I believe 50s will be the norm on all gravel bikes in a few years. But racers will still run 40s.

Enjoyed the “experiment” and the calm way you discuss your findings. Newish to gravel and for now I have 650b wheel with 47mm tires and a 700c with 32mm for the road ;)

Love your channel because you are always answering really niche questions I have. The adventure/gravel bike I’m looking to get has clearance for 29” x 2.2” or even 27.5”+, and I’ve been wondering if I want Rene Herse Fleecer Ridge or something narrower. After watching this video I’ve decided on the Rene Herse Oracle Ridge. Thanks for the upload!

Extremely helpful information. Thank You so much.

Great perspective. I've been riding a gravel bike for my commuter for a year now. Small town rural USA and our town roads are pretty rough so I'm going to switch to 50c when I upgrade my wheelset. It's really all in the comfort level for me. I have two bikes, a mountain bike with 2.5in tires and the gravel bike with 40c. I bought the gravel bike simply for the reason you said, less effort to get up to speed. I can average 10 to 12mph with the mountain bike and easily 13 to 14mph with the gravel bike. Now, taking my gravel bike on some of our gravel roads it tricky cause they are really rough and not very smooth. So either ride the mountain bike for comfort or the gravel for speed. When I go to replace the 2.5's on the mountain bike I will go with a less knobby XC tire to get the less roll resistance and still keep a little comfort. Really interested in seeing how the 50c tires roll with 60 or 70psi as I do my 40c on pavement for commutes. I don't plan on going tubeless because I don't ride enough or in places that really need the lower pressures. Also, I try to do things on a budget I don't plan on upgrading the wheelset to hold tubeless tires.

Path less pedaled channel has an interview with guys from Untradynamico tires, I agree with them that the quality of the casing also has huge function to ride quality as well as size.

Nice vid. Sweet footage!

Nice review. Personally, I enjoy "under-biking" and can ride my 38mm tires on some pretty rough stuff including up to blue rated MTB singletrack trails. I also run my tire pressure pretty low, from 25psi up to 32psi depending on how rough the terrain is, or how long the ride will be. As I'm getting older and riding even further (over 100 miles on rough gravel), I may go up to 42mm or maybe even 45mm.

Very insightful, thanks for sharing

I run a 50mm panaracer gravelking on the front wheel and a 43mm on the back, only because there is not enough clearance for 50. I love the setup so far the 50 is smoother and faster on rough gravel roads and adds "suspension" in front, compared to the 42 I had. Om the back 43 is enough because of the weight applied and basically its in front where comfort and grip matters the most and your hands will thank you... I no longer avoid bad dirt paths :)

I grew up on a gravel road and my 20" wheeled bike my Dad had built up from salvaged parts had 2" wide balloon tires. There wasn't much tread on them and when I decided to swap out the front to a narrower tire, a 1.5", there was quite a difference in how the bike rolled. The front would literally plow and sink into the loose gravel, but as a kid in the 70's, the bike looked cool with the skinnier front and fat rear. The practice was to run a semi-knobby rear for traction and a narrower, smooth front. I don't know the reasoning behind this, but it was what every kid seem to do. Cool factor is my only guess

It’s nice to hear a younger person experience on different size tires. One area that most people don’t cover which tire is safer with less chance of crashing? I feel a wider tire is safer and another fun fact that at the age 50 we all have arthritis in our shoulders so again the cushioning wider tire will help in this area.

I started off on 35 mm Cross tiers on a cross bike just before the whole gravel Bike thing kicked in , I just slowly increased the size upto 40 mm .but then the frame broke on a month or so ago after 11 years. After weeks of struggling to find a replacement bike supplie chain madness. I finally have my First Gravel / tour /Adventure bike. It arrived with 42 mm x 622 tires, from Vee tires with many brands also suffering supply chain issues these are what I have for now , and it may stay like that for a while my local shops are struggling to get and constant stock in Tier wise and then there are the crazy prices now . At least these tires ride pretty well in our current very dry weather and on a few short setup rides .Long term though Autumn and then Winter I will have to see . I want to try 45 or 50 's just to see but at these current prices that a bit of a luxury. Nice video though.

The biggest appeal of a gravel bike to me is the multi-purpose nature of them (ie also riding tarmac). 50mm is just too slow on the road for me and defats the purpose… 40mm is perfect for both, and I ride some pretty gnarly off road stuff.

@markh9194

2 жыл бұрын

I have the same experience, 40 is plenty big enough for me, I run higher pressure if I'm mostly on road and less if I'm mostly off. UK gravel is not too rocky so have no need to go wider tbh.

@rollinrat4850

Жыл бұрын

Yup. 32- 40mm is fine for me. It all depends what fits in the frame. I ride plenty of singletrack on trails with more rock than dirt. Its the rider, not the freakin bike! Underbiking rules! If you ride in sand or snow, you probably want fatter tires!

@charlesstafford1564

Жыл бұрын

I converted my old hardtail mtb into a gravel bike a year ago by installing 700×40 Maxxis Ramblers. So much fun on dirt roads and smooth singletrack! I recently switched to 45mm Ramblers, and I like them even better. They seem to roll faster even on pavement than the 40s on my 23mm internal width rims, and they give the bike much greater capability on singletrack, making the bike surprisingly good on technical climbs due to the instantaneous acceleration and even descending steep chutes and rock rolls. Here's to underbiking!

@rollinrat4850

Жыл бұрын

I just put Rene Herse knobbies on my monster cross. Their knobbies roll almost as smooth as all road tires. They're amazing. I put 42mm on the rear and was given a barely used 55mm for the front. Amazingly efficient, comfortable tires with traction to spare in loose conditions. I wrench in a shop and usually get my tires barely used for free and I get pro deals. I think Rene Herse are a great value at full price considering they're some of the most expensive.

@hansschotterradler3772

Жыл бұрын

I currently run Panaracer GK/SS in 42mm version. They inflate to 44.5 mm. These give me a good amount of comfort on gravel and crappy pavement, and they seem fast on smooth pavement. They are also reasonably priced and somewhat lightweight. Never had any issues with them; so this will be my go-to tire going forward.

I’m currently running a 35 gravelking sk on my bike. I live in front of a mountain range to climbing is relatively important. The gravel I usually ride is not too chunky so the narrower tires does not give up too much. I will say however the panaracer gravelking sk does not have good side lugs for cornering. The reason I run a 35 is because of the inner diameter of my rim. This is very important. If your rim is not wide enough to support a wider tire properly you will run into issues. particularly the tire folding over in cornering and the narrow rim from allowing the tire to inflate to its intended shape. I’ve been running tires around 30-35 all my life and I am comfortable there. I can’t justify buying nice wheels for my bike which only cost me 500 bucks to begin with and does not have amazing geometry. Maybe some time in the future I will buy a nicer gravel specific bike with wider rims and all that so then I can play around with wider tires and tubeless, and Cush cores. But for now I will stick to what I got because it works well enough for me. TLDR don’t try to fit a super wide tire if your rims are thin. It can cause issues.

My bike came with 38c pathfinders that I destroyed pretty quickly, put on some 40c wtb nanos and they are great offroad and roll good on pavement because of the center tread

Fascinating stuff

My bike came w G-One 40mm but it looks like I can get some 42mm’s in there. I’ll know soon enough as I bought some Specialized Pathfinder 2Bliss (for more pavement focused riding) to replace WTB Byways that always aired down too quickly and weeped sealant out of the sidewall casings, nice video, nice channel, subbed.

I started with 40c Kenda flintridge, fast but no comfort or traction. Then 45s in the same. Fell off. Now 50 max ramb 120tpi on the back at 34 psi and 45 max ram 120tpi at 25 psi on the front. Sweet ride. Perfect balance.

Very informative, thank you. Edit: Going with 45mm

The only reason why I chose gravelbike over cyclocross or road bike was the winter. We get a lot of snow and ice here and I used to commute with my full suspension mountain bike or fat bike during the winter but they are a bit too slow for my 35-45 min commute. Now I have the option to ride my gravelbike with mtb studded tires which is a bit quicker and more comfy to commute with, otherwise I ride around 35 mm to 40mm tires.

loved your video :)

Nice video and good info. I have 2 wheel sets on my gravel bike, one for road and one for light terrain. Rear tire I have the Rambler 50mm. It is a bit too tight and over the limit back there. In general it is a good tire. Has enough grip and not too much rolling resistance. Not good for wet conditions, which I do not mind, I take my MTB for that. Setting it up TL was probably the best from all TL tires I did before. Immediately it popped into place and not a single drop of sealant lost. When it comes to practical use, I also think it is too wide for gravel. I also have a MTB XC HT and did some compare rides. On my gravel I was faster, but the difference was really small. So yes, when the tire width is so close to MTB width, there is no point having it on a gravel bike. I will change it for the Rambler 45mm and the 50mm will go on front wheel.

@RideYearRound

2 жыл бұрын

If I didn’t ride so much nasty double track I’d for sure go 45mm. I’ve also found they’re super easy to set up tubeless.

Tubeless set up is finicky. I love less rotational mass as why I prefer them. I’m a heavier rider and weigh over $2 and my theory is that on alloy rims have the flaw the rim itself being butted to make the hoop. It doesn’t take very long for me to put the wheel out of true. I believe the number one reason for it not holding is that air is escaping out of that seam. I got two carbon wheel sets on two different bikes with no problems. Is it worth the price of carbon wheels? I’ll leave that to the individual rider. I run Pirreli Cintuatato Gravel M in 45c. Off road they are excellent on tarmac you do feel your running fatter meats. Great all rounder. You’re a cool dude! Keep it up!

You have a sick bike ❤

Your saddle might be too high, you are rocking to the sides while paddling, which is a clear indication of that. Thanks for the vid!

The same brand and model tire at different widths definitely captured my attention as a very worthwhile comparison! I purchased a built-up Gravel Bike delivered with GravelKing SK 38mm tires. I soon afterward opted to outfit my new bike with Maxxis Rambler 45mm tires in order to gain much more off-pavement capability including some rocky single track. My tires have the Maxxis "SilkShield." And I wasn't aware of the EXO version when pondering over the offerings at my LBS. My tire set-up is tubeless using rims with an internal width of 25mm. This may place me in situations that suggest Gravel Riding bliss-- I guess. Beyond your noteworthy comparison, I'd definitely be interested in hearing thoughts about the riding characteristics of both types of Ramblers... (I discovered that all Ramblers are tubeless ready and a 60TPI SilkShield or 120TPI EXO tire options are available. The heavier 60TPI SilkShield construction does provide more puncture protection, right? Although, the EXO version is said to be a more supple tire by design and may be conditionally quicker to accelerate having less rotational weight, true?) I guess I'll never be able to comment about my "Supple Bike Rides," or that I'm able to accelerate like a dragster in the quarter mile. I can't say I belong to the population that bought a (first) bicycle as an adult during the Pandemic. Nope, I've had a few road bikes over the last xx years (currently owning a Roubaix), sold my 22 year-old Mtn Bike (that I had sanded off the TREK logo after that company "dropped" Greg LeMond for calling-out Lance), and remember wearing wool shorts with real Chamois.

I have the Beyond 1 and 2 months ago just switched to Vittoria Tereno 29x2.1(max the bike fits). It's like it much better than the stock Nano it came with. It's like a gravel tire meets XC tire. Great for the where I ride in the desert as we have a trail or 3 that is old school XC trail that's perfect for a gravel bike.

@RideYearRound

3 жыл бұрын

Tread pattern can make a huge difference in ride characteristics. The Beyond looks like a great bike!

I have Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M 35mm, tubeless, on one bike and oh boy I love those, so comfortable(I calculate the pressures with the SRAM calculator) and still fast on all surfaces. I am trying to decide on another MTB-like bike, if I want to go to 50mm

Nice review. My view 50mm gravel and local smooth single track. 30 - 40 tarmac and gravel

Good video and a good comparison. But I think you could use the 50c in lower pressure with more benefit from the extra volume! I actually have two wheelsets for that reason. One for smooth and fast gravel 700, 24h with GK SK 43c (30/25psi) and the other in 700, 32h + CX cushcore with Rutland 47c durable (25/20psi) for the ruff stuff. I still have a set of Ramblers 50c I might put back on because I really liked their feel. But I just found Maxxis have the Ravager in 50C, had them and was the best agressive tires but missing some volume in 40c. Also their new Reaver in 45c might be my next fast tire for my racing set...

I got them in 45mm they are PERFECT

I'm doing well on 35mm tires at 32PSI with tubes. I'm riding on not too technical forest trails.

I literally had a dilemma hopping between 700x42, 700x50, 29 x 2.2, and even 650x1.9 for trying to find a plush tire to run on road that was still fast rolling and easy to pedal. I pretty much delayed the inevitable which was N+1, except this was a new bike AND new wheels. I have settled with my main casual gravel bike running 700x50 Gravelking SK, and my new gravel bike which I'm just treating as a fat tire road bike will have 700x42mm Pathfinders for road riding, and 650x47mm Sawtooth tires cause I still like running 650b on road for fun (and the tires were on sale and should fit the frame)

@BrandonMeyer1641

2 жыл бұрын

I run a 35 gravelking sk becuase my rim is narrow. I find traction and confidence in cornering to be lackluster in dry, loose, and small gravel. Do you find this to be the case with the wider gravelking sk? It seems to have a side lug that is rather unconventional compared to other gravel tires.

Nicely done. I have 45 maxxis ramblers and really don’t like them. They are heavy and slow. Favorites are panaracer gravel king sk in 43s. Schwalbe G One in 40’s are fast but not as durable.

im buying a 2014 specialized crosstrail tomorrow a used one and maybe need new tires soon,the size says its 700x38..im thinking of putting a wider gravel tires on it like 40+ would it fit you think?i love those gravel bike with a lil big tries on them..thank u

Hi can you install tubeless ready folding tire on a non tubeless compatible rims (double wal'd) with inner tubes? And what would be your suggested psi on that setup being 90% pavement/concrete 10%light gravel. Please help😢

Both, that's why I bought a Giant Revolt and a 2nd set of wheels for the bigger tires

I think it all depends on what you ride on, and what trade offs you are willing to settle with. Having clearance on your frame for whatever is what I would insist on if I were in the market for new equipment. Two sets of wheels would be nice.

Hello, I would like to get on my bike: Triban GRVL 520 Sram Apex 1x11 buy rims DT Swiss G 1800 Spline. And according to the manufacturer, I can use 650x47 or 700x42 Please advise, What option would you choose from my options?

I ride 40mm on a 24mm rim, going wider gives more comfort for off road and bigger range of tyre pressure. I definitely feel the difference between 35/38(off road) psi and 40/45(on road). I don't see the need for wider tyres for UK "gravel" without getting into mtb territory imho.

Where one rides is a major part of the answer. Eastern gravel roads are different than central , are different than western gravel. I’d suggest 38 east, and increase as you go west.

At first, let me say thank you for the comparison! I'm slowly in need for a new front tire, your conclusions are very helpful for me. While there isn't too much difference to tire widths on mountain bikes (which I've been riding for years), I'm rather new to riding gravel and still ask myself what is wide enough, what is too wide? All of this is quite subjective of course. I recently put a Speci Pathfinder Pro on the rear wheel (being used to running semi-slicks at the rear on the mtb and seeing this as kind of like the equivalent) which is a really fast rolling tire yet still offers enough traction and cornering grip on the trails I prefer to ride on the gravel bike so far. When it comes to the front tire though, this is where the music is made ;) I liked the Conti Terra Trail (40mm) quite a lot on the front, but with the tire wearing out and having more and more issues keeping air in a tubeless setup, I really think about putting a Rambler up front (being a Maxxis friend and Minion addict anyways :D)....so I think I might give the 50mm version a try....

I'm running 40×700 Maxxis refuse on a Breezer liberty 6 bike goes well on hardback and bike paths and roads won t be going back to anything narrower on that bike😎

I'm a and I've been running 45 mm for me down any smaller and I sink and bog down if its loose or sandy and too slow on pavement. I do have a fat tire mountain bike too but for daily rides it's narrower

The less you care about speed, the wider the tire should be. I couldn’t care less, so I run 2.25 at a minimum. The 2.8s on my crust Evasion keeps the arthritis from flaring up on my forlorn old man hands.

Very informative. I am looking forward to fit a 50C Rambler to my 29er XC bike. Will a 700 fits well with 29er?

@RideYearRound

2 жыл бұрын

Yep it will! 700c and 29er use the same wheel diameter and the main difference is wheel width. A 700x50 tire is the same as a 29x2.0” so it should fit great.

Not sure if I did it right but I put a 1.75 inch wide on the front and have a 2.125 on the back of my cruiser bike…. I want it to roll easier on the gravel road which I ride. Wider on the back for more cushion. Maybe it will steer funny idk haven’t tested it.

I don't know where these gravel roads are at, so I just want a bike that's super durable, that can do long miles in comfort on smooth surfaces. More of a touring bike. So I'm converting my MTB into one.

really cant decide between 45mm and 50mm. They even got the 50mm on sale in my local shop for 28,99 €/tire but not the 45mm variant.

So how about trying lower pressure on the 40mm tires? Depending on much you & bike weigh, you may be able to go down to 30#.

@richardmiddleton7770

2 жыл бұрын

I run 35mm at no more than 30 psi and as low as 20 psi.

Good video. i have trek checkpoint alr4 2019 with two pair tyres maxxis rambler 45mm and Panaracer GravelKing TLC 32mm

@fergusanderson5307

2 жыл бұрын

Do you use the original checkpoint rims with your 45 mm tyres? I think they are 17mm rims. How were they to mount?

@romanvarypaev3783

2 жыл бұрын

@@fergusanderson5307 yes it's can mount/ but i have some trouble with gear shifter and was forced to change the geometry of the frame, since the checkpoint allows it.

@fergusanderson5307

2 жыл бұрын

@@romanvarypaev3783 many thanks for your reply, I have the same bike. So you had to move the back wheel towards the rear of the slot in the frame to get the gear shifter to work correctly? It was a gear shifter problem - not a frame clearance problem that made you do this? Did you have to move it right to the rear of the slot to get the gear shifter to work well?

@fergusanderson5307

2 жыл бұрын

Were you able to use the original rims for the maxxis rambler 45mm tyres? I think they only have a 17mm or 19mm internal rim width?

@romanvarypaev3783

2 жыл бұрын

@@fergusanderson5307 i dont change the rims unfortunately i dont remember size of rims. shifter work well, but i dont like this tyres on pavement and weight of wheels with this tyres/ what about geometry of frame yes it was max size for this tyre/ if you think about 45mm for checkpoint i wouldnot advice this size you should choose 40mm then it won't interfere with the switch and you won't have to change the frame size. and as a side effect a lower weight/ sorry for my english i am not native speaker

I use 35c cross tire to do everything like mud condition, sands, gravel and pavement

@thedownunderverse

2 жыл бұрын

Spot on. 35-38.

I have an old mtb that I converted to a rigid commuter/ all road. I've got 2 inch tires on it now. I would like to try 40mm, but damn, the price of tires is ridiculous.

Rider weight needs taking into consideration. If you're sub 70kg there's little point in anything above 35mm. If you're 80kg+ then a 40-45mm tyre would be better. Both scenarios would run roughly the same pressure around 30 psi.

@91722854

2 жыл бұрын

but u've got to factor in the steering benefits wider tyre give, as someone at around 60kg, even though my luggage on bike while bikepacking may not exactly exceed 10kg everytime, the wider tyre does give quite a lot of grip on rough terrains, and i find it to save myself from falling off the bike when it gets gnarly (im referring to my 26 inch rim brake rigid fork drop bar converted mtb with 2.1" schwalbe hurricane)

where do you draw the line between a 700c and a 29er tire?

@RideYearRound

2 жыл бұрын

At 50mm I’d call it 700x50 or 29x2.0 depending on the tread pattern. Any bigger is 29er, any smaller is 700c (in my mind at least haha).

What was the rim width used for this inadvertent experiment?

@RideYearRound

2 жыл бұрын

I don’t have the bike any more, but in the low to mid 20s internal width.

I don't know if I heard you say it or not but what did you say the rim size you were using was? Width

@RideYearRound

2 жыл бұрын

I don't have this bike anymore, but I believe the internal width was in the low 20s. Wish I could tell you for sure though.

@redknightsr69

2 жыл бұрын

@@RideYearRound thanks bud

50mm is too much for me for a Gravel Bike, I rarely go offroad mostly a commuter so I'm happy with my 35c and 40c

now I want to trade in my 45 for the 50mm!

have you ever tried a 40mm in rear and a 50mm up front?

@RideYearRound

2 жыл бұрын

No I haven't. I'm still riding 50mm and think it suits most of the rides I do, but when they wear out I'm going to try out 45s.

Any road😁

Hope Maxxis make 35mm or 32mm Ramblers

I've been thinking about running the Ramblers mullet style - 50 for the front and 45 for the rear on my Otso Waheela S. Had the 40's on an old cross bike and loved them.

@allworkandnoplay76

2 жыл бұрын

I’d say that’s a good idea. In the mtb world, running a wider tire up front is common.

Going from 28 to 38 was good enough for me.

A have tested Rambler 45 and 50 in my gravel bike on hard / loose gravel with 4" rocks in some sections with my group riding at 20 / 24+ mph, 45's are very fast and mantaint speed very well, 50's are slow and much more effort to maintain speed but better stability and traction. For me 45, are perfects, I want to try 40"s....Let"s see

@sebastianzic

3 жыл бұрын

Have you measured the 45c Ramblers? My clearance in the back is 47mm, i hope i can use the 45c Ramblers

@davidburgess6640

2 жыл бұрын

I find it hard to believe you think the 50s are slow. i find them damn close to my 38s on smooth trails but eat them up on techy stuff. More comfort, traction and smoother pedalling.

@gregmorrison7320

2 жыл бұрын

@@sebastianzic I bought two 45c Ramblers and they measured the same size as my 40mm Nanos, so basically a waste of money for me.

@sebastianzic

2 жыл бұрын

@@gregmorrison7320 mine are perfect, measures 42mm

@gregmorrison7320

2 жыл бұрын

@@sebastianzic My apologies, the tires I referred to were WTB Riddlers, not Ramblers.

I mean, that's great that you have a lot of miles in comparison, but you really should have ran a power meter and just tracked your wattage and speeds over the same course when comparing 40 and 50 mm tires. That would give you empirical data to back up your claim. Then you can ride all of the different kinds of terrain you have and give data on what tire is faster, by how much, and compare that with how beat up you felt at the end of the ride. GCN and GMBN have done comparisons like this with bikes, wheels, clipless/flat pedals, etc. You could also test whether wider tires are really faster based on how long the rough sections are. A 50 mm tire may be faster in a rocky section, but if that section only lasts 2 minutes, it might be better to just power though it pushing harder on a 40 or 35 mm tire than the 50, which would potentially be slower in the rest of the course. I dunno

700x45 but then 650x2.2 winter

50 up front. 40 on the rear.

good lord! 40mm is already super wide. if you want 50, just ride a 29er mntn bike. I ride 35 on everything.

the best gravel bike is a mountain bike

The Ramblers are incredibly slow! You need to try other gravel tyres. I have the 45mm ramblers on my new Giant Revolt and the only change I want to make is the tyres!

Try 45mm 😅

I’m enjoying the bike so far kzread.infoUgkxMesz3KOGEmwmvyKQfLfrRSUXLFzfVHZA My only real complaints are the brakes and the pedals. I feel like a bike designed for bigger people should have much larger pedals and more heavy duty brakes. I’ve only gotten two really good rides out of it, minimal downhill action, and the brakes feel like they’re already going out. A larger person has more momentum, so I think this wasn’t thought through very well. Also, I wear size 13-14 wide shoes. My feet cramp up on these pedals that are clearly made for smaller feet. Since I’m not a pro rider (and I don’t think many are who purchase this bike) I don’t think that the straps on the pedal are necessary at all. None of this takes away from the enjoyment I get from riding, however. I’ll just head to a bike shop to improve on a few things.

"Once you go over 50mm your pretty much in MTB country." Define a MTB.