Best gravel tyres 2023 — equip your gravel bike with some reliable rubber for off-road riding

The performance orientated Bontrager GR2 Team Issue TLR gravel tyre has you covered pretty much whatever the condition or terrain, hence we’ve selected it in our top position for the best gravel tyres of this year. Likewise, this impressive tyre has also attained our road.cc recommended title.

Impressively, with this gravel tyre you can pretty much venture wherever you fancy without having to worry about grip or traction. Suited to any situation, whether that be riding along hardpack gravel, through technical wooded singletrack, over rocky terrain and even over mud. These tyres have your back and offer a very impressive level of versatility and all at a very reasonable price. 

Overall, this is a fantastic tyre. It handles well both on road as well as off, it has impressive sidewall protection to prevent punctures occuring. However, the biggest, as well as only, set back regarding the Bontrager GR2 Team Issue TLR gravel tyres is that they only come in one size option: this being 700c x 40mm. Which is still a brilliant choice but more variation in sizes would be fantastic.

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The Schwalbe G-One R just has to be featured in our best gravel tyres list as it offers an impressive mix of speed and grip which puts it at the top amongst other leading brands. Apart from the price, there aren’t many negative points regarding these tyres. 

Interestingly, even on surfaced roads, these gravel tyres are surprisingly quiet and offer a smooth ride. Which is great given the G-One R has reasonably deep tread and no continuous centre pattern. However, away from the road these tyres really come into their own: on rough and loose terrain the performance these tyres offer is pretty astonishing. They grip on rocks, stone or gravel tracks very well, managing to scale tracks that many would struggle to summit without dismounting.

Overall, the G-One R is nothing short of brilliant, these tyres can tackle every condition. But, unfortunately for general riding, the price is the biggest downside. These tyres also come in either 40mm or 45mm by 700c, which is nice and wide and can therefore accommodate for all your gravel needs.

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The WTB Resolute is one of the more open-treaded gravel tyres available on the market and within our best gravel tyres list, making it ideal for British weather conditions. With the SG2 useful puncture-resistant layer, it's one of the best all-weather, all-conditions tyres money can buy.

This robust tyre from WTB really comes into its own on slippery tracks in wetter conditions and while riding through mud. Therefore it’s a really great option if you aren’t adverse to riding in bad weather or fancy some gnarly gravel riding thanks to its deeper than average tread.

Although these tyres deliver great grip in bad conditions, as well as good puncture protection, the Resolute is slightly slower rolling on the road and unfortunately only available in just the one size. Which is 42mm width for both 700c and 650b wheel size options. Therefore the lack of widths is a little limiting, but other than that, it's a great option for wet weather.

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Another road.cc recommended pick in our best gravel tyres rundown is the Goodyear Connector Ultimate gravel tyre. This tyre offers brilliant all round grip regardless of the terrain you’re adventuring across. Therefore making it a great option for those who enjoy riding in varied weather as well as on varied terrain.

Interestingly, although this tyre offers fantastic all round grip it also performs surprisingly well with regards to road speed. The brilliant grip offered by the Connector Ultimate is due to the tread which consists of a virtually continuous central band of tightly-packed shallow blocks, which vary in widths. Moreover, the shoulder of the tread has larger, more widely spaced and high tread blocks with the largest Y-shaped blocks providing added grip.

Overall, these tyres can feel a little on the stiff side when run at higher pressures and they are also slightly narrower than claimed. But, they are great value and very robust. They also come in sizes: 650b x 50mm, 700c x 35mm, 700c x 40mm and 700c x 50mm, therefore there’s a decent range in size options to suit your demands.

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IRC's Boken Plus is a semi-slick multi-surface tyre which is a lot more versatile than you might expect at first glance. It looks like it'd roll well on tarmac, and it does, however, it's also surprisingly capable on much rougher terrain too. 

With regards to the tyre itself, this semi-slick option has a solid central tread pattern which gradually becomes more open the further from the centre line. This design feature is to allow for reduced resistance while riding along smooth surfaces and the more open treat is great for cornering. Therefore offering great all round performance on varied terrain as well as impressive grip in wetter conditions. 

Although these tyres deliver great versatility as well as puncture protection, the Broken Plus are slightly on the heavier side for tyres. Therefore if you are particularly concerned with weight, then these might be one to miss. But they are a great all round tyre that can handle both wet and dry conditions.

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While this isn't technically a gravel tyre, we had to mention it because it simply excels in any kind of on-road/bad road scenario. It's also very light and has a seriously low rolling resistance, which makes it a very fast tyre no matter the terrain. Puncture protection is also pretty solid, despite lacking the ProTite protection of the slightly more expensive 'Plus' version.

If you're after a racing gravel tyre or something more robust than a road tyre for the commute on rubbish roads, this is a great option at a reasonable price. 

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