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Winter gravel tyres for muddy UK conditions - 700c

Had a quick search through the forum & couldn't see anything on it, so thought I'd just ask now.

Has anyone got any recommendations for a 700c gravel tyre for typical UK winter slop? Soil round my way can get a bit of clay in there which doesn't help matters, max clearance is around 45mm. 

Am I better off going for a CX tyre for the really muddy days?

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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16 comments

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oceandweller | 2 years ago
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i run 40mm terra trail front & terra speed rear on the go-anywhere bike (cx race frame with mix of road, cx & mtb kit) & it works well on everything from typical (i.e. rubbish) tar to mild singletrack, including deep mud. my favourite ride in all but serious summer conditions!

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kil0ran | 2 years ago
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WTB Nano, cheap and will handle everything. 40mm width in 700c. The Sendero is even more gnarly but I don't think it's available in 700c. Ran both on my gravel bike, coped very well with New Forest slop

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Rapha Nadal | 2 years ago
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35mm GravelKing AC's are great.  Clear really well, grip pretty good, offer good clearance whilst on the bike.

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IanEdward | 2 years ago
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I'd be tempted by one of the Vittoria Terreno variants, the Terreno wet is a bona-fide CX mud tyre, rolls pretty well on harder surfaces though.

The Mix rolls better still, probably won't grip as well in a straight line but still seems to corner well, I did a few training sessions on wet grass and mud with the Mix, seemed good

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SRRC replied to IanEdward | 2 years ago
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IanEdward wrote:

I'd be tempted by one of the Vittoria Terreno variants, the Terreno wet is a bona-fide CX mud tyre, rolls pretty well on harder surfaces though.

The Mix rolls better still, probably won't grip as well in a straight line but still seems to corner well, I did a few training sessions on wet grass and mud with the Mix, seemed good

Yes, the Terreno range is good, I use the Mix as an all year round choice to save lots of changes. 33mm for CX and 38mm for general riding. I have a set of 33mm Wet on spare wheels to take to races but prefer the Mix if I can manage them. Quite soft so ride nicely but if you are on the road lots will wear. Also on the plus side the ETRO seems accurate so they mount fine, and will go on even after they have been on and off a few times.

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IanEdward replied to SRRC | 2 years ago
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Yep, I won't use another brand now just thanks to predictably easy tubeless installation!

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GustyCycling replied to IanEdward | 2 years ago
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Biggest issue right now seems to be finding tyres that are actually in stock, everywhere seems to be sold out of gnarlier tyres. 

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Argos74 | 2 years ago
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Had a bit of a scout around on https://rubberlover.cc/ (no sniggering at the back...), take your pick from:

  • Panaracer Fire Cross
  • WTB Resolute
  • Schwalbe G One Ultra Bite
  • Continental Terra Trail
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zero_trooper replied to Argos74 | 2 years ago
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Geez, just googled 'rubber lover'… 

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Captain Badger replied to zero_trooper | 2 years ago
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zero_trooper wrote:

Geez, just googled 'rubber lover'… 

That's what you'll be telling your IT dept anyway....

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Miller | 2 years ago
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My recommendation is to avoid winter slop. It's no fun acquiring 10kg of mud stuck to your wheels.

I'm mostly avoiding off-road at the moment but if I do get my wheels dirty, at the moment I'm running a CX tyre, X-Ones in 33mm width, and they're surprisingly good in mud.

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GustyCycling replied to Miller | 2 years ago
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Good point, but was always my favourite time of year to ride off road, as summer tend to be on the road. 
 

Apparently I'm too heavy for the X-Ones, on Wiggle they're saying max load of 75kg which even without the bike I'm comfortably over at the minute. 

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paulrattew replied to GustyCycling | 2 years ago
4 likes

GustyCycling wrote:

Good point, but was always my favourite time of year to ride off road, as summer tend to be on the road. 
 

Apparently I'm too heavy for the X-Ones, on Wiggle they're saying max load of 75kg which even without the bike I'm comfortably over at the minute. 

That's probably 75kg for each tyre. So, if the weight distribution is 55% rear 45% front, that would be a max weight of 136kg total

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Slartibartfast replied to paulrattew | 2 years ago
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75kg seems like it would limit most of their market! Must be each tyre.

I switched from resolutes to terravail Rutland and really rate them. In the proper slop we've had this week there's nothing that really works well; I'm just about to put some 33c proper cyclo-cross tyres on a spare set of wheels as when it's this soft it helps to have something narrower that cuts through.

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GustyCycling replied to paulrattew | 2 years ago
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It's me having a moment, not wanting a gravel unicycle!

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ktache replied to Miller | 2 years ago
1 like

A good mud tyre will shed the mud very quickly.

My Maxxis chronicles clog and become a mud slick in thick winter mud, which is why they are my dry weather/general use tyre. My surly dirt wizards do not clog at all and the only time they have fully let me down was in forestry churned bridleway and my front disk was in the mud.

I ran conti mud kings last year, good mud tyres though on 26s, and surprisingly sprightly on tarmac.

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