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If you have the room to fit a 29er by 2.3″ tire on your tourer or gravel bike, then check out these new tires by Hutchinson. The Kraken has minimal side knobs, with a fast-rolling center tread pattern and is vailable in two constructions, ultra-light 127 TPI or ultra-versatile 66 TPI. The Kraken is in stock now at your local dealer and retails for $79.99.
XC tires usually make great tires for bikepacking or touring bikes. Their tread patterns usually roll quite fast on many surfaces but in my experience, it’s the width that keeps many people from mounting them up. Maxxis looked at two tires and plumped them up for trail use, designed for use on wider rims, resulting in the Aspen and Rekon Race tires measuring 2.40″ wide.
The Rekon Race, in particular, has been a favorite pattern of mine and this new width makes them even more appealing. See more at Maxxis.
Panaracer’s dominating gravel tire, the GravelKing is now available in a variety of colors, including these three limited-edition tires. The gold, purple, and olive GravelKings are now available for pre-ordering at your local dealer, with either black or brown sidewalls. Prices begin at $49.99. Head to Panaracer to see the full lineup!
Soma, known for their city and touring tires, have entered the world of crit and road racing with their Crit King gum tread race tire. Unlike Soma’s other offerings, this is a “race day” only tire, not a training or daily ride tire.
– Proprietary gum tread compound
– Superfine cord in a high TPI weave creates a supple casing that is also cut resistant
– Anti-puncture belt under the tread
– Wt.: 200g (25c, Kevlar bead)
– Sizes: 700c x 25c, 28c
– Made in Japan
Remember that fancy, lightweight, and supple rear tire Bené René used on his Crust Bikes Lightning Bolt build? The one where he got in the freezing water in his skivvies? How could you forget? Well, the testing period is finished with the Cava tire, a file tread, fast-rolling, gravel tire with a plump profile of 47.99mm wide on a 650b diaphragm. Head on over to Ultradynamico to see the specs on the Cava and to pick up one or a pair.
To spice it up for fall, Sim Works have released the Homage tire in a 700c x 43mm and 26″ x 1.95″ size run. These tires look so good in person, so if you’ve been looking for something new to roll on this fall, be sure to check them out. They’re in stock for $62 each at Sim Works USA.
The WTB Byway tire is a perfect choice for mixed-terrain riding. It’s been our go-to tire of choice for 650b gravel rides and while we’ve been really pleased with the tire’s abilities, our praise has been cut short by the lack of a 700c version. Today WTB announced the Byway is now available as a 700c diameter, with 34, 40, and 44mm widths, in both black and gumwall. Head to your local WTB dealer for ordering.
Having sworn by the newly-launched ONZA lineup over the years, using them on my bikepacking, and MTB bikes, I’d like to say I’m a fan of their tires, so the recent announcement of the classic Porcupine model returning, my hands are clamoring for a set. The Porcupine fills a void left by their current line, filling the 2.6″ tire space, left by the Canis 2.85″, Aquila 2.4″, and Ibex 2.4″ models. 2.6″ really is the sweet spot for a 27.5″ and 29er trail bike. They spin up to speed faster than the 2.85″ while offering more volume than their 2.4″ kin.
The Porcupine comes in a variety of sizes, is designed for loose to wet terrain, and comes in two compounds, light or medium. Check out more information at ONZA.
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Continental adds some chubby tires to their rubber catalog, designed for gravel riding. The new Terra line comes in a Trail (650×40, 700×40) and Speed model (650×35, 650×40, 700×35, 700×40). These tires are made in Germany and feature sidewall protection via Continental’s ProTection Technology. See more at Continental.
ULTRADYNAMICO Rubber Corp, founded by longtime cycle pals @ultraromance and @ultratradition, launches today with an effervescently-late summer tire aptly dubbed “Rosé”. The Rosé comes in popular 650b x 47.99mm size, with an exotic and luxurious sidewall that is tubeless-ready, without seeping away all your sealant.
For those wishing to sacrifice a bit of that plush and supple ride quality for more flat resistance, René Herse just made another product announcement. To follow up with their Juniper Ridge Endurance Casing tires, René Herse just announced their 700x44mm Snoqualmie Pass tire, an all-road slick, now comes in a more resilient casing as well. Also available in an Endurance casing is the 700x42mm Hurricane Ridge that were ridden to 8th place in this year’s Dirty Kanza by Ted King. The knobbies are 2mm narrower to allow for mud clearance.
See more at René Herse.
Those looking for more grip on loamy surfaces on their plus bikepacking or trail bike can rejoice at the latest drop from WTB. The Vigalante is now available in a 29er plus package. To keep the weight down and the durability up, WTB utilizes their TriTec compound, which balances traction, support and durability, keeping your sidewalls tear-free and the casings supple. Head over to WTB to read more and your local dealer to order.
Over the past year or so, Benedict, aka Ron Jon Rubber Shop, aka John Half-Wheeler, aka Ultra Romance, aka Poppi and Patrick from Wooly Mammoth have been working hard on a new tire company called Ultradynamico. If you’re clever enough, you can find photos of these tires in the wild, particularly at last weekend’s Dirty Kanza and if you’re familiar with the fine goods Poppi purveys, then you know these tires are gonna be good! Snoop around online and let us know what you think… while you’re at it, follow Ultradynamico on Instagram for updates!
WTB has come a long way with their “road plus” tires over the years since the first Horizon tire hit the market. Now, the Venture has quickly become a favorite over here and now it’s available in both 650 and 700 in the 50mm widths. Head to your local dealer to see one in person and to WTB to see more information.
Without sacrificing the feel of René Herse tires’ supple casing, the team has developed endurance casings for many of their offerings, including the popular Juniper Ridge model. This casing, along with the new Hurricane Ridge 700x42mm Endurance Plus tire – a tire used by Ted King during the Dirty Kanza, round out a very plump tire lineup for the brand, including 700C x 38 mm Steilacoom Endurance, 700C x 42 mm Hurricane Ridge Standard, 700C x 42 mm Hurricane Ridge Extralight, 700C x 42 mm Hurricane Ridge Endurance, 700C x 42 mm Hurricane Ridge Endurance Plus, 650B x 48 mm Juniper Ridge Endurance. See more at René Herse.
Our friends at Sim Works have been hard at work expanding their Yummy line of tires. Included in the mix are these 27.5 x 2.22″ SUPER Yummy gumwall tires by Panaracer. These are fat. So fat you might not be able to clear them, but if you can run a 45mm 700c tire, they should fit. Pictured is my Sklar with an ENVE Gravel fork, which is probably enough clearance for a dry climate bike, but you might run into issues with mud. There is exactly 1/4″ on either side of the tire and fork for reference on the ENVE G series rims. They measure exactly 2.22″ from knob to knob.
Expect a more in-depth look at this bike with the wheels and tires but for now, all I can say is what a massive improvement in traction off road and rolling resistance on pavement with these tires. I think I found my ideal summer tire. In stock now at Sim Works. If you have pressing questions that can’t wait for next week’s review, drop them in the comments…
Have you ever found yourself cruising Instagram late at night wondering, lusting after someone’s bike build, and wondering… “what tires?” Well, you’re not alone. We all do it.
And lucky for us, the folks behind WhatBars.com have now put together What Tires? The Bicycle Tire Database. Since launching WhatBars.com, they’ve had a lot of requests for a similar resource for tires, and couldn’t help but give the people what they wanted.
Sim Works and Crust Bikes jumped on board to help support the project, and here we are. The database is still being built out, but you’ll find tires from Sim Works, Rene Herse, and WTB up on the site. Head over to What Tires to compare and keep the rubber side up!
Photos and words by Morgan Taylor
Teravail’s Rutland tire is the newest of their gravel-oriented tires, available in 38mm and 42mm sizes for 700c wheels, and 47mm for the 650b wheels – which is what I had the chance to try out for this review.
The Rutland is a relatively chunky dirt road tire, with tightly-spaced knobs in the center section, and more widely spaced intermediate and side knobs. It resembles a scaled-down version of a semi-slick mountain bike tire, and has the manners you’d expect of such a tire: relatively quick on any surface, but with enough bite to give confidence when the going gets loose.
