The top 10 best 27.5 gravel tires

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In this article I’m going to offer you what I feel to be the best 27.5 gravel tires currently available.

Gravel riding is one of the fastest growing disciplines in cycling, and with it came an explosion of new tires to choose from. But if you know what to look for and you know your own personal preference when it comes to what you enjoy riding the most, picking a suitable set of tires becomes much easier. And this article was written to make such a simple choice.

Different gravel tires cover a range of road surfaces. From flat tarmac to even light trail riding, and everything in between, hardpack, dirt, fire roads, forest trails, from dry, to wet, to downright muddy.

Each gravel tire is best in only a couple of those conditions, and you need to choose what conditions you prefer. A slick or semi-slick tire, with great rolling resistance, low weight, for hardpack and tarmac, or a knobby tire, with a widely spaced tread pattern, should you find yourself on loose or muddy off road sections, heavier, but more puncture-resistant as well, with sidewall protection to boot.

Whatever you choose, this list of the best 27.5 gravel tires has got you covered.

Continental Terra Trail

If summer gravel riding is one of your favorite pastimes the Continental Terra Trail will prove to be a more than adequate companion.

It’s a typical allround gravel tire that scores well with respect to puncture protection, grip, and weight. But stay away from muddy trails, for the tread will clog up quickly and with it any grip you might be looking for.

That’s fine so long as muddy rides are not your forte, and even if it was, you’d rather stay dry. The tire excels on dry hardpack, gravel, and fire roads.

Kenda Alluvium Pro

The Kenda Alluvium Pro is a great summer gravel bike tire for dry conditions with just enough bite to tackle rougher conditions, should you encounter them.

A traditional-looking gravel tire has a rather smooth center tread and raised side knobbies. Such a design ensures a low rolling-resistance when going straight, but increased cornering confidence when you find yourself on rougher and twistier roads. The Alluvium pro has such a design and as such is a great allround option, that performs well enough when you start to demand more from your bike.

With its single ply casing it shouldn’t be the most puncture resistant when compared to its heavier brother the Kenda Flintridge Pro, but really rough and or wet and muddy conditions is not where you should take this tire anyway.

Maxxis Recepter

The Maxxis Recepter is a great-looking option for people looking into 650b slick tires with gravel characteristics.

Just as with the Continental Speed King it has hardly any tread pattern to speak of, but has small side knobbies for added grip when cornering.

It’s a lightweight performance tire sitting at 485 grams for a 1.85 width version.

The Recepter also comes with Maxxis’ tried-and-true EXO protection, which is hardly a luxury when taking your bike on rougher roads.

It means that this tire is a perfect companion for fast-riding on dirt roads and hardpack.

Panaracer GravelKing SS Plus (Tubed)

Panaracer GravelKing SK (TLC)

The Panaracer Gravel King SK has become my favorite gravel tire on the market. In my mind there are two brands that stand out from the crowd, and those are american-made WTB and their Japanese counterpart Panaracer.

I’ve been a longtime fan of Panaracer. When the gravel-craze took hold of the bicycle industry, they created the tire that would serve as the de facto standard for gravel tires with the GravelKing SK. It has just the right weight, just the right tread pattern, just the right puncture protection, and all wrapped up in a beautiful package, both in black and tan-wall options.

Deservedly so, the Panaracer Gravel King SK is in my mind the true fit-and-forget, all-weather, all-season option for gravel aficionados. But will serve those bikepackers and hard-riding daily commuters just as well.

Schwalbe G-One Allround

The allround in the Schwalbe G-One Allround refers just as much to its application as to its tread pattern.

It’s a fantastic grippy tire meant for riding in dry conditions. It has a pattern rather than easily discernible knobbies, making this the fastest allround gravel tire of this list. That’s why it performs exceptionally well on tarmac as on gravel.

The Super Ground carcass is found on tires that need to perform well in various conditions, and offers great rolling-resistance, durability and weight characteristics. The ADDIX SpeedGrip compound obviously favors speed above traction.

The tread pattern, the compound and tire carcass, all of those components make this one helluva speedy gravel tire for dry conditions.

Schwalbe G-One Speed

If you’re a person who likes fast, plush rides on pavement and slightly coarse roads the Schwalbe G-One Speed is probably the best tire money can buy.

It’s an exceptional big volume road tire that’s light, nimble, and lets you rip down the road with a big grin on your face. It’s a step up in width from your average road tire, which means you get an incredibly supple and plush ride and loads of grip. Sure you have to sacrifice a bit in the rolling-resistance department when compared to a 25 millimeter road tire, but this tire is simply more fun to ride and much, much more comfortable.

And this tire doesn’t shy away from light gravel riding as well, broadening the range of application beyond very fast commuting.

WTB Byway

WTB has been at the forefront of providing high-quality gravel tires and the WTB Byway is another great example of why the brand reigns supreme in that department.

The slick center line ensures this minimal gravel tire is fast when going in a straight line. But the pronounced side knobbies allow for enough confidence in dry summer conditions when riding hardpack and dirt roads.

Even a great tire such as this one has its limits, and the minimal tread pattern won’t fare well in wet and muddy conditions. Also grip on steep inclines with loose gravel might be less optimal because of its semi-slick nature. But to be fair that’s not the intended purpose of this tire.

So if your average ride includes pavement and gravel and speed is at the top of your list, this is a gorgeous option to choose.

WTB Horizon

The WTB Horizon is a gorgeous and supple 650b slick tire, available in both black and true tan-wall options.

The 47 millimeter width tire comes in both a single ply 60 TPI and a more supple 120 TPI version. The center tread has no pattern whatsoever and is flanked by dual herringbone patterns to provide a modicum of traction when riding anything else but smooth tarmac and pavement.

It’s fully tubeless compatible and the round tire ranging between 515 and 571 grams for the various versions will make a plush ride indeed for any type of light gravel riding or urban commuting.

WTB Resolute

The WTB Resolute is an allround all-weather all-season gravel bike tire, or so WTB claims.

And this claim does make sense, with WTB basically applying a baseline of solid gravel tire characteristics into this product offering.

It’s both a lightweight tire which enhances acceleration. And it sits in between slick tires and the aggressive tread pattern of the WTB Sendero, ensuring good grip and traction in all kinds of conditions, while going in a straight line or in corners, going uphill or downhill.

So does that make the WTB Resolute one of the best all-rounders in the gravel department. The answer is a resolute yes, pun intended.

Specifications 27.5 gravel tires

Name	Size	ETRTO	Weight (gr)	Tread color	Sidewall color	Compound	Puncture protection	Tire bead	TPI	Buy at Amazon
WTB Horizon	27.5×1.85	47-584	532	Black	Black	Dual DNA		tlr	60	link
WTB Horizon	27.5×1.85	47-584	515	Black	Tan	Dual DNA		tlr	60	link
WTB Horizon	27.5×1.85	47-584	571	Black	Black	Dual DNA		tlr	120	link
Maxxis Recepter	27.5×1.85	47-584	484	Black	Black	Dual		tlr	120	link
WTB Byway	27.5×1.85	47-584	564	Black	Black	Dual DNA		tlr		link
WTB Byway	27.5×1.85	47-584	535	Black	Tan	Dual DNA		tlr		link
WTB Resolute	27.5×1.65	42-584	440	Black	Tan	Dual DNA		tlr	60	link
Continental Terra Trail	27.5×1.60	40-584	430	Black	Cream	BlackChili	ProTection casing	tlr	3/180	link
Continental Terra Trail	27.5×1.90	47-584	460	Black	Black	BlackChili	ProTection casing	tlr	3/180	link
Continental Terra Speed	27.5×1.50	40-584	450	Black	Cream	BlackChili	ProTection casing	tlr	3/180	link
Schwalbe G-One Allround	27.5×1.50	40-584	450	Black	Black	ADDIX SpeedGrip	Super Ground	tubeless		link
Schwalbe G-One Allround	27.5×2.25	57-584	650	Black	Black	ADDIX SpeedGrip	Super Ground	tubeless		link
Schwalbe G-One Bite	27.5×2.00	50-584	535	Black	Black	ADDIX SpeedGrip	Super Ground	tubeless		link
Kenda Alluvium Pro	27.5×1.80	45-584	514	Black	Black	Single		tlr	120	link
Kenda Flintridge Pro	27.5×1.80	45-584	543	Black	Black	Dual		tlr	120	link
Kenda Flintridge Pro	27.5×1.80	45-584	533	Black	Black	Dual		tlr	120	link

Johan van Seijen is the founder of restoration.bike. His passion for cycling in general, and restoring older bikes turned into a website to share his knowledge with a broader audience. Starting out on his father’s road bike and riding classics as the Amstel Gold Race and Liege Bastogne Liege he has shifted his attention to trail, XC, and gravel riding since. No matter how much he loves writing about everything related to cycling, nothing beats actually using his ever-expanding bicycle collection.