ride is about 3/4 pavement, but 1/4 fun fast trail w some gravel. Total of 8.5 miles each way. I'm looking for something that will roll better and take paved corners better, but still keep the gravel part fun. I thought about a pair of thunderburts. I'm not sure those will corner very well on pavement though, just roll fast.

Recommendations?

I found nobby nics to be a great in-between. not too draggy but still have grip

 

[Landy Andy]

I run Schwalbe Smart Sam for that application. Got a centre band so good on the black, but enough blocks so works in loose

Smart Sam Performance MTB Tyre

Buy your Schwalbe Smart Sam Performance MTB Tyre - Tyres from Wiggle. Our price £20.99. Free worldwide delivery available.

www.wiggle.co.uk

 

[MountainBoy]

I know the OP was not asking about dry sand, but I thought I would bring this up because we rarely ride on a single surface and often encounter surfaces with different challenges which means it often difficult to pick the tire that is the best compromise for the variety of surfaces we can expect to encounter.

As humans, we develop preconceived notions of what kind of tread pattern works best in various conditions. But we are often basing that, not on hard data, but what 'looks' like it would work best. If you have ever watched the Youtube channel "Matt's Off-road Recovery" you know that a lot of his backcountry vehicle recoveries are done in Utah, in unconsolidated, dry sand. Sand dunes, etc. Matt has many years experience driving in this and he says that as his off-road tires become more worn, as the tread wears off and the tires approach bald, that his traction in dry sand improves. One time he had brand-new tires on his recovery vehicle and he was saying it was going to make the job more challenging because he had too much tread for the dry sand. A racing slick would work better.

The reason for this makes sense when you think about it. A smooth tire presses the sand grains together while knobs or treads displaces the sand and causes the tire to 'dig in'. My experience riding trails for many years on a 2.2" wide city slick, round and bald, was that it provided really good traction on a wide variety of loose surfaces, especially for tricky climbing situations. Of course, there were plenty of other situations where it did not excel like on wet leaves on pavement, on hard, wet clay, and in slimy mud. Slicks were incredible on clean rock, even in the wet! Often, it's all about a good, grippy rubber compound. Slicks work better in pea gravel than a knobby, especially when that pea gravel is slickened and lubricated by rain. A lot of this is counter intuitive.