If you're going to carry on riding outside through winter, then the cold and wet conditions are best handled with something heavier, grippier and more puncture-resistant than your summer rubber... you need a set of the best winter road bike tyres you can afford, and luckily this guide has plenty of options for you to choose from.

Best winter road bike tyres overall: Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tyre

Designed for road and off-road duties: Vittoria Terreno Zero TLR G2.0 tyre 700x38

Fast wet-weather option: Vittoria Corsa Control TLR G2.0 tyre

Great handling wet and dry: Hutchinson Challenger 700x28

Ideal tyre for rough roads: Panaracer GravelKing Slick TLC

Great all-season tyre: Pirelli P Zero Race 4S tyre

Reliable and confidence-inspiring: Goodyear Vector 4Seasons tubeless tyre

An all-weather classic: Continental Grand Prix 4 Season

All-weather training and commuting tyre: Specialized Roubaix Pro

Designed for long distance, mixed-surface challenges: Cadex Classics 28 Tubeless
Compared to standard road bike tyres, winter tyres are typically wider, with thicker tread and beefier puncture-prevention under that tread, and usually a bit cheaper — nobody likes trashing expensive tyres. Fixing a flat in the cold and wet is a miserable job, so it makes sense to use tyres with better puncture resistance to avoid it.
> Puncture prevention 101: learn how to swerve flats with these 11 top tricks
Fortunately, when it comes to the best winter road bike tyres, there are plenty of great options out there to prevent your rolling resistance from adding to winter sluggishness.
A set of the best gravel tyres is an alternative option to help you to find more grip and comfort (if your bike has the tyre clearance for them), staying rubber-side-down in the wet, and offering increased puncture resistance with a grippier tread.
If you're sticking with road tyres though, then here are ten of our very favourite winter road bike tyres!
First Published Dec 20, 2022