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BUYER'S GUIDE

Best gravel bike tyres 2025 — get some reliable rubber for riding on mixed terrain

From durability to performance, get the most out of your gravel adventures (or just take advantage of tougher tyres for your commute) with a set of the best gravel tyres

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More and more of us are hopping on gravel bikes but, once you are set up with a set of the best gravel wheels, what are the best gravel tyres to really get the most out of your off-road adventures? 


Whether you are looking to head off bikepacking, race or swap your road bike for gravel in order to mix up training, our selection of gravel tyres will help you to find more grip, speed and comfort no matter what the condition or terrain. 

In recent times gravel tyres have been getting wider, with 38mm and 40mm tyres replacing the previous standard size of 33mm and 35mm; there are even 50mm and 55mm gravel bike tyres, though not as many bikes will be able to take them and still offer clearance. 

If you really want to go fat, see if your bike can take 650B wheels. The smaller rim size makes room for the largest volume gravel bike tyres.

The sheer number of options now is welcome, of course, as it allows for variety to suit everyone's gravel riding needs.

How do we review tyres

As with all the products we review at road.cc, reviewing tyres takes time. So, our reviewers ride our test tyres for at least a month before submitting their verdicts. Our experiences reviewers put the tyres through various riding conditions and scenarios assessing factors such as the durability, weight, construction quality, puncture protection and value. We believe that this gives a thorough evaluation and provides valuable insights into how the tyres perform in everyday riding conditions. 

Rolling resistance claims are also assessed, and it's worth noting that our reviews are not lab tests. We don't have access to specialist equipment like the folks at Bicycle Rolling Resistance or Wheel Energy, so we're not claiming to know exactly which tyres are faster than others. While scientific results are really useful, we still think our observations about ride quality, grip and how easy they are to get on or off are useful too. 

Why you can trust us 

When it comes to road.cc buyer's guides, we will only ever recommend products that fared well in reviews. All of the tyres featured here scored 4 out of 5 stars or more overall from our reviewers, indicating very good, excellent or exceptional quality according to our reviewers' opinions. 

Our reviewers are all experienced cyclists, and so are the road.cc team members who put these guides together. That means you can be sure the product selections are our genuine top picks, not just a round-up of things we can make a commission from.

With all that said, it's time for our top gravel tyre picks. There was an extensive selection to choose from, hence the longer list than some of our other buyer's guides... 

The best gravel tyres: our top picks

Bontrager GR2 Team Issue Gravel Tyre

Bontrager GR2 Team Issue Gravel Tyre

9
Best gravel bike tyre overall
Buy now for £53.99 from Leisure Lakes Bikes
Fit and forget
Fast on and off road
Sidewall protection
One size only
Not great in the mud

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. 

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 and it has impressive sidewall protection to prevent punctures from occurring. However, the only set back regarding these tyres is that they only come in one size option of 700c x 40mm. 

Rene Herse Fleecer Ridge tyres

Rene Herse Fleecer Ridge tyres

9
Best money-no-object gravel tyre
Buy now for £97 from Sven Cycles
Stupendous grip
Great cushioning
Quiet
Tough
Huge price

The 700c Rene Herse Fleecer Ridge tyre with an endurance casing "redefines how to go fast and far off-road without compromising grip or feel" according to our reviewer.

Comparable to riding a slick on tarmac, the knob design works extremely well and offers a shoulderless cornering feel. For serious off-road adventures on your gravel bikes such as bikepacking, it's a reliable and hard-wearing premium option. 

We say premium... at £97 a tyre at RPP a pair will cost you double that of competitors with similar features; but if you're into far and fast bikepacking and are happy to splash out for the very best, the René Herse Fleecer Ridge Endurance offers speed, grip, comfort and quietness in abundance. 

Schwalbe G-One RS tyre

Schwalbe G-One RS tyre

9
Best gravel tyre for racing
Buy now for £57.74 from Tweeks Cycles
Rapid rolling feel
More grip than you would expect
Multiple size options
Price

The Schwalbe G-One RS tyres focus on gravel racing where maximum performance and speed are a priority. For the price, you would rightly expect impressive performance and that is exactly what you get: a supple tyre that feels fast and can cope with a range of surfaces and conditions. 

The G-One RS represents an evolution of the G-One R and it borrows the same shoulder tread design and combines it with the low-profile X-One Speed centre section. 

The tyre is available in three widths: 35, 45 and 50mm, and all for 700c diameter. The 45mm version was tested, with our pair weighing in at 525g. Claimed weight for the 40mm version is 445g, which would make it among the lightest gravel tyres available for the size. 

Tester Matthew writes: "It might not last as long as other tyres, and I would be hesitant to use it in areas around sharp rocks where punctures are very likely, but it's a race option and quite simply the best gravel tyre I have ever used."

IRC Boken Plus gravel tyre 650B

IRC Boken Plus gravel tyre 650B

9
Best 650b gravel tyre
Buy now for £37.99 from Trade Inn
Big chamber
Lots of grip over lots of surfaces
Easy to set up tubeless
Reasonably heavy

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.  They offer 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.

Goodyear Connector Ultimate gravel tyre

Goodyear Connector Ultimate gravel tyre

9
Best gravel tyre for an easy tubeless set-up
Buy now for £37.49 from Tweeks Cycles
Easy tubeless setup
Good compliance at lower pressure
Brilliant all-round grip
Decent road speed
Can feel stiff at higher pressures
Slightly narrower than billed

The Goodyear Connector Ultimate gravel tyre offers brilliant all round grip regardless of the terrain you’re adventuring across, 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.

Challenge Gravine PRO Handmade Tubeless Ready Gravel Tyre Best gravel tyre for multiple surfaces

Challenge Gravine PRO Handmade Tubeless Ready Gravel Tyre

9
Best gravel tyre for multiple surfaces
Buy now for £64 from Merlin Cycles
Excellent grip across multiple surfaces
Good mud shedding
Fast on the road
Very expensive
Hard to mount

Yes they're pricey, but the Challenge Gravine gravel tyres will last you a lot of miles, and are also great tyres for using on various different types of terrain as they're pretty fast on the road too. 

Our reviewer said the tyres offered great grip, and did their primary job of shedding mud on tough terrain very well. The Gravine is more than that though, as it apppears to be a genuine all-rounder that excells on dusty, dry surfaces too, and even Tarmac. 

The only issue is that they're quite tricky to fit, and are expensive... but if you invest the cash and the time to stick 'em on your rims, you won't be disappointed. 

The best of the rest: more of our top gravel tyre recommendations

Schwalbe G-One Allround Evolution

Schwalbe G-One Allround Evolution

9
Buy now for £49.33 from Halfords
Low rolling resistance
Great dry weather grip
Limited to dry conditions

As the name suggests, the Schwalbe G-One Allround Evolution tyre is a brilliant all-round summer tubeless tyre. It rolls extremely well on the tarmac, is very reliable as well as predictable on gravel, and it performs well on the trails too. 

The low rolling resistance of the G-Ones is impressive: they're right up there with the very fastest gravel tyres on the market. The round profile combined with the consistent tread pattern that wraps around the shoulder allows for predictable cornering and grip. Also, grip on dry rocks, stone or gravel tracks is nothing short of outstanding.

These tyres come in a range of sizes to fit 27.5”, 29” and 700c wheels and widths: 35mm, 40mm and 45mm. Overall the performance of these tyres is impressive, making them a great choice for all dry riding on a range of surfaces. 

Vittoria Mezcal Gravel Endurance tyre

Vittoria Mezcal III gravel tyre

9
Buy now for £44.98 from Ebay
Fast
Grip on most surfaces
Puncture resistance
Only two width options
May inflate under quoted size

Vittoria has taken the popular Mezcal cross-country mountain bike tyre, reduced its width and labelled it a gravel tyre. By lowering the size and creating this gravel version, nothing has been taken away from Mezcal's performance and all-around ability. The Mezcal Gravel Endurance tyre fits somewhere in the middle of Vittoria's gravel tyre lineup, with a deep tread and open sections. According to Vittoria, the tread pattern is intended to provide grip and speed on hard surfaces for drop-bar bikes.

In terms of the range provided, the Gravel Endurance keeps things simple. There are two sizes available, 700x35mm and 700x44mm, with the same tubeless-ready, anthracite sidewall. The 44mm size, which we tested, will undoubtedly be the more popular option for gravel riding. The tyre has the same reinforced sidewall as the mountain bike XC-Trail tyres and features a 120 TPI casing.

Tester Matthew said, "Although the Mezcal Gravel is not intended for looser, muddier tracks, when testing in Wales during the early winter those are difficult to avoid. Given the tread shape, the feeling of speed was perhaps expected, but the way they gripped through turns was superb". 

Rene Herse Umtanum Ridge

Rene Herse Umtanum Ridge 650b tyre

9
Buy now for £82 from Sven Cycles
Supple
Grippy
Quiet
Fast
Various casing options
Very expensive
Narrower than claimed

The Rene Herse Umtanum Ridge 650b tyres are a fast yet grippy upgrade to any bike that can fit them in. If you're after a wide tyre for the worst gravel conditions imaginable, one that still rolls stupidly fast and quiet on hard surfaces, the Umtanum Ridge should be high on your list.

Rene Herse advertise the Umtanum Ridges as measuring 57mm on a 23mm rim but we found that they came up small, measuring 53mm on a wide 25mm rim. Jane Heine, founder of Rene Herse Tyres says that due to the nature of hand-made tyres using natural rubber, the size can vary batch to batch. 

Overall, tester Matt says, "they're quiet, supple and very confidence inspiring", and despite the smaller than advertised width and high price, "the performance is outstanding and goes a long way to offset that". 

Panaracer GravelKing Slick TLC

Panaracer GravelKing Slick TLC

9
Buy now for £29.99 from Tredz
Lots of grip
Great on poor roads or light gravel
Light
Fast rolling
Can be tough to mount

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. 

Vredestein Aventura gravel tyre

Vredestein Aventura gravel tyre

9
Buy now for £40.49 from Merlin Cycles
Light
Impressive grip
Easy installation
Good size options
Thin-feeling sidewalls might limit puncture protection

The Aventura gravel tyre from Vredestein is a great lightweight tyre that offers impressive grip and allround performance. It’s also easy to fit which is a great aspect of this tyre. 

Offering excellent traction both uphill as well as downhill, the Aventura is a versatile pick. The tread pattern features a semi-slick centre line and thicker and deeper tread towards the outer for added grip, but this is still a low profile tyre. 

The Aventura tyre is available in three sizes: two 700x widths, 38mm and 44mm, and a 50mm 650B. Overall, it’s a great tyre and without a doubt, one to consider. 

Vittoria Terreno Dry gravel tyre

Vittoria Terreno Dry gravel tyre

9
Buy now for £18.99 from Cycle Store
Smooth rolling
Good puncture resistance
Reliable grip
No wider option yet

If your needs in a tyre include a mix of both tarmac and off road riding, then the Vittoria Terreno Dry is a great option to consider. It excels in the dry, hence the name, but is also adequate in more year round conditions too. 

Where the Vittoria Terreno Zero, has an almost slick centre section, the Dry uses a 'fishscale' tread. Those closely-packed hexagonal scales sit at varying heights, which gives the tyre a little bite as well as grip. The tread might not be deep, but the traction this offers is very impressive. Additionally, the tyre deals with firm and loose surfaces well, and can handle wetter conditions without too much trouble.

Overall, the smooth and grippy Terreno Dry offers a great level of traction while riding on off-road terrain in spite of its almost slick centre. Moreover, it’s also good for puncture protection. It also now comes in a range of widths for the 700c tyre, so there's a tyre width to suit every rider's preference. 

Maxxis Ravager Folding Tyre

Maxxis Ravager Folding Tyre

8
Buy now for £33.13 from Amazon
Sturdy rufty tufty proper off-road gravel tyre
Fast rolling
Bit draggy on road
Bit heavy

Essentially a 700c mountain bike tyre according to our reviewer, this tyre is the one if you really want to tackle tough terrain on your gravel bike. It looks very much like a scaled-down version of the Maxxis Minion SS MTB tyre and you can treat it very much as such, allowing you to take your gravel bike to places other slender treaded bikes might shy away from.

For venturing beyond gravel and onto pretty much everything and anything else, the Ravager is a really capable and, more importantly, fun tyre, if you can live with the slightly sluggish performance on Tarmac and slim profile.

Pirelli Cinturato Gravel S

Pirelli Cinturato Gravel S

8
Buy now for £49.99 from Tweeks Cycles
Good traction in soft mud
Easy to fit to rims
Durable construction
Quite heavy
No 650B option

The Pirelli Cinturato Gravel S tyre offers decent tread depth to cope with soft conditions and a compound that feels grippy on all kinds of terrain. In the UK our gravel routes tend to be rather muddy, especially in the winter, and that's something this tyre is designed to address.

All of Pirelli's gravel tyres share the same compound and construction, with the only differences being the tread pattern. The S has the deepest tread, with directional blocks of rubber covering the mid-section, with even chunkier blocks on the shoulders for increased cornering grip. Pirelli only offers the Gravel S in 700C and widths of 40mm, 45mm and 50mm. 

Tester Stu said, "The Gravel S is a very capable choice. It's weightier than the lightly treaded tyres that take up a lot of the marketplace, but it's very good at what it does, and I'd say well worth buying if you want year-round grip". 

Specialized S-Works Pathfinder 2Bliss Ready tyre

Specialized S-Works Pathfinder 2Bliss Ready tyre

8
Buy now for £44.95 from Cyclestore
Very light
Fast rolling
Trouble-free tubeless set-up
Only available in one size
Not the best in wet off-road conditions

The Specialized S-Works Pathfinder 2Bliss Ready tyres are one of the lightest gravel tyres on the market and is a great gravel tyre if performance is important to you. The S-Works Pathfinders feature a very similar tread pattern to the cheaper Pathfinder Pro tyres that have been out for a few years and Specialized says the main benefit over the Pro is that this S-Works version is much lighter – and it is, with the S-Works tyres just 456g. 

Tester Jamie said, "I've been using the tyres for about two months now on mixed terrain and in variable conditions, and my overriding feeling is that it's one hell of a quick tyre. As mentioned earlier, the tread pattern remains unchanged from the Pro version, and features a smooth centre section surrounded by tightly packed diamond-shaped blocks that get more aggressive towards the shoulders of the tyre."

Overall, the S-Works Pathfinders are surprisingly good value, roll extremely well on dry surfaces and are very light. However, if durability is a priority, the Pro version is probably the better buy, with the S-Works tyres best saved for dry off-road riding.

Michelin Power Gravel tyre

Michelin Power Gravel tyre

9
Buy now for £36.99 from Tredz
Fast and grippy on hardpacked gravel and dusty tracks
Well priced
Not as supple as some of the competition

This quality gravel tyre from Michelin has a lot going for it, with great durability, grip and puncture protection all at a reasonable price point. 

It's a small-knobbled tyre for grip and loose surfaces without sacrificing much speed, a tried and test formula that works a treat, although you'll need something more heavy duty for really wet mud.

Our reviewer found the tread just deep enough to grab hold of stones so you don't slip around, and they don't break traction easily if you need to get out of the saddle. The compound stood up to lots of rough and ready rides, so you can expect these tyres to be long-lasting. 

All in all, the Michelin Power Gravel offers similar levels of performance and durability to some of the best tyres out there, at a very competitive price.

WTB Resolute TCS Light SG2 tyre

WTB Resolute TCS Light SG2 tyre

9
Buy now for £36.49 from Trade Inn
Excellent grip in the wet
Fit and forget all-round performance
Good puncture protection
Just one width
Not the fastest rolling

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.

How to choose from the best gravel tyres

faq-icon
What kind of tyres do gravel bikes use?

If you are wondering what tyres may suit your gravel needs, there is no sure-fire answer because there are multiple things to consider. Within the broad genre of gravel riding, there might be multiple different surfaces you want to tackle.

What matters most is the conditions and surfaces you’ll mostly be riding, and your priorities when it comes to aspects such as durability and speed. Let’s go over a few use cases by way of demonstration... 

Mostly Tarmac: If your gravel bike rarely sees actual gravel, but you like the ability of wide tyres to point and laugh at the decayed surfaces of the tiniest country lanes, then you want moderate width (32-40mm) and a light tread pattern. You can also probably get away with a light casing because your tyres won’t have to contend as much with dirt-road flints and other sharps. If you nevertheless venture down dirt roads and trails now and then, go for something with a slightly knobbier tread.

Mostly dirt: You'll be wanting knobs, and lots of ’em. That also means the fattest tyre your frame will handle, unless your trails are very muddy in which case a narrower tyre will leave room for crud to pass through.

Half and half: Of course nobody ever manages to ride an exactly balanced mix, but if you want a true go-everywhere tyre then it needs some centre-knobs, but not so many that it’ll be too slow on Tarmac. If you’re in a hurry, go for a relatively shallow tread and light, flexible casing; if not, go beefier in those areas.

Racing: The fastest gravel bike tyres have very light centre-treads and light casings for the lowest possible rolling resistance.

faq-icon
Is 32mm tyres wide enough for gravel?

In general, a 32mm width tyre will offer you good versatility, however it could be seen to be a little on the narrow side for the rougher stuff as wider tyres are gaining popularity. This tyre width is considered a great option if you are riding a lot of hardpack terrain, mostly ride on Tarmac, or are looking to do gravel racing on vast fireroads; something that won't apply much to our UK readers, because we don't really have any of those! Overall, it will be good option unless you are riding a lot of really gnarly single track, in which case a wider tyre would be more suitable, as we've mentioned above. 

faq-icon
Are 700c tyres good for gravel?

If your gravel bike has a 700c size wheel, which is the normal standard on a road bike, then a 700c tyre will be the correct tyre size for your wheels. Although there are smaller size wheels on some gravel bikes, a 700c wheels and tyre can be beneficial while gravel riding as the bigger circumference arguably offers a reduced rolling resistance. However, it's all down to personal preference; for example, a shorter rider who rides a smaller frame size may prefer 650b wheels and tyres for gravel riding as it can feel more nimble.

650b vs 700c wheels: find out which you should choose

faq-icon
Can you use gravel tyres on the road?

If you were wondering if you could use your gravel tyres to ride on the road as well as on off-road terrain, the short answer is: yes. However, gravel tyres won't be the best option if you are just riding solely on the road as they will create more drag due to the tread in comparison to a road tyre that is fully slick. It depends on how much that matters to you. 

If your times on Strava do matter to you at all and you mostly do road riding on your gravel bike, then switching to a pair of road tyres, even just for the spring and summer months, could be a better option. But if you were just wanting to know if your gravel tyres would be ok riding on sections of road inbetween off-road sections, then of course they will be perfectly adequate. 

> Gravel bikes — do we actually need them?

Emily is our track and road racing specialist, having represented Great Britain at the World and European Track Championships. With a National Title up her sleeve, Emily has just completed her Master’s in Sports Psychology at Loughborough University where she raced for Elite Development Team, Loughborough Lightning.

Emily is our go-to for all things training and when not riding or racing bikes, you can find her online shopping or booking flights…the rest of the office is now considering painting their nails to see if that’s the secret to going fast…

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9 comments

Avatar
check12 | 2 months ago
0 likes

continental 29"x2.0" anyone? 

Avatar
Slartibartfast | 2 months ago
0 likes

Best slick/light gravel are tufo thundero. Best wider/chunkier are teravail Rutlands (in my experience at least). I have just put a pair of maxxis rambler 650x47 on they're absolutely brilliant. Half the tyres on this list are entirely useless for half of the UK seasons!

Avatar
S.E. | 7 months ago
0 likes

I'm often riding both on roads 80%, and trails 20%, on the same rides. I went with Pirelli Cinturato velo, mostly for their highest puncture resistance in soft tyres. They are almost slick but have a good grip, not the fastest nor the cheapest, though...

I have a 2nd front wheel for muddy weather, with a Schwalbe X-One allround.

Works fine for my program so far, I think I'll keep that set up until they are all worn out.

Avatar
mike the bike replied to S.E. | 7 months ago
1 like

I'm with you Mr S E,

I've completely knackered one pair, after about 7000 miles, which is way more than Pirelli forecast.  A tad heavy but otherwise superb and I now count the time between flats in years, not months.  Here's hoping the new pair perform as well.

Avatar
froze | 7 months ago
0 likes

The problem with this review is that they should have put gravel tires into 3 categories, aggressive, all-rounder, and semi-slick.  A lot of the brands have a few more than just 1 model of gravel tire, then we would know which faired high on certain surfaces and riding styles.

What about Michelin Power Gravel, WTB Raddler,  Panaracer Gravelking SK,  Continental Terra Trail, etc.

 

Avatar
Surreyrider | 7 months ago
0 likes

Pretty sure this should be on Gravel CC not Road CC.

Avatar
mark1a replied to Surreyrider | 7 months ago
7 likes

I wonder if F-At attempted to register the domain gravel.cc but then realised it cost 30% more for no obvious reason. 

Avatar
Jack Sexty replied to Surreyrider | 7 months ago
3 likes

* grvl.cc

Avatar
Lozcan | 7 months ago
0 likes

Not very continental.....