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The top 8 best road bike tires for wet conditions of 2023

In this article I’m going to give you my list for the best road bike tires for wet conditions.

The requirements necessary for riding in less than optimal conditions like rain are very different from those who like riding with the sun high in the sky. A wet road necessitates a tire that’s more grippy for obvious reasons. Especially after a dry period it’s not only the rain itself which makes the road slippery, but also everything that has fallen on the road and dissolves because of the rain, like dried up oil.

Also the season which sees more rain than others also is accompanied with trees shedding their leaves and other organic stuff. When combined with rain this can become a dangerous and slippery mix as well on the road you’re riding on.

You also want a tire which is more puncture resistant. Not only is there more crud on the road, the chance of it sticking to your tire has also increased. And if there’s one thing nobody likes is to catch a cold because your temperature is dropping, you need to repair a flat while being drenched.

So without further ado I present my list for the very best road bike tires for wet conditions.

Continental Grand Prix 4-Season

Continental Grand Prix 4-Season
Continental Grand Prix 4-Season

The Continental Grand Prix 4-Season utilizes an extra bead-to-bead layer Continental calls Duraskin, reserved for their most durable tires.

Each road tire in the Continental lineup uses a puncture resistant breaker for the center tread. The Grand Prix 4-Season uses two, effectively doubling its puncture resistance when compared with the other tires. It makes for a road bike tire with a ridiculous level of puncture resistance, and is something I haven’t seen in any other road bike tire I’ve researched.

And last but not least, the Continental Grand Prix 4-Season uses 3 layers of 110 TPI for both durability and longevity, without sacrificing too much in terms of weight, grip and ride feel. Which makes this tire one of the if not the most fit-and-forget tires you can find.

The only thing keeping this tire from a 5-star rating is that it’s not available in a tubeless version. It comes in sizes 23, 25, 28 and 32 mm.

Continental Gatorskin

Continental Gatorskin
Continental Gatorskin

Very similar to the Hardshell version the Continental Gatorskin is an incredible road bike tire with an exceptional level of puncture protection.

It offers a more supple 3-ply 180 TPI carcass with the same PolyX Breaker, a tightly woven polyester fabric sitting underneath the center tread, preventing foreign objects from reaching the air chamber.

It also has the Duraskin bead-to-bead protection, reinforcing its sidewalls and giving the tire its distinctive burgundy appearance, and adding an extra protective layer made from an incredibly strong polyamide fabric.

This tire is the pinnacle of perfection, offering the seemingly unattainable blend of maximum puncture-protection without sacrificing to much in the weight department, all in a road bike tire with a slick tread pattern. An absolute no-brainer for people who appreciate hard-wearing, fast-rolling tires.

Panaracer Agilest Duro

Panaracer Agilest Duro
Panaracer Agilest Duro

The Panaracer Agilest Duro is without a doubt, the most puncture-resistant, yet lightweight road bike tire on the market.

The puncture resistance differs markedly by including the ProTite Belt, a breaker Panaracer also uses in their touring tires. On top of that an extra bead-to-bead breaker covers the entire casing.

By adding the extra breaker, they’ve bumped up the weight just a bit, but the 220 grams for a 25mm version is incredibly impressive.

Panaracer GravelKing (Tubed)

Panaracer GravelKing (Tubed)
Panaracer GravelKing (Tubed)

The tubed version of the Panaracer GravelKing inherits the compound and puncture protection technology of the entire lineup, but is offered in road bike tire dimensions.

This means you have your standard 23 to 28mm variants, with the durable ZSG compound, and the very reliable ProTite Shield Plus breaker. Which is a step up from their standard ProTite breaker, and also reinforces the sidewalls.

I use these tires for my daily driver, which is basically a road bike with panniers and fenders. They look great, ride even better, and though after many miles, there are small cuts on the well worn carcass, I haven’t had a flat.

All Panaracer tires are very low weight, including these ones. So whether you’re going to use them for a fast commuter, or a puncture-proof 4-season option for your road bike, know that these are some of the best road bike tires out there.

Panaracer Pasela ProTite

Panaracer Pasela ProTite
Panaracer Pasela ProTite

Panaracer makes very nice mid-level priced tires. And they also offer some of the best-looking ones for retro builds. I choose the Panaracer Pasela ProTite over the normal Pasela, because it’s lighter, comes in a folding version and has better puncture protection.

The ProTite bead-to-bead protection covers is a tightly woven fabric covering the entire width of the tire, and sits in a mid-tier casing, offering a great combination of puncture protection, and low weight.

In general the Pasela ProTite are lightweight and true skin walls, that’ll look great on your bike.

Panaracer Race D Evo 4

Panaracer Race D Evo 4
Panaracer Race D Evo 4

The Panaracer Race D Evo 4 is the 4-season option from the Japanese brand’s race lineup.

The tires feature a 3D casing (Double Dip Duru Cover). That’s a fancy name to tell you that they offer dual breakers, the ProTite Belt sitting underneath the center tread, and a bead-to-bead one which reinforces the entire casing including the sidewalls.

That’s impressive, and certainly helps to prevent punctures and snake bites even more, making this a very solid contender and a high-quality all season option.

Pirelli Cinturato

Pirelli Cinturato
Pirelli Cinturato

If you ask me, Pirelli Cinturato’s understated design is one of the best on this list. This tubeless-ready tire is far more robust than the P Zero on this list, going in the direction of a gravel tire.

A kevlar-reinforced breaker offers bead-to-bead protection, besides a smaller one sitting underneath the tread. The more durable 60 TPI casing is heavier, but will last you longer. Called Armour Tech, it’s the solution of choice for making these tires truly all-weather condition tires, offering great grip and puncture resistance all through the year.

That added protection does mean they will tip the scales at 300 and 340 grams for the 26 and 28 mm versions. So it’s no weight-weenie tire.

Schwalbe Durano Plus

Schwalbe Durano Plus
Schwalbe Durano Plus

The Schwalbe Durano Plus is a road bike tire that utilizes the SmartGuard belt.

The thought behind this puncture resistant layer is rather simple, but has stood the test of time, making it a popular choice in the fight against flats.. What you do is you make the belt, sitting underneath the center tread, so thick that you could virtually run over anything without getting a flat.

Its system is utilized in their Marathon lineup as well and has found its way into this road tire. It sits at the top of their puncture proof technologies. With an extra 5 mm of material stuffed in the tire, you can basically push a thumbtack into it and still hold air.

That material does add weight, so it’s easily a 100 grams heavier than a lighter competitor. It’s also not the most supple tire, so this tire definitely caters to those who are really sick and tired of finding themselves at the side of the road with their bike upside down. And obviously, it’s a solid training tire.

On the other hand, I don’t think any other tire beats this one in terms of being puncture proof.

Road Bike Tires Weight Rating

I’ve always been fascinated by bicycle tires, and road bike tires offer some of the most premium pieces of rubber you can put on your rims. It’s a good place to save quite a bit of weight without paying a really large amount of money. It’s not like there are titanium or carbon tires, which are traditionally materials to make bicycle products lighter that are very expensive.

The lightest 700C tire I’ve looked at is the Veloflex Record, which is a track tire sitting at 135 grams for a 23 mm version. The heaviest tire I’ve taken into account is the Schwalbe Lugano II Endurance weighing 490 grams for the same 25 mm tire width.

In the following graph you can find the weight ratings for each tire. The weight ratings represent a relative percentage irrespective of tire width and only looking at 700C versions of the respective tire. The numbers are compared against each other resulting in a percentage of 0 for the relative heaviest tire and 100 for the relative lightest tire.

Continental Grand Prix 4-Season
76%
Continental Gatorskin
71%
Panaracer Agilest Duro
79%
Panaracer GravelKing (Tubed)
76%
Panaracer Pasela ProTite
73%
Panaracer Race D Evo 4
76%
Pirelli Cinturato
61%
Schwalbe Durano Plus
31%

Road Bike Tires Puncture Protection Rating

Nobody likes a flat tire. It’s one of the most jarring things to break the flow of a ride. That’s why puncture protection is an important factor when considering a certain bicycle tire.

Puncture protection sits at the other end of the tire weight, suppleness and possibly grip. The more rubber you add to a tire, and the more layers of protection sit underneath it, the more weight you add, and the stiffer your tire gets. That’s why racing tires have the most minimal protection, and touring or 4-season tires the most.

The puncture protection ratings you see here are a function of TPI, in combination with tire weight, and puncture protection technology added to the tire. From sidewall protection, multiple breakers and tire belts.

Continental Grand Prix 4-Season
60%
Continental Gatorskin
60%
Panaracer Agilest Duro
44%
Panaracer GravelKing (Tubed)
49%
Panaracer Pasela ProTite
44%
Panaracer Race D Evo 4
49%
Pirelli Cinturato
56%
Schwalbe Durano Plus
100%

Specifications road bike tires for wet conditions

Name
Size
ETRTO
Weight (gr)
Tread color
Sidewall color
Compound
Puncture protection
Tire bead
TPI
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Continental Gatorskin
700Cx32
32-622
345
Black
Black
BlackChili
DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker
foldable
3/180
Continental Gatorskin
700Cx32
32-622
420
Black
Black
BlackChili
DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker
wired
3/180
Continental Gatorskin
700Cx28
28-622
360
Black
Black
BlackChili
DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker
wired
3/180
Continental Gatorskin
700Cx28
28-622
280
Black
Black
BlackChili
DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker
foldable
3/180
Continental Gatorskin
700Cx25
25-622
245
Black
Black
BlackChili
DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker
foldable
3/180
Continental Gatorskin
700Cx25
25-622
315
Black
Black
BlackChili
DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker
wired
3/180
Continental Gatorskin
700Cx23
23-622
305
Black
Black
BlackChili
DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker
wired
3/180
Continental Gatorskin
700Cx23
23-622
230
Black
Black
BlackChili
DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker
foldable
3/180
Continental Grand Prix 4-Season
700Cx32
32-622
340
Black
Black
Max Grip
DuraSkin / Double Vectran Breaker
foldable
3/330
Continental Grand Prix 4-Season
700Cx28
28-622
295
Black
Black
Max Grip
DuraSkin / Double Vectran Breaker
foldable
3/330
Continental Grand Prix 4-Season
700Cx25
25-622
230
Black
Black
Max Grip
DuraSkin / Double Vectran Breaker
foldable
3/330
Continental Grand Prix 4-Season
700Cx23
23-622
235
Black
Black
Max Grip
DuraSkin / Double Vectran Breaker
foldable
3/330
Panaracer Agilest Duro
700×23
23-622
210
Black
Black
ZSG Agile
TF Super Outer Shield / ProTite belt
foldable
120
Panaracer Agilest Duro
700×25
25-622
220
Black
Black
ZSG Agile
TF Super Outer Shield / ProTite belt
foldable
120
Panaracer Agilest Duro
700×28
28-622
250
Black
Black
ZSG Agile
TF Super Outer Shield / ProTite belt
foldable
120
Panaracer GravelKing (Tubed)
700Cx26
26-622
240
Black
Black
ZSG Natural
AX-Alpha / ProTite Shield Plus
foldable
126
Panaracer GravelKing (Tubed)
700Cx26
26-622
240
Black
Tan
ZSG Natural
AX-Alpha / ProTite Shield Plus
foldable
126
Panaracer Pasela ProTite
700×25
25-622
250
Black
Amber
ZSG
ProTite Shield / 400D Lite Extra Cord
foldable
66
Panaracer Pasela ProTite
700×28
28-622
270
Black
Amber
ZSG
ProTite Shield / 400D Lite Extra Cord
foldable
66
Panaracer Race D Evo 4
700Cx23
23-622
240
Black
Tan
ZSG Advanced
AX-Alpha / ProTite Belt / 3D casing
foldable
120
Panaracer Race D Evo 4
700Cx25
25-622
260
Black
Tan
ZSG Advanced
AX-Alpha / ProTite Belt / 3D casing
foldable
120
Panaracer Race D Evo 4
700Cx28
28-622
260
Black
Tan
ZSG Advanced
AX-Alpha / ProTite Belt / 3D casing
foldable
120
Panaracer Race D Evo 4
700Cx28
28-622
260
Black
Black
ZSG Advanced
AX-Alpha / ProTite Belt / 3D casing
foldable
120
Pirelli Cinturato
700Cx26
26-622
300
Black
Tan
SmartNET silica
Armour Tech
tlr
66
Pirelli Cinturato
700Cx26
26-622
300
Black
Black
SmartNET silica
Armour Tech
tlr
66
Pirelli Cinturato
700Cx28
28-622
340
Black
Tan
SmartNET silica
Armour Tech
tlr
66
Pirelli Cinturato
700Cx28
28-622
340
Black
Black
SmartNET silica
Armour Tech
tlr
66
Pirelli Cinturato
700Cx32
32-622
360
Black
Black
SmartNET silica
Armour Tech
tlr
66
Pirelli Cinturato
700Cx35
35-622
410
Black
Black
SmartNET silica
Armour Tech
tlr
66
Schwalbe Durano Plus
700Cx25
25-622
385
Black
Black
ADDIX
SmartGuard
foldable
2/67
Schwalbe Durano Plus
700Cx28
28-622
450
Black
Black
ADDIX
SmartGuard
foldable
2/67
Schwalbe Durano Plus
700Cx23
23-622
410
Black
Black
ADDIX
SmartGuard
wired
2/67
Schwalbe Durano Plus
700Cx25
25-622
450
Black
Black
ADDIX
SmartGuard
wired
2/67
Schwalbe Durano Plus
700Cx28
28-622
530
Black
Black
ADDIX
SmartGuard
wired
2/67
bio vanseijen

Johan van Seijen

FoundeR Restoration.bike

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.

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