QUESTION: Are gravel tires good for road? I’ve seen some that are on sale that would fit in my road bike frame and I really like how my gravel bike feels nice and cushy so I was thinking about getting some. Any reason why I shouldn’t? – Jack E
RBR REPLIES: Gravel tires are a poor choice if you’re going to be mostly riding on the road with them. They are generally heavier than road tires, and the additional tread and knobbies create a lot more rolling resistance on smooth pavement, which will slow you down. Maybe this doesn’t matter to you if you mostly ride alone, but if you ride with any other roadies you’ll probably find it takes a lot more effort to keep up.
But here’s the good news. It probably isn’t the tread and knobbies that is making your gravel bike feel so comfortable. It’s the extra air volume that comes with the wider tires that is providing the cushy ride. A wider tire gives a noticeable amount of suspension and comfort compared to a very narrow tire like a 23mm or 25mm pumped up to a high pressure.
This additional air volume also allows you to safely run your tires at a much lower pressure, which adds even more comfort.
So instead of buying a gravel specific tire, consider a wider road tire with a smooth tread. A bigger tire is always going to be heavier than a similar smaller one, because it has more material. But a wide tire with a smooth tread will save you some weight and also roll much, much faster on the pavement. When the pace gets very hard, you’ll probably still have trouble keeping up with road bikes with racing tires, but it won’t be as dramatic as it would be with knobby tires.
One thing to look out for is that when you go bigger than 32mm, many of the bike tires for sale are designed more as touring or commuting tires. So although they’ll be very durable and resistant to flats, they’re often slow rolling and dead feeling. Some of the lighter options wider than 32mm include tires like the Continental Gran Prix Urban, the Schwalbe G One Speed and the Pirelli Cinturato. If you’ve got a big budget, Rene Herse has a very large selection of ultralight tires that go as wide as you can fit in most frames.
I use 38mm Rene Herse ultralight Barlow Pass slicks on my gravel bike and ride that bike on the road quite a bit. I can keep up on group rides with no problem with those tires, as long as the pace doesn’t get too competitive.
I ride my gravel bike on the road all the time, either on my way to gravel or just doing a strictly road ride. The gravel tires work fine. Yes I guess theoretically they are a little slower but honestly it doesn’t seem to matter all that much. The advantage of using the knobby tires on the road is that roads are often imperfect and occasionally there is gravel on the road or other debris. Also when cars are coming I don’t hesitate to move far to the right of the road and even go into the dirt or shoulder or whatever is there because I know that my bike and tires can handle that.. Using a gravel bike also gives you the freedom that if there is a trail or a shortcut that is not tarmac, you can take that even though you weren’t planning to. I truly believe that a gravel bike or “all road “bike is the best bike for most people to be riding.
I bought a gravel bike after getting hit by a car last March and totaling my road bike. I do ride pavement and gravel now but my average speed is about 3mph less with the bigger tires. Hopefully I will get stronger but it is nice to have more confidence off road.
My touring bike can be used as a gravel bike. The bike originally came with Kenda Drumlin 45c tires, I rode mostly on the road with them and some gravel, never had any problems other than the weight of the Drumlin tires are almost 1,000 grams a piece. I then switched to Schwalbe Amotion 38c tires and occasionally I have to ride on gravel, loaded for camping, and while they lack the slightly more aggressive tread that the Drumlin had, not to mention being narrower, I still didn’t have any problems on gravel with the Amotions, but they ride and roll better on pavement than the Drumlins did.
You can ride any tire on the pavement, for that matter you can ride any tire on the gravel if your bike handling skills are good, I’ve ridden on gravel roads with 23c tires; I’ve seen people riding fat tire bikes on the road, not idea thing to do but the bike is able to go down the road.
If you’re riding mostly road then you need to get a tire that has a tread surface conducive for road riding as well as the edge of the treads good for the occasional gravel, Panaracer Gravel kings, the Vittoria Terreno Dry, are really good for that as are some other tires.
I would think that extra weight and having to work harder to keep speed in a group would be a good thing.
[Well, *cough-cough* for anyone who is actually training for speed/strength/endurance.]
For others, everything Russell said is spot on. Sometimes, it’s all about utility and safety, or merely about the joy of the ride itself.
I do like having the stability on gravel and dirt but do not like being slower on pavement. I usually ride solo on the tarmac anyway. Someone called it” the 15% gravel tax.” Like it !
Kudos to those who ride their gravel bikes on the road (and the road bikers who ride gravel).
I live near the Tolt Pipeline trail, PSE Powerline trail as well as the Redmond Watershed and find that the flexible characteristics of gravel tires allows me to experience many different ride scenarios depending on desired length and intensity/technical skills desired,
It is important to use the tire pressure range available to enhance these rides…a simple ~ 8 – 12 psi change can make a major difference.
My 5+ year Ritchey Breakaway Cross experience with Clement (now Donnelly) X’Plor USH tube type tires in 700 x 35 has been outstanding across wet/dry pavement/chip seal as well as gravel surfaces and mild to medium single track & hardpack. I would expect any similar smooth center/edge knobs tire to perform as well…ridden at correct pressures. A proper on-bike tire pump with gauge is invaluable.
I have found both the Silca (https://silca.cc/pages/sppc-form) and Rene Herse (https://www.renehersecycles.com/tire-pressure-calculator/) tire pressure calculators to be helpful and easy to use.
I hope these observations help out…
I run Rene Herse Standard 650×48 smooth tread tires on road and trails. I am 74 so not trying to set an records but have no problem keeping up with moderate paced group rides. They have worked great on KATY, GAP and just finished the Erie Canal. Tried running the 700×44, but that impacted the feel of the bike, going to 650 solved that and gave me slightly lower gearing. Jan Heine set a best know time for the Oregon Outback averaging over 15 MPH for 26 hours on the lightweight version in 26×54 size. Majority of that is on pavement.
I find ride and grip superb, running 35-40 on pavement and 25-30 on dirt/gravel.
I have ridden my road bike with 25’s on dirt and gravel without much trouble. But only for 16 mi or so.
I switched my 25s for smooth 34s on my road bike. It was like taking a percocet (but not addictive)! Much smoother and more comfortable ride, and little if any loss of efficiency.