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Trying to pick a tyre for road/gravel/trail

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crembz

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
So I sold my gravel bike and until I decide on what to replace it with I'm going to use my spot rocker for weekday riding duties. Currently has a Martello front and mezcal rear

Riding consists of 50km ish rides with a mix of 60% road 30% light gravel 10% heavy gravel/single-track.

I was running 650x48 gravelking SS in the gravel bike to prioritise the road sections. I'm planning something a little less road for the rocker. My rims are i30 wide.

So far I'm considering the terreni race or mezcal in 29x2.1-2.25. haven't quite decided but given what I've described are what tyre would be best suited to turning a hardtail into a more general purpose gravel bike.
 
#2 ·
Mezcal or Barzo are both great and relatively light at 700-750g, though the Barzo won’t last long on the road. Thunder Burts roll well, but the new versions are boat anchors! My 2.35” weighed in at almost 800g which is a lot for what you get. Knobbier alternatives like Racing Ralph / Ray are also good but not for paved roads, so my pick would be the Mezcal.
 
#5 ·
Pirelli Scorpion XC H in 2.2. They have a Lite version at 610g and a Prowall version at 660g. On 29i rims, mine plumped up to 2.35. I do most of my riding from home, so they see a lot of pavement miles.

Image
 
#6 ·
You probably can't go wrong with any popular low tread xc tire, but fwiw whenever I read bike checks for long distance gravel races on bikepacking dot com it seems like over half the riders use mezcals
And if you're looking to save a buck or forty and value long term durability over everything else, continental race kings in the pure grip compound would be the choice
 
#8 ·
I had some Specialized Renegades pulled off my XC Race bike and put on my commute-to-dirt bike. Dry and rocky local trails, so I need some grip. I run the same tire in 26x2.2 on my dirt jumper, so Im pretty accustomed to what they are going to do when pushed beyond their generally accepted usage range.

S-Works Renegade 2Bliss Ready T5/T7

  • Rear: 29 x 2.2", PSI 25-50, approximate weight 570g.
  • Front: 29 x 2.35", PSI 25-50, approximate weight 590g.
 
Discussion starter · #10 ·
mnpikey said:
vittoria.com

Terreno Dry Gravel Endurance

Upgrade your performance on dry terrains with Terreno Dry Gravel Endurance Tires. Reinforced sidewalls for increased puncture protection. Shop now.
vittoria.com vittoria.com

They make the Vittoria Terreno Dry in 29x2.0 and 29x2.1.
Click to expand...
Yes that's the other one I was thinking of. Not sure how it compares though
 
#12 ·
Rene Herse has some great tires for gravel both in 650B & 700C all of which come in "Standard", "Superlight" and "Endurance" casing. I've tried all three and was impressed with how light super light was, but I'm sticking with "standard" casing for my slick and the "endurance" for the more knobby tires.

I have two sets of wheels, the main wheels are setup with the ReneHerse slicks 700c x35 "Bon Jon Pass". On my second wheel set are the 700c x 48 "Oracle Ridge". The "Oracle Ridge" are surprising quiet for knobby tires. They track really well on pavement, all but the worst gravel, sandy/silty hardback, and light single track. If they made a 29x2.5 sized tire I would have it on my Trek Fuel.

The slicks are frankly my favorite road tire. They just a great smooth tire. Its not as fast as a purpose built race tire, but I'll had good luck with the standard casings, in the places I've had to fix flats with lighter faster tires.
 
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#13 ·
I have ridden Thunder Burts, Aspens, Ikons and Mezcal (still ride these). All in various sizes.

I would say definitely the best choice for what you describe, based on low rolling resistance on the road, gravel and on trails. And they have good (cornering) grip and are robust.

Mezcal is the best compromise. Pretty impressed by the Mezcal.
 
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