Gravel Vs Road Tyres | How Much Slower Are Gravel Tyres?
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You don't need to have a PhD like Ollie to understand that a gravel tyre has much more rolling resistance than a road bike tyre. But just how much slower is a gravel tyre? Chris and Ollie do some pseudo-science to find out 🤓
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@ulanius 5 жыл бұрын
The problem with the smooth roller isn't necessarily its smoothness, but rather the fact that it touches the wheel over a smaller area. This deforms the wheel much more than it would over tarmac, which probably shifts the results in favor of narrower and harder tires.
@kalashnikovcortez1380 5 жыл бұрын
but that's not all they tested, did they?
@ulanius 5 жыл бұрын
@@kalashnikovcortez1380 No. It was merely a remark on Ollies comment "This is all well and good, and it does give an indication as to the difference in rolling resistance between the two tires and the different pressures, but its not entirely representative of the real world on these perfectly smooth rollers".
@andreip9378 5 жыл бұрын
Even if the contact area is smaller it is equal for all types of tires, so it doesn't give advantage to any particular type of tires.
@ulanius 5 жыл бұрын
@@andreip9378 Unless the relationship between deformation and rolling resistance is exactly linear it won't be the same for all tires. Even if it is linear this would only mean that the relative difference is the same (between the tires on asphalt and on the roller), which directly implies that the absolute difference in watts cant be the same.
@10goldfinger 5 жыл бұрын
Ulrik Seip The harder, narrower tire will always be faster on a good surface, as long as you have grip. When you slip and crash, or have a flat, it is suddenly much slower. It indeed is comparing apples and oranges.
@neilk22 5 жыл бұрын
This test would be useful comparing different gravel tire patterns for those that want the best hybrid tyre for road and gravel use. Your proposed sequel would be quite obvious - the road tires would never ride a gravel course to even begin competing with the gravel tires, but probably more comparable on the reverse on tarmac.
@madcapper6 4 жыл бұрын
I don't know about y'all but I was rooting for the gravel tires.
@chrisfox6065 2 жыл бұрын
I didn't care, but I do like your avatar.
@Today_I_Want_To 2 жыл бұрын
LMAO
@diegorosmar8199 5 жыл бұрын
I appreciate this test because I take my gravel bike (with gravel tires) out with my roadie friends and now I can explain why I just can keep up with them instead dropping them.
@jamble7k 4 жыл бұрын
might be worth getting a set of road specific tyres for those rides!
@mcvccr15 8 ай бұрын
I'm not usually much of a KZfaq commenter, but I have to tell you both how much I appreciate your videos. I'm a nerd by nature and maybe a *budding* cyclist, who's probably way too deep into the weeds of the physics of making my bike faster without nearly the same work ethic on making myself stronger. This is exactly the kind of data I was looking for in setting up my commuter. Thank you guys so much.
@seagoat6591 4 жыл бұрын
I absolutely love the things you guys/gals do on this channel and I have learnt so much and I’m just a hobby cyclist 😃but I’m totally hooked on all of you , keep up the awesome work cheers from Australia ❤️👍
@soooglow32 5 жыл бұрын
That’s some very smooth gravel! It would be interesting to try this test on a surface with a bit more grit.
@Zebster57 3 жыл бұрын
Would have been nice to see a comparison of different pressures for the same width gravel tire ... or compare a 38mm to 47mm gravel tire at same or different pressures. These would be useful!
@philipa1842 5 жыл бұрын
Rollers apply friction much differently than a smooth road. Yes, please do efforts on smooth road and gravel and compare power, would love to see that!!
@ichallengemydog 5 жыл бұрын
Philip Andrews can you elaborate on the differences? I’m genuinely curious.
@philipa1842 5 жыл бұрын
@@ichallengemydog Sure no problem, the fact that the rollers are cylindrical (with a quite small diameter relative to the size of the wheel) means that the contact pressure is more acute when compared to a flat road. The smaller the roller diameter, the deeper the deflection of the tire, and road is basically and infinite diameter roller. This deeper tire deflection means that rollers are much more sensitive to tire pressure, texture, pattern, etc. Sorry it's hard to explain much more without using additional science that I'd have to look into more myself. From personal experience, changing tire pressure slightly doesn't make much difference on the road but makes a biger change on rollers because the tire deforms so much more. Honestly have never ridden rollers with knobby tires but with that more acute pressure there's no way the knobs contact the rollers the same way they do on the road. I could be wrong though 🤷
@aimxhere 5 жыл бұрын
@@ichallengemydog maybe a bit more simple and visual: the strong deformation of the tyre (see video), which gets amplified a LOT more with lower pressures than on a flat road surface basically means not only more friction but basically, that you have to get up an INCLINE at the same time (just look at the angle of the deformed tyre in the direction of spin). it is as if you were to cycle up a hill ;) hope you can picture that
@mazerickd 5 жыл бұрын
The weight of the tires plays a huge difference. I own a gravel bike and have 2 sets of wheels. 1 with 42 gravels and the other with 28 slicks. The 28s make it feel like I am flying.
@JonPrevost 5 жыл бұрын
Thank you for posting this. I was shaking my head immediately and about to post my own reply before I did a Ctrl-F "smooth" and found your reply the 2nd one down. This is a terrible comparison. They should get on a large drum wheel from a car dyno and apply different traction surfaces to get a better idea.
@HenryAshman 5 жыл бұрын
I'd be intrigued to see where the "crossover" point might be in conditions is where the various gravel tyres (and there's a lot of variety) take over from road tyres in performance. My commuter/gravel bike has a pair of "light gravel" tyres on there, and the roads are so bad around me that I'm fairly certain they're just as quick as my road tyres most days.
@Xarx42 5 жыл бұрын
great test! and I liked the scientific approach even if its limited :). I would definitely enjoy another gravel vs road video. maybe another idea: how much rolling resistance do you loose than switching to tubeless?
@LarsRR 5 жыл бұрын
I was looking for exactly this video, because I wanted to know whether I need a road tire or not. Many thanks for this timely upload.
@ericpmoss 5 жыл бұрын
Depending on how much gravel vs tarmac you ride, you might look into the Rene Herse 700x38 Steilacoom or 700x42 Hurrican Ridge. Ted King is winning 100+ mile gravel races on these, and supposedly they roll very well on tarmac.
@isitrachelorj3953 4 жыл бұрын
Michelin jets, kenda happy mediums, most any file tread cyclocross tire work on every surface. True, only 33-35mm but how often do you need more? These tires are great gravel tires and make group rides on the road a much more demanding ride, which is necessary if you re the alpha in the group and riding with your freinds requires you to back off a bit.
@maxmuenchow 5 жыл бұрын
The Gopro mount is a great addition. The perspective is really cool. Got myself one a few weeks ago. Couldnt try it yet since my collarbone is still broken, but its really cool to see you use it👍
@gcntech 5 жыл бұрын
Ouch, hope that heals up soon!
@maxmuenchow 5 жыл бұрын
@@gcntech Thank you. Looking forward to ride again
@MarcMallary 4 жыл бұрын
This is good information for bicycle touring, where people have to keep the tire choice they made for their trip. I would like to see a test of touring tires carrying heavier loads.
@Vandenbos717 5 жыл бұрын
Nice comparison! It would have even been better if you included a fat 40mm slick tyre :-)
@joebob1994 5 жыл бұрын
this would be great info to have!!!
@ericpmoss 5 жыл бұрын
Yup -- something like the Compass (now Rene Herse) Barlow Pass or Snoqualmie Pass, run tubeless (on a rim with a hook bead!). Another fun test would have been to take these knobbies and shave off the knobs so we can know that the casing is the same.
@Nosh_Feratu 5 жыл бұрын
Yes definitely, I ride Challenge 33mm Stradas and they feel as quick as 28mm Corsas. This would be super useful to test.
@Vandenbos717 5 жыл бұрын
@@ericpmoss Yeah I'm running the barlow passes.. they feel super fast..
@kalashnikovcortez1380 5 жыл бұрын
results would have been the same. The 28mm beat the 40mm by almost 20m on pavement!! That's a significant distance in a short rolldown.
@danmathis4046 5 жыл бұрын
Nice job, guys! Despite the comments, reasonably well done. I use my cross/gravel bike (Giant TCX w 40mm tires) as a training bike on local bike trails & intervals, & ...gravel. Makes riding my road bikes (w 25 or 28mm tires) easier.
@gcntech 5 жыл бұрын
Yep it certainly does Dan!!
@toddslothower6265 4 жыл бұрын
Thanks for doing this comparison, guys!
@mjpsmith87 5 жыл бұрын
Great video, always improved by seeing Oli run.
@kris.monroe 4 жыл бұрын
Can these two just make ALL the videos together?! Wonderful job guys.
@Cyclingmasterseller 5 жыл бұрын
On the 'road' side of things, it would be neat to have a comparison of the 19mm Continental Competition tubular vs. a 23mm (same tire).
@christopherx6641 4 жыл бұрын
I found this presentation really useful particularly in the scenario where a long tour/expedition ride that may include both off-road/gravel and on-road conditions. I would be tempted to fit robust gravel tyres but tests like this give me some indication of the price I would pay (in increased energy consumption) when going onto the tarmac road.
@1KelvinMC 3 жыл бұрын
Christopher X, Don’t make any decisions based on these tests. You should really take into consideration what you’re likely to ride on, and then figure it out. Even riding on a rough asphalt road, a lower tire pressure can make a big difference in overall comfort. Comfort has a big impact on how “tired” you may feel afterwards. Sure you may burn 1050 calories vs 1000, but if you hands aren’t numb afterwards...etc.
@shane4176 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks guys lots of effort went into this!
@GrzegorzGlowaty 5 жыл бұрын
you guys finally have found the steepest hill in England, i see
@geoffreyanderson4719 4 жыл бұрын
Better call Hans Rey to find the correct line for this crazy adventure.
@breitemasse 4 жыл бұрын
@@geoffreyanderson4719 Hans rey, oldschool af
@Vestu 3 жыл бұрын
the elevation is insane on this one
@sudduthjonathan 5 жыл бұрын
Cool video. What I would’ve like to see is a test similar to the ones you did on the rollers, but outside. Just find a flat smooth section of road, ride at the same power, but use different tires and pressures to see how long it takes to go a set distance. This would also account for aerodynamics of the tire. The only variable might be the wind, but you could repeat the efforts enough times to mostly eliminate that.
@marianneoelund2940 2 жыл бұрын
Or run the test at an indoor bicycle track. The roller test exaggerates the tire differences, due to the more severe deformation.
@a.s.1673 4 жыл бұрын
Continental 4 season 32mm tyres, avg 30,5 km whenever i ride it, and also good for gravel/tarmac/and Belgium roads here!😉👍
@neuspur 4 жыл бұрын
Conti 4Season is a great tyre for bumpy, cold and/or wet roads (and even typical "big city" roads with lots of threats like shards etc.) - but the GP5000 is MUCH faster. whenever I switch back from the 4season to GP in spring time it feels like doping. (and it comes with a 32 version too)
@RyanHellyer 3 жыл бұрын
That was a fascinating test. I didn't actually realise there would be that much of a performance loss in switching to gravel tires. This makes me question my plan of switching from road tires to gravel tires. Thanks for providing this super useful information.
@SksToTheMini14 Жыл бұрын
I feel the same way, i love the speed and easy rolling.
@andrewnorris5415 11 ай бұрын
Two factors make it matter much less than seems in the real world 1) Drag is proportional to speed squared. 2) No surface is smooth like a roller - and softer tyres absorb the bumps without pushing the whole bike pack. Even small ripples affect it.
@Frodoswaggns 11 ай бұрын
Going GK slicks at 32c, was thinking about getting 35c, but I don't want to lose speed @@SksToTheMini14
@aidenclarke1983 5 жыл бұрын
Come back and have a go down Poldice Valley Chris, great place to test those Road Tyres 😎👊🏻👍🏻
@the4fibs832 4 жыл бұрын
The second test should have been climbing up a muddy hill. I'd like to see a road tire do that ;)
@MarvinatioN26 3 жыл бұрын
the roadbiker would just call his mechanic, who'd drive him up the hill in the backup car xD
@farikkun1841 3 жыл бұрын
the road would DNF
@julz19 3 жыл бұрын
That's like driving an f1 off road..
@wasabij 3 жыл бұрын
@@MarvinatioN26 just getting a looooong drink of water.
@captainLoknar 3 жыл бұрын
The Terra Speed is not meant for wet but it would still be usable of course. A better argument is what would happen in winter countries near winter when roads sometimes have a bit of snow and ice - can't use the road tires at all or it's certain death.
@KillersFromTheWest 4 жыл бұрын
Damn I had no idea it made this much of a diff. I knew it made a diff, but this is insane. Great video as always chaps.
@wwhamon 5 жыл бұрын
Great comparison! I liked your Gravel vs. Road bike video as well. Last comparison you need to help people understand these bikes is Gravel Bike with road tires vs. Road Bike with road tires. I run road tires on my gravel bike for training, then swap wheels for Gravel events, trails etc...I would love to know how much my $1,600 gravel bike stacks up against a road bike apples to apples.
@NessieJapan 4 жыл бұрын
Do you feel much difference with the road tires on your gravel bike? I'm trying to decide whether to get a roadie in addition to my graveller, or to just get a set of road wheels and tires to swap out for pavement.
@christianjansson6806 5 жыл бұрын
Wow, I am commuting all year around, using GP 5000s (late spring, summer and fall), Schwalbe winter marathons (winter) and G-Ones (early spring). I would never have guessed the differences to be this huge! I have just bought myself a power meter, so I will probably do some own testing. Very interesting subject, thanks for interesting video!
@tharinduwickramasooriya873 Жыл бұрын
How did these tests go mate ?
@christianjansson6806 Жыл бұрын
@@tharinduwickramasooriya873, not so good - I never recorded anything. And I have stopped communting with my bike now. 😞
@williamkeys5701 3 жыл бұрын
I'm typically about 2 MPH slower on my cross bike with Surly Knards than I am on the road bike with GP4000s. The only thing surprising about this to me was just how many more watts it took to maintain the same speed with the gravel tires at 40 psi vs the road tires at 90 psi. I'm feeling a lot better about my speed differential now.
@JibbaJabber 5 жыл бұрын
Wow chaps, you deserve a thumbs up just for the amount of times you swapped out the tyres!! May I suggest that next time you procure a couple of cheap wheelsets (assuming the budget can't stretch Zipps). Using cheaper wheels will have a minimal effect on results. Then again, on the flip side, changing so many tyres may have strengthened your "thumbs up" 😁😁😂👍👍👍👍
@gcntech 5 жыл бұрын
There is no 👍 big enough, honestly.
@joshuawiens1344 4 жыл бұрын
I doubt they pay for almost any of their gear. They’re a massive ad platform for their sponsors
@richfi9576 5 жыл бұрын
... sustained 45kph: Chris Opie is my hero. Great subject - I'm sure it's pretty much top of mind for most of us
@tychoMX 5 жыл бұрын
On the road yeah.... road tires on the rollers (esp. if you've got large diameter ones), not that bad!
@richfi9576 5 жыл бұрын
@@tychoMX I've heard that Chris Opie has large diameter ones...
@vwracer123 4 жыл бұрын
Try the 45 mph test on wet gravel and see which tire does better
@skepticalmechanic 4 жыл бұрын
Sounds impossible... unless your Superman...
@robertjirk3196 3 жыл бұрын
Sorry, but the realy power was only appr. 150W. Ok? Weight of driver is round 70Kg. (after big breakfast :-) Downforce 700 Newton, 45 km/h are 12,5 m/s and a rolling coificent of 0,005 (GP 5000) gives 43,7 Watt! Suggest the graveltire needs 3 time more power....150W. IF the ergometer simulates also the wind resistance, then the power could also be true ,-)
@MrChando1975 Жыл бұрын
Good video guys. Keep it up I love this channel.
@MarkInArizona 5 жыл бұрын
Another video please! Can you do the same tests using a same tire but mounted tubeless -vs- tubed? (and try at various pressures of say 12psi, 20psi, 40psi and 70psi)
@adanielweaver 5 жыл бұрын
I just went on a ride using gravel tires (Vittoria Terreno Dry 40mm) with my dad for fathers day that went on a bunch of roads I had recently done with road tires (Continental Gatorskin 32mm) and this sounds about right, although I think my Terreno Dry tires are a bit faster than those continentals cause they have a file tread.
@grzegorzzyszkiewicz1976 5 жыл бұрын
I would prefer to see tests comparing these two types of tires on a road and with a speed that average cyclist ride, like 30 km/h. Test like that might be extremely useful for someone considering buying a bike with drop handlebars
@chris_noswe 5 жыл бұрын
If you've got the power 30 kphs is not hard to reach. I run a pair of Continental Race King (2.0) on my adventure bike and 30 kph is no sweat.
@TheProjectX3 5 жыл бұрын
For me on the same course and same bike but with 40mm tyres I manage 27 km/h avg and with road tyres 28mm it is 32 km/h if that helps. After 20 km/h there is also AERO factor so the road bike would be more aero and also you need different set up for position for off road so that also affects aero.
@davethedogdude 5 жыл бұрын
For me, on the road, on the same bike (my cross bike) the difference between 40mm knobbies with "fast rolling lugs" (Maxis Ramblers) and 32/28mm slick tires (Sector 32s/28s) is at least 1mph (1.6kph) of speed at the same watts over the same course riding at around on the upper side of my endurance pace. But there is a rim difference there too, so that difference might be exaggerated a bit due to aerodynamic gains and a couple pounds/1kg or so of weight being shaved off as well. If I am riding closer to high end tempo pace the difference can become more exaggerated, closer to a 3mph/5kph difference but this is likely again due to aerodynamic gains as much as rolling resistance. And it gets even higher if I was going all out. I run everything tubeless if that matters. If you want to go by gear ratio, riding fast at the high end of tempo, on the downhill side of a roller or a false flat / light descent, I'd be riding in a 13 or 12 on the cassette on the 32mm tires in places I'd be riding on a 15 or 13 on the 40s with the same watts, and spinning the cranks a bit faster too as well. Or for another perspective, I can keep up while riding in a pace line with Cat 2-3ish road cyclists or 50+ masters (I'm old) on my slicks/carbon rims. But not on the knobbies/heavier aluminum rims, I'll blow up and fall off the back and get dropped. Due to aero and possibly weight when hammering it up hills, which is how they like to do things. I'm a skinny 59kg dude, so 2# of extra weight probably does matter to me in that scenario. That said, I still *like* riding the 40s a lot of the time because they are more comfortable on a rough road of which there are many here. And I can take the knobbies out on mild single track which is a blast on a cross bike. So I just swap out depending on what I'm doing.
@RedWingsninetyone 5 жыл бұрын
Personally, I have a gravel bike for the confidence in loose and rough conditions such as cracks and potholes or gravel. However, I can easily throw some road tires on it and use it as a road bike. The only thing with mine is it isn't am aero bike (if that's what you're into) but it is definitely more durable for those rougher conditions.
@staciemann6275 4 жыл бұрын
@@davethedogdude I've been breaking PRs on a Canyon Grail this summer, on the road, after coming back from an accident in late May. Today I pick up a new road bike and am terribly, terribly interested to do my own "real world test" of how much faster the road tires (and bike) will be. FYI, I've been blown away with how fast the Grail rolls down hill on the road - most of the time I'm passing all the road bikes, even when I'm not pedaling. It's the uphills that make me work really hard.
@ishcabobby5052 3 жыл бұрын
I would love to see an analysis of whether the difference in power requirement is impacted by the speed. I.e. is the ratio consistent of us performance more similar at less top end speeds
@neuspur 5 жыл бұрын
I like "everyday-science". These tests where fun to watch and had some good insights. I am riding 2 tire options: 1. GP4000 28mm 2. GP 4Season 32mm (in "winter-times"). I find myself being about 3 km/h slower with the winter version (average somewhere 30km/h). To be honest I had to get used to that reduction of "road-fun" :-( BUT the grip on wet and cold roads in autumn/winter was MUCH better with the 4Season. MUCH better! Next autumn I will get back to the 4Season. You always have that painful equation of comfort-safety-speed-durability-xyz. EVERY tire is a compromise. I found 2 good ones for my usage.
@casadelshed9128 4 жыл бұрын
Hello from a manual wheelchair user. Could you please do one of your videos like this one for wheelchair users and builders to be able to make more informed choices about tyres. Nice video. Thank you.
@ivancamacho7668 3 жыл бұрын
Great test! Great use of science! Thanks!
@louisgrayson3368 5 жыл бұрын
Love these videos!!
@craigcarlson4022 3 жыл бұрын
Nicely done comparisons. The energy output differences were a bit shocking, but consistent with “seat of the pants” subjective impressions.
@joachimmacdonald2702 5 жыл бұрын
Interesting - bicycle quarterly did a similar test but with slick, very supple compass tyres on imperfect tarmac and they basically found that rolling resistance decreed as they tyres got bigger until they reached 28c at which point rolling resistance pretty much levelled out until they reached absurdly large volumes of over 50c - they also found that tyre pressure has little to no impact in rolling resistance, so long as the tyres are slick, supple and light-weight.
@archetypex65 5 жыл бұрын
Ding ding ding ding ding you sir are the winner! 👍👍👍 Jan Heine & Co., have proved that this BS is nonsense once again gcn proving their ignorance and lack of understanding when it comes to Scientific experimentation inductive reasoning and actual analysis
@automaticraccon 5 жыл бұрын
Thank you for bringing this up. It’s actual best tested in doing Strava segments with different setups. My experience has been that 44mm slicks roll as good as 28mm on tarmac and much faster on bad taac and gravel. No doubt whatsoever. Just let the masses ride their skinnies and suffer bumpy rides for no reason.
@NoFretBrettCSSMBFF 5 жыл бұрын
Long ago, I disregarded the *'Conventional Wisdom'* and have often utilized 38mm - 60mm (99-123mm) tires on Mountain (& FatTire) Bikes - *OnAsphalt*... My Klein QuantumII & LeMond 'RoadBikes' have almost 200 miles on 28mm (Max) Tires - after 4 years... (while) My On*One Fatty with 4"/99mm FatTires has been ridden over 345miles - On ONE Weekend...!!! My Trek Farley EX8 Full-Suspension FatTire MountainBike gets more mileage a month than all my (so-called) 'RoadBikes' and 'TouringBikes' put together for the year... (My Brevet Randonnee Bike used for 100k-600k 'Road' Rides is an older MountainBike with Serfas Drifters or Continental Town&Country Tires...) The extra "Cush" and Comfort, how little it may seem, really Adds Up after 35miles and 5000' of Vertical on Gravel Jeep and SingleTrack... but we continue with some Asphalt and more Gravel and Jeep Trails for another 40miles and 3400', and gave up early to 'avoid' the so-called "easy half" of the Irreverent Ride 8.0 (IRR8.0)... NEXT YEAR 77mm Tires!!! (and none of this 44mm so-called "Faster Tires" nonsense...)
@biziluxgames8924 4 жыл бұрын
too bad i cant find that test anywhere... i suppose its only in magazine? which is a shame really
@automaticraccon 4 жыл бұрын
@@biziluxgames8924 janheine.wordpress.com/2018/01/03/12-myths-in-cycling-1-wider-tires-are-slower/
@kjetilmad 4 жыл бұрын
Great test! I would really like to have seen something like 32mm gravel vs 32mm slicks though. How much would I save on my 40 min commute by swapping out my gravel tyres with road tyres ?
@HDsharp 3 жыл бұрын
Exactly, these people dont know what the mass public wants.
@Northernerdownsouth 3 жыл бұрын
Probably Bugger all in reality. I used 25mm tyres and switched to 32m gravel king SK. 1 minute difference over a 10 mile commute (traffic lights make more of a difference). Not worth worrying about and the comfort and puncture protect was hugely increased.!
@guybrushthreepwood3002 3 жыл бұрын
Swapped put my 28c road tyres for 32c gravel Kings over the winter, not as spritely as road tyres, and not as fast, but certainly good enough, plus I've been going off road a bit when the mood takes me
@Northernerdownsouth 3 жыл бұрын
@@guybrushthreepwood3002 everything is a compromise I guess. I prefer the comfort and freedom over speed 😎
@nk-dw2hm 3 жыл бұрын
@@Northernerdownsouth you can get all of the above with 32 or wider gp5000s or other high quality road tires. Virtually unflattable, super fast rolling, great grip and a boost in comfort. Go tubeless if possible for extra flexibility on pressures
@davidriggs8196 4 жыл бұрын
I have been in need of a good winter bike for a while now. I bought a gravel bike because the country roads around where I live might as well be gravel on account of the detritus left by tractors and lorries. I have never felt safer and enjoyed not having to worry so much about the state of the roads. It has encouraged me out to ride on days I might have considered otherwise. Much more fun. The fact that road tyres go quicker is really not the point, entertaining though this video was. I might point out that I am a rider in my 60's. I do however look forward to getting my titanium road bike ot in the better weather.
@nonya5475 4 жыл бұрын
Excellent! Thanks guys!
@korup7ion951 5 жыл бұрын
i ride specialized pathfinder pro's on my gravel bike, they have a raised slick center and on tarmac that's pretty much the only thing in contact as a result even though they are 40mm wide and run them at lowish pressures they feel and go like road tyres
@lukasbinder771 4 жыл бұрын
You guys are the Mythbusters of Cycling 😄💪🏼
@diegoleiva7242 4 жыл бұрын
I replaced the knobby 32 mm tires in my B-Twin Triban 100 with Vittoria Zaffiros, 25 mm. front and 28 mm. rear. It really pays off during longer rides.
@martinbarton5584 5 жыл бұрын
I really liked the test on rollers :-) . I don't have a power meter, so thank you for the power stats on rollers ;-) , maybe a chance for a video? How much power you need to ride on rollers to a certain speed with different tyre pressure? :-)
@50nakamura 5 жыл бұрын
Although I have mixed feelings about the results...you still deserve points for the effort, the rain and the bike handling! Well done once again.
@vproduction 5 жыл бұрын
my cross bike got clearance for 48-50mm tyres. now running 700x33 will be swapping for 650x48 commuter tyres. it's gonna be a comfort ride
@scottwatts3879 3 жыл бұрын
What surprised me was the NOISE of the gravel tires on the rollers. I ride trikes on paved or hard packed trails and I was wondering if I should get a more all terrain tire. These guys helped me alot. My answer is....nope. Gonna go hi pressure road tire
@yoanndiscala1948 Жыл бұрын
Good test ! I bought a gravel bike but I usually do road and sometimes gravel, and I have 2.10" gravel tire and i use to run 100km easy with those, I can't imagine with just road tire 😊😎
@purdypebbles 5 жыл бұрын
I love this Orbea Terra. Saw it in John's Bikes a year ago and wanted to steal it so bad
@gcntech 5 жыл бұрын
It's a beaut!
@twatts4436 5 жыл бұрын
Try testing a given power output on a surface type, including corners? Roll down tests are interesting, but don't tell us much about day to day riding.
@archetypex65 5 жыл бұрын
These Muppets don't even understand what scientific and inductive reasoning are. They really reveal themselves as such under-educated dopes in Lycra! 🤣 I don't think they could even analyze boiling water 🙄🤦♂️
@MrBJPitt 5 жыл бұрын
@@archetypex65 maybe you should educate yourself about Ollies background, lest your show yourself the uneducated one.
@twatts4436 5 жыл бұрын
@@archetypex65 that's rather unfair: the method used in the test was perfectly valid, and the limits of the test were accepted at the time. My original comment was more related to further testing which could be used. A roll down test is probably the most controlled test possible outdoors, but so controlled that it provides one piece of information which is of limited use in real world applications.
@kalashnikovcortez1380 5 жыл бұрын
@@archetypex65 you must be another internet scientist who's always bitching about quality of data right? riiight on professor. You should have just recognized the limits of their simple experiment and take the data for what they were. Instead you just told the whole world how much of an internet scientist you really are, dummy.
@SurpriseMeJT 5 жыл бұрын
@@archetypex65 Sounds like you're so entrenched in your dogma that you are too emotional to make a rational argument against their video, instead of using name calling to convince those reading these comments.
@starvin-marvin-the-martian 5 жыл бұрын
It would be interesting to see a test with a wide smooth tire with supple sidewalls, see for example Rene Herse, nee Compass Cycles.
@harmodrifter 5 жыл бұрын
Compare max cornering speed on loose gravel between those 2..... Amazing differences aswell im sure..
@stephenjeffreys4219 5 жыл бұрын
great vid - should have done a wet grassy bank ascent too
@anthonyescobedo2142 4 жыл бұрын
Great comparison! There are some gravel tires on the market that offer the best of both worlds. Problem is again APPLES to ORANGES... they suffer in other areas. My favorite tire to date is the Vittoria Torreno Dry G2.0. Fast rolling on most surfaces and the knobs on the outside help with tracking and cornering. Of course this is just my 2 cents or 2 p for you blokes on the other side of the pond. ;)
@nisancashi2241 5 жыл бұрын
excellent tips now i know what tyre to choose
@TheyForcedMyHandLE 4 жыл бұрын
When we ride bikes, our power output needs to be transferred to the surface to create forward movement. Gravel tires have tread to enable this transfer on the rougher/loose surface, in conditions where a smooth tire would slip. It's like running on a track with trainers vs spikes. If you're just casually running (like coasting downhill) trainers would be somewhat equal to spikes, but as you start putting power down (like pedaling) spikes gain advantage as they're able to "grip" the surface.
@gcntech 4 жыл бұрын
Good analogy Samnelso
@Dehibernation 5 жыл бұрын
You 're really making me consider new tyres on my adventure bike...
@mali5591 4 жыл бұрын
excellent video guys!
@pegaslee 5 жыл бұрын
These experiments are so much fun!
@yspegel 5 жыл бұрын
when I see the difference in power in this video and compare it to my own experience: conti raceking race sport 2.2" mtb tyres v.s. conti p5000 25mm road ending up with only +- 2km/h speed difference around 30km/h on same intensity. My guess is that roller with offroad tires is just a very bad combination (they tend to flex around it as if it's a bump in the road).
@vincenzo-zocca 4 жыл бұрын
Heavy guy here. Will be looking at a gravel-like bike soon and IMHO 28mm is wide. I was used to having 23mm tires on my road bike.
@bradkizer9961 4 жыл бұрын
I like the idea of using a power meter. Great job!
@museisbliss1174 5 жыл бұрын
I like the re-aperance of the cheap bike in the background of the roller
@conradsmith7752 4 жыл бұрын
I saw a test the other day where they found the wider tyre actually had less rolling resistance on a flat surface (Road) as opposed to a skinny one with higher pressure. It was because the narrow spread length wise as opposed to width
@gastonmacmillan4849 5 жыл бұрын
rolling resistance is, well, rolling resistance. Gravel/larger tread tires provide more grip and control on loose surfaces. I think that's the science of how they are designed.
@joaogoncalves1242 5 жыл бұрын
you need to test in a situation that traction is required, make it uphill in gravel!
@andrewbirch8383 5 жыл бұрын
I know you said there is a time and a place for each. I’d be really interested to know how much slower the different tyres would be for the same width to make the comparison a little closer.
@qibble455 4 жыл бұрын
I really enjoyed this video. 10/10
@JippaJ 5 жыл бұрын
Nice job, maybe do the same thing with wider slicks?
@cyrelsales2605 5 жыл бұрын
More power to your reviews and vlogs are big help for us bike lovers from Phillippines here 😊🖒
@TKossi 4 жыл бұрын
Please do it again comparable on grass and loose Gravel. It is really interesting.
@burkaanc 5 жыл бұрын
1) you should find either a road that has equal section of smooth tarmac, rough tarmac and gravel, or do separate tests with reasonable power output(not to overwhelm road tire on gravel section) on those 3 types of surface 2)do speedrun on same conditions as 1) 3)take 3 or 4 types of tire - road(maybe add 2 types of road tire), smooth, fat gravel and this type of gravel. maybe drop in xc bike on smth like schwalbes 2.35 fat g-one
@pulafun 5 жыл бұрын
Would have loved Chris to be performing sprints uphill with both tires and different surfaces. It's always uphill and front wind for all of us. Actually both tests should've been on level ground or nearly similar leveled ground and compared on power used through distance at or time. nevertheless it wouldn't be scientific anyway.
@nomadcarpenter8549 4 жыл бұрын
Found it interesting. I'd probably have a set of road tyres as well in that case for group rides if I only had a gravel bike
@brentmclean3676 5 жыл бұрын
I just loved the Bike Chris rode,the colour and the Brand lol.
@gcntech 5 жыл бұрын
It's a beauty!
@Graptos 5 жыл бұрын
Fun comparison, wish there had been a climbing test, say around 14% up a gravel fire road.
@bobqzzi 4 жыл бұрын
Cool test. Honestly, for most uses the road tire is better until the road gets technical or the surface has lots of sharp rocks that can puncture.
@AndyGangler 2 жыл бұрын
I would love to see this comparison 5:51 for 25, 28, 32mm road tires (same make and model) with different tire pressures.
@stevemann7073 2 жыл бұрын
I dont know about those widths. But I can tell you this. I bought a heavy ebike ADO A20F. 72LBS. And it came with knobbly mountain bike tyres. With them I got only 11 miles range with an average speed of 18mph. And a top speed of 24.5mph. A friend recommended I change them out for a set of SPEEDSTER honeycomb tyres. And I was STUNNED At the difference. I got 14 miles range at an average of 18mph. Over the same route. And a TOP SPEED OF 27MPH. I'm sticking with the speedsters. I hold the PSI at 22.
@robertoveg Жыл бұрын
Buen video, espero una competencia entre gcn ingles vs gcn en español en brompton
@luxorion1 4 жыл бұрын
Nice review and conclusions are well what we expected. But what about tires when there is a mix of tarmac and unevenness roads. Would you use gravel (like Schwalbe marathon+) or you remain in slick with the risk of a puncture ?
@VinnieTheVanno 5 жыл бұрын
Do a 15km ride @ 250w on both and compare the times
@dot286 5 жыл бұрын
It's hard to keep up 250 Watts for 15 kilometers
@RachelMurrdererWolf 5 жыл бұрын
@@dot286 unless using an electric bike :)
@alexjrashman 5 жыл бұрын
@@dot286 no?
@lordad 4 жыл бұрын
@@dot286 Lol not for ex professional riders lol
@alvarezkeko 3 жыл бұрын
Excelente video!!!
@EditioCastigata 5 жыл бұрын
Test can be improved by using an e-bike, setting some watts as target.
@jackseph03 5 жыл бұрын
I have two similar(ish) carbon road bikes - an S-Works Roubaix that runs 28mm Conti GP 4000s and a Merida Ride 7000 that runs 35mm Schwalbe G Ones. I honestly can't (unscientifically) tell the difference in speed on a tarmac road. The G Ones are ridiculously smoother on rough bitumen and stupidly better on gravel. For me, on all surfaces and multi surfaced rides (which is almost all of my rides), the 35mm G Ones win.
@alanbenham4139 5 жыл бұрын
Hi Jack. Great feedback. The Schwalbe G ones I assume you are referring to the G One "Allround" version & not the "Speed" model? If you don't mind me asking what weight you are and the tyre pressures you are running please? Cheers. Alan
@rogercmerriman 5 жыл бұрын
Similar experience here, in that Gravelking SK/X-one and Smart Sams on the gravel bike all seem to be as fast as I was on a full road bike, i suspect air drag has more effect, and I love the grip/pot hole taming.
@jackseph03 5 жыл бұрын
I'm riding the Schwalbe G-One Allround MicroSkin TL-Easy Folding Road Tyre. I bought them on either Wiggle or CRC for about Aus $75 and according to their website they weigh 400g each. I ride them anywhere between 30-50psi. Highly recommended.@@alanbenham4139
@alanbenham4139 5 жыл бұрын
@@jackseph03 Cheers Jack. That's very much appreciated. Having not had much experience with off the offroad & onroad pressures I was interested to learn of your experiences. I have a set of the same, running them tubeless, on my Trek Domane and do a bit of gravel / road riding with them on. I weigh 80kgs and run them at 60 psi for road only, 50 psi for a mix of road / gravel and if it is pure gravel then around 35-40psi. They are a great tyre, but I do notice the extra drag on the road compared to my Conti GP400s (25mm) running them at 85psi. Thanks again for your comments.
@ninaphilippe 5 жыл бұрын
Very interesting measure. On the indoor test I would like to know whether you added som resistances representative if the aerodynamic forces or whether the power requirements were only associated with the rolling resistance. Thanks a lot for the Video. You rule GCN!
@gcntech 5 жыл бұрын
Cheers Philippe!
@Iboxx 4 жыл бұрын
When a bike is standing on a roller there's no aerodynamic resistance to be overcome, it's only rolling resistance
@cyrielvaningelgem5180 3 жыл бұрын
You should do another test like on the rollers, but outside on asphalt and outside on gravel.
@AnvilAirsoftTV 5 жыл бұрын
Hope you put this test through an ethics committee Oli.
@NasTimeAdventures 3 жыл бұрын
Would be great to have two sets of tyres but unfortunately, I have to choose only one. Given the lack of faith I have towards road tyres on gravel, I will have to live with been a little slower or not been able to go as far. Thanks guys. Good test.
@curtishennig1479 5 жыл бұрын
This was a great comparison. How about the GP 5000 vs a Gatorskin. I only ask because I flat quit a bit even on Gatorskins. But I would really like to ride my GP 4000 if it was really worth it. Just asking.
@chocolatewheelchair Жыл бұрын
Good video lads
@juuljanssens3911 5 жыл бұрын
hello gcn, Could you do the same experiment with 23/25/28/32mm Road tires ? Keep up the great content!!!
@neuspur 5 жыл бұрын
saw a test like this - can not find it again. What I remember: Interestingly the 23mm option is much slower (!) than the 25mm. (the bearing surface of a 23 mm is wider even if the tire itself is slim). 28mm was the best compromise of speed/comfort. If you are not sure if you should go for Schwalbe G-One or Conti GP: on absolutely plain surface Schwalbe was the winner. If roads are as they are in real world: NO difference Schwalbe vs Conti. (which means that conti performs better the worse road conditions get.... or in my words: the more realistic road conditions are.) Both were better than the rest.
@gcccollaborationtraining3974 4 жыл бұрын
I would be interested to see a similar test between 700c and 650b road tyres. I get quite a few flats on 25mm 700c tyres (biggest my bike can take with guards fitted) when riding audaxes on rough country roads and am thinking that 650b may reduce these but not if I need to pedal 10% harder for the same speed.
AnythingAlexia
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