Gravel tire rolling resistance tested

[Dkd112564]

I am going to try the Pathfinders but can't decide on the 38 vs 42. Any one know the difference in RR between the two? Might even try a 42 up front and 38 in back.

[Karvalo]

You can't directly compare because the effect of pressure on CRR is large (>10% over typical pressure ranges). Testing MTB tyres at 25 psi and gravel at 30-45 psi or whatever he (Jarno/BRR) does sounds more than reasonable to me but to be confident that a tyre from his MTB section is definitely faster than a tyre from his gravel section you would at least have to adjust the pressure based upon casing tension as described above.

Why do you have to? Are you definitely going to ride the same casing tension in real life?

For rougher trails I'll run the lowest pressure I can get away with without bottoming out the rear tyre. With more travel available in a bigger tyre it stands to reason the casing tension can be lower in a 2.1 than a 40mm, so for me an MTB tyre becomes slower in pure rolling resistance.

On the flip side a setup for smooth trail and tarmac you could potentially maintain useable comfort and traction with a higher casing tension and then the bigger tyre becomes faster.

In short, if you want to know what the fastest tyre is for you then you need to compare the pressures you will actually use, not the ones that theoretically equalise the test.

[TobinHatesYou]

My priorities are - low rolling resistance on pavement, then off-road grip, then puncture resistance, then weight.

Conti Terra have a horrible ride.

Vredestein Aventura (if you can get them) are the best alternative to Pirellis, and they have the smoothest ride you can get with puncture protection.

What… Terra Speeds feel great, especially on tarmac where you can actually isolate tire feel.

[spdntrxi]

Terra Speeds feel fine.. I'm a fan.

[fa63]

How much slower would those tires be on asphalt vs let's say 28mm GP5000?

I am sure they are slightly slower, but not by a whole lot. I once ended up doing a fast group road ride on them (was out of town with only my gravel bike) and they did much better than I thought. I ride the 42c version.

[req110]

I can confirm that Terra Speeds are very good tires. Very fast on tarmac and grip on upaved is acceptable.

[warthog101]

I don't even have a gravel bike yet but one is coming.
What about wear rate?
I saw this and it appeared they are fast and grippy but short lived.

https://youtu.be/J2E-W_AtqSE

[TobinHatesYou]

I don't even have a gravel bike yet but one is coming.
What about wear rate?
I saw this and it appeared they are fast and grippy but short lived.

https://youtu.be/J2E-W_AtqSE

I saw that video when shopping for the Terra Speeds. TBH I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary with the wear rate. The knobs seem to hold up just fine.

[eurperg]

Terra Trail 42mm feels slower and is less supple than Michelin Power Gravel 40mm. Haven’t tried Terra Speeds…

[warthog101]

I don't even have a gravel bike yet but one is coming.
What about wear rate?
I saw this and it appeared they are fast and grippy but short lived.

https://youtu.be/J2E-W_AtqSE

I saw that video when shopping for the Terra Speeds. TBH I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary with the wear rate. The knobs seem to hold up just fine.

Thanks.

[jromano89]

My wife and I have used the following tires over the past couple years, here's our non-scientific analysis of how they rank in terms of speed:

GP5000 TL 32 >> Terra Speed 40 > GravelKing SK 43 > RaceKing Protection 29/2.2 > Riddler 37 > Venture 650/47

The only one that surprised me was the RaceKing. I expected it to be faster based off the BRR chart, but the Terra Speed is definitely a faster tire for me when I run them at reasonable tire pressures.

My Terra Speeds are ready to be replaced now (they have worn the quickest), currently considering:

Pathfinder 42
GP 5000 S TR 32
X'PLOR or Strada WC 40

Does anyone have experience with the Donnelly WC edition tires? Their specs seem great.

[CampagYOLO]

My wife and I have used the following tires over the past couple years, here's our non-scientific analysis of how they rank in terms of speed:

GP5000 TL 32 >> Terra Speed 40 > GravelKing SK 43 > RaceKing Protection 29/2.2 > Riddler 37 > Venture 650/47

The only one that surprised me was the RaceKing. I expected it to be faster based off the BRR chart, but the Terra Speed is definitely a faster tire for me when I run them at reasonable tire pressures.

My Terra Speeds are ready to be replaced now (they have worn the quickest), currently considering:

Pathfinder 42
GP 5000 S TR 32
X'PLOR or Strada WC 40

Does anyone have experience with the Donnelly WC edition tires? Their specs seem great.

My experience with the 27.5 Raceking Protections is that they don't feel fast but whenever I look down at my Wahoo I'm surprised that I'm going faster than I think.

[spartacus]

Has anyone here tried the 650B terra speeds?

[tanhalt]

Terra Trail 42mm feels slower and is less supple than Michelin Power Gravel 40mm. Haven’t tried Terra Speeds…

Terra Trails are quite slow...In my testing, I found them ~30% slower than the Terra Speeds. That's good for difference of ~9W at 30kph on pavement for a pair of tires. Don't have a measurement of the Michelin.

[tanhalt]

Has anyone here tried the 650B terra speeds?

Yes. Just as nice as the 700c, but would be helpful if it came in a wider version for 650B, especially since the "40" typically measures out at only 38mm wide for me, in both 700c and 650B versions.