Choosing the Best Tire Setup | Unbound Gravel Prep | TPC

Tires are probably the most important component decision any gravel rider will have to make. Bruce talks through his top tire picks that balance speed and puncture protection for Unbound Gravel (and gravel racing in general) - the Schwalbe G-One RS, Continental Terra Speed, Challenge Getaway XP, and Specialized Pathfinder Pro. He also explains why Silca Ultimate is the best tubeless tire sealant and why racers might want to use tire inserts from CushCore or Tubolight.
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0:00 The 6 key tire considerations
1:04 Rolling resistance vs. puncture protection
2:05 Go as wide as you can
2:33 Semi-slick is sick
3:01 Grams and money? Meh…
3:32 The 7 best gravel race tires
4:17 The fastest gravel tires
5:48 The best Unbound tires
7:32 My race wheels are hooked
8:22 Pool noodles for gravel?
9:46 Sticky icky sealant is the best
10:58 Please don’t make me doubt my choices

[@whichypoohs]

Bikes are meant to be used...i LOVE that

[@richardmarzec9136]

Great video on gravel tires.

[@user-rm2co8qm4u]

Love your videos - you are becoming one of my go-to channels!

[@hardmtnbiker]

It’s so refreshing to hear your viewpoint because you obviously have experience with these tires and put in some serious training and race miles. I completely agree with using CushCore and have them on all my mountain bike wheels and use in my front with my gravel bike wheel sets ups. I haven’t tried Tublo but have tried Rimpact and it was more sponge like material and sponged up my tire sealant. The sealant I use is Bontrager but I curios to try Silca. I haven’t had any issues with Bontrager but never had any big punctures. On small ones the Bontrager has worked great and because of the CushCore it actually “booted” and sealed the inside of the tire with a formed patch so I didn’t need to use a real patch when I checked the tire. As for the tires I’m currently running, it’s the Schwalbe G Ultra Bite Front and Bite rear 700x45c wrapped around Zipp XPLR 101 rims. They’re i28mm so the tires measure 50mm mounted. I rode 85miles last Sunday and it was pretty tough. Last year I rode many Century rides on mostly rough pavement and smooth hard pack gravel roads and used Rene Herse Barlow Pass and Panaracer GK Slick on Velocity Blunt SS rims i26mm. Rene Herse are nice but way too expensive and never found on sale. I prefer to buy less expensive tires or find them discounted. Thanks for your review and I look forward to seeing more reviews

[@ezclimb1]

Running either Schwalbe thunder Burt 2.1 on my MOG (or Rene herse 48mm).

[@zbeekerm]

I rode unbound last year on the Pirelli Gravel H's and liked them a lot. I had one puncture during course recon in the first section of the race (after the mud sector, before the first water oasis) and a second puncture in approximately the same location during the race. I liked that tire and would recommend it again. I did go down hard in the mud in the afternoon at mile 135 (mud round 2) and that nearly caused me to DNF. It was probably fatigue and bike handling skills rather than tire choice, I don't think a different tire other than a fat-bike or a maybe a skinnier one would have changed much since more aggressive treads will get packed and the Pirelli Gravel H is basically a file tread. I had Vittoria Airliner inserts and Silca sealant. The sealant closed the punctures enough to keep riding, but when I investigated it at the water oasis it appeared to not be fully sealing so I put in a plug (Stans darts) and then I was good to go! I rode ~160 miles of the course with two plugs in my rear tire without issues. I am also a fairly heavy rider, about 225 with the bike, all the water and gels, etc.
This year I am thinking of riding with the continentals or Pathfinder S-works or Pro. I will probably stick with the Vittoria Airliners. They don't offer a ton of pinch-flat protection, but they will ensure your tire stays on your rim (my wheels are hookless 25mm internal width) and offer some run-flat capability and rim protection. They also are a closed cell foam so the sealant stays on the outside and they shrink when the tire is inflated and then expand when it loses pressure keeping them away from your side walls and impacting rolling resistance less.
I tried Challenge Getaway tires and I really like their low rolling resistance, but I have some major issues with them. (I have not tried the XP versions though.). First, on a 25mm hookless rim they blow out to bi significantly wider than specified. The 45s blew up to about 47-48 which is too big for my frame (Factor Ostro Gravel) w/ SRAM 2x. The 40s blew out to around 42.5mm which is perfect for my bike, so this isn't necessarily bad, just know that you may need to go a size down. Also, they seemed to have poor tolerances, and even when correctly seated, there was some visible wobble of the tires. Getting the tires on and off the rims was a real nightmare, especially with inserts. From the factory they pack extremely flat, and the whole tire, not just the bead, needs stretching to get around the edge of the rim. I also found that they are more porous than other tires, and cause the sealant to dry out much, much faster. Combined with the Silca sealant and the vittoria airliner inserts, this made removing them EXTREMELY difficult and time consuming. I spent over 3 hours trying to get them off. The beads were effectively glued to the rims with the silca sealant, and glued to the insert on the other side, which was also effectively glued to the rim-tape. To unseat the bead, I had to apply a ton of pressure to the bead/side-wall and insert inside to slowly unstick the bead and insert from the rim and rim bed. They do seem like damn tough tires, however. To help get the leverage I needed I have grabbed the tire (tread and side wall) with pliers to help pull the bead away from the rim sidewall. I also tried holding the tire and insert in a vice to gain leverage and pull it inwards and away from the rim. I was convinced this would puncture the tires but the hard and relatively sharp plier and vice edges did not puncture the side wall or the tread. But it wasn't worth the pain and suffering of getting the tires on and off. Heaven forbid you need to put in an inner tube and/or tire boot while riding unbound. I eventually was able to worth the bead away from the rim using a plastic tire jack, but I'd rather not add that to what I have to carry over 200 miles. For this reason, I would recommend anyone considering Challenge tires avoid using the Silca Sealant and inserts if you ever want your rims back.
It's also not just me that has a real hard time with installing and removing Challenge tires. I tried the 45mm getaways before unbound last year before quickly discovering they blow out to 47+ which is incompatible with my frame. So I installed and removed these myself (but the sealant was still fresh--It was a nightmare but not as bad as my most recent bout). After realizing I can't run them, I installed the Pirellis, rode unbound, then wanted to try the Challenge Getaways in a 40mm which would actually fit my frame. But I figured my experience must be partially user error so I asked my bike shop to install the Challenge 40s. They reported needing 3 people and spending over an hour installing the two tires. Needless to say, I wasn't thrilled to see the labor cost for this.
Due to all of this, I would STRONGLY recommend not installing Challenge Tires unless you really know what you're getting yourself into and are prepared for the struggle. And it sounds like the XP version is better, so it might be worth a shot, but I will not be using Challenge Tires ever again after my experiences.

[@theproscloset]

They’ve fixed the install/removal with the XP version. This is my second set and they’re just as easy as any tire. However, they do still like to lay very flat when not inflated, so getting Silca sealant in WITH the Cushcore required a second set of hands. My friend had to pull the casing away from the insert with a couple tire levers make a big enough gap/air pocket to pour the sealant in. It made a hilariously huge mess.

[@sccxvelo]

Only one wheelset for the bike now still have to run tubed clinchers till I can get other wheels between road, CX, and gravel setups. Money is going to other bike parts now. Second set when all else needed is done. Used the spec. pathfinder pro , sch. g one all around, and a done pair set clement/donelly mso. Vit. Terrano dry coming out of parts box is going to front from being a wider tire then g1 all round or pathfinder pro in rear. All good tires. Gravel in SoCal is hardpack clay dirt or rocky towards mountains most places.

[@paldesgn]

No WTB tires on your list. Any experience with those?

[@amacklin6]

Any tire recs for SBT GRVL?

[@michaeltalles2239]

Yeh go with 33CX tire for the 11 mile mud section that wrecked bikes and snapped Derailuers.

[@Eric-gr5qo]

What about the new Gravel King X 1R Plus tires that just recently released? Have you had a chance to get your hands on them?

[@davidknapp7388]

So i can only fit a 45 tires in my frame would you do the specalized pathfinder bliss 42, or something more rugged like the maxxis rambler or Pan racer gravel king sk plus in 45 plan on using silca sealant. I did the unbound 2023 on Vittoria torreno dry 38s but have heard the north route is rougher. Looking for good puncture protection dont have great mechanical skills that is comfortable to ride on that still is decently fast

[@anotheremailaddress9664]

Pathfinder. You aren’t going to get a PR fixing flats. Also, hope you are packing chain repair, and sleeves for the ugliest puncture for 2024.
I know this is going to be an incredibly unpopular comment, but, tread is overrated. It’s mostly in your head.

[@michiganstate149]

Agreed