Tires for road rims that will survive gravel roads

[Oruboris]

I asked a similar question a long time ago, I'm back to ask again in the hope that new tires or new members or some combination thereof can help me out.

I like the feel of a no tread tire on pavement, but I've recently moved 3 miles up a gravel road. The slicks seem extra squirrelly when there's any loose stuff on the road. The surface is mostly packed dirt with various sized embeded rocks. Very rough, with a couple short but steep hills. The gravel tends to get pushed to the side.

Is there 700x23 tires suited to beginning and ending every ride on that sort of road that will still roll at all well on the pavement?

Anyone else think the minute tread on some road tires really helps on dirt, or is it all in my head? Would you choose a tire with a lower max pressure?

I tried a set of Conti GP 4 seasons, which I loved at first. Notibly slower than slicks, but much more stable on the loose, very nice on wet or slightly iced roads.

But they are coming apart in less than 2000 miles: there's threads coming out of the sidewall just above the bead, and I'm worried about a blow out: new tires before I ride again.

I'm less than 150 pounds, I never ride them under or over inflated. I think the problems are related to the [so far very limited] riding I've done on the gravel road...

 

[Pharaoh1]

I'm in the same boat as you, but not quite as bad. I've got about 1/4 mile long gravel drive; with a short, but steep hill at the end. With a narrow, high pressure tire I don't think that a fine tread would make a noticeable difference.

I'm currently using Ultra Gatorbacks since the Krylions have been unavailable. Puncture resistence is good. I avoid deep gravel, which is a recipe for disaster.

If I was you and had a 3-mile gravel road, I'd put the bike in a car and drive to the pavement. It's a pain in the neck, but so is gravel.

 

[oldbobcat]

Is there 700x23 tires suited to beginning and ending every ride on that sort of road that will still roll at all well on the pavement?

This probably isn't the answer you're looking for, but I believe your traction problem has more to do with the size of your contact patch than a tread pattern. I've always mixed up my training with a little dirt and gravel and always found that a fatter tire "floated" better over the soft and rough stuff. I'd suggest trying a 25mm tire, say a Continental GP4000 in the fatter size or the Specialized Roubaix Pro II with a 25mm casing and 23mm tread.

 

[alfeng]

If your frame has the clearance, try a CX/cyclocross tire ...

Try the maligned (in another thread) WTB Terrainasaurus (700-32/30) if you don't want to pony up for a competition level tire.

In other words, oldbobcat is correct when he suggests that you need a tire with a larger/fatter profile ... which may mean that your NEXT bike will have a CX (or, Hybrid!) frame.



Consider this:

Which tire would you choose for the gravel road if you were riding a MTB -- a narrow city slick OR a fat tire?




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[paulmurphy]

This may be slightly off topic, but re: threads coming off the sidewalls, don’t worry, this is just how Contis age. Older versions like the 2000 and 3000 were even worse. I got 4500 miles out of a GP4000 on the rear, riding it until a little casing showed through the rubber on the tread, and those little sidewall threads were apparent the whole time. Further off topic, some may quibble with riding a tire down this far, but my feeling is that the thin layer of rubber on the tread provides very little in the way of extra puncture resistance - this is the job of the Vectran casing. I’m just writing this because you said you “loved them at first”, so I’d like to say “keep riding them”, they’re no less reliable because of those threads. I’m sure Conti sees them too, and could probably fix it by adding extra material on the sidewalls, but this adds weight, and they choose to use material where it will add to performance. They do know a little about this business, after all.