The trends in the gravel sector are clearly pointing towards comfort and versatility. Find out what matters when it comes to tyres and setup for your next adventure.
Whether in tough competition or on a relaxed weekend tour: the gravel bike has firmly established itself. A look at current technology and the scene's events shows that the trend is increasingly moving towards wider tyres and more comfort. The days when gravel riding was just modified road cycling are over. Today, adapting to the terrain is the main focus.
If you look at the pros' bikes, you will notice that narrow tyres are losing importance. According to reports from Slowtwitch, top athletes at well-known races like the Gravel Worlds are increasingly relying on tyre widths of 48 to 50 millimetres. For example, Cam Jones and Hannah Shell rode with 50 mm tyres on their racing machines, while Marc Spratt relied on 48 mm wide Tufo tyres. These wide tyres not only offer more traction on loose ground, but also allow riding with significantly lower air pressure, which massively increases comfort on long distances.
Tyre manufacturers are also responding to this demand. Challenge, for example, has released the well-known "Getaway Pro" tyre in a new 50c width. Such handmade tyres offer a particularly supple ride due to their fine casing. While handmade tyres used to be extremely difficult to mount due to their flat shape, a new, pre-shaped design called "Easy-Fit" makes mounting them on the rim much easier. However, these fast profiles reach their limits in deep mud; here, riders are better off switching to more specialised mud tyres.
Events like "unPAved" in Pennsylvania prove that gravel riding is not always just about seconds. According to reports from Velo, the event offers routes for very different demands: from extreme distances of over 200 miles through the night to relaxed pleasure rides of 40 or 70 miles, where the landscape and the shared experience are the main focus. If you want, you can even split the route over two days and camp in between.
For your own rides, you can learn a lot from the pros and the event trends. If your frame allows it, switching to wider tyres from 45 mm upwards is worthwhile. They offer you more safety and comfort on uneven paths. Also pay attention to a tyre profile that suits your typical routes – a fast semi-slick profile is enough for dry gravel paths, while you need coarser knobs for wet, muddy forest soils.
Your takeaway: More tyre width brings you noticeably more comfort and safety on gravel without slowing you down extremely on flat sections.
This article was generated automatically with AI from the sources listed above and has not been editorially reviewed.