I'm now on my second set of these and am very impressed. They are very supple and provide a very pleasant ride on asphalt, and provide a surprising amount of grip on dry offroad surface, even when up out of the saddle on a climb. I've only ever gotten one flat on these, and it was because I'd let the sealant go absolutely bone dry. I want to branch out and try new tires, but it's hard to justify when I love these so much.
Fabulous tire! Durable, and excellent traction and ride quality. Highly recommend.
The Pirelli Gravel H tires are extremely fast on gravel. They grip extremely well in the corners and on knarly descents.
The only reason I am down rating them is that I have purchased 6 of these tires from various vendors, including this one, and all of them have had issues with punctures that lead to sidewall tears. If you get a puncture near the edge of the tread it will cause the sidewall of the tire to tear open. The only way to repair is to boot and tube the tire. It appears that the puncture protection layer doesn't extend far enough to the sides and that the sidewalls are too lightly built to speed up the tire. Thus, any punctures near the edges cause the tire to fail. I had two incidents of double puncture tire failures. However, punctures near the center don't penetrate very far and seal extremely quickly. It is just the vulnerable sidewalls that can ruin your day. Others that I ride with have had similar issues with the Gravel H and Gravel M tires.
I would only recommend these for riding on light gravel or dirt. If you expect any difficult terrain or sharp rocks like at Unbound you are taking a huge risk of sidewall failure.
Been riding this H on my flat bar steel gravel rig/commuter bike over a year now. They're installed on Hunt carbon aero wheels and could not be a smoother set up together. Am quite enamored with them. But, they have let go on barely wet cement/black top where I didn't think they should have. Also don't provide that much traction on loose deep dirt or wet patches off road. Am planning to try Pirelli's S and RC versions to see how they compare, but don't like the idea of reseating them after another person commented. But it makes sense b/c since install, they have really been very stuck to the rim for me, in the best way. So I imagine when I go to remove, this may need the professionals to assist. Lol. I like them better than Gravel Kings though b/c the side wall is stiffer, they overall have better predictable traction and handling, and were cake to mount the first time (where GKs require LBS inflator to seat). Not my favorite, as that would be the Cinturato Ms, but in the top 3, with Vittoria Terreno as my #2, tied with Kenda Small Block 8 and Surly Knards - for their respective bikes.
I really wanted these to be my go-to, all conditions, all-rounder, because they're more supple and they roll much better than the GK SK+ I've been using for several years, and they grip just as well on dirt/gravel. (They also hold air better and are easier to seat - at least the first time you mount them.)
Unfortunately, the puncture resistance & durability isn't quite there, and they don't grip well at all on wet pavement (crashed twice in two months on these versus never in over three years on the Gravel Kings).
Also, as noted above, these tires don't want to seat a second time. I've had to replace a valve core and add sealant a few times with these, and they're more stubborn than the GK the second time around - which is saying something, as GKs don't particularly like to be reseated either.
Verdict: I'm switching back to Gravel Kings on my winter/gravel wheels. I'll probably give the Pirellis a little more time on my allroad set.
The tire covers a broad range of gravel surfaces. I have found that changing the tire pressure to meet the surface makes it this way.
I picked up a pair of 45s for a 440 mile gravel bikepacking event around the Olympic peninsula. Prior to the ride, I used them for approximately 200 miles of mixed terrain, mostly pavement. Tires were very easy to install tubeless and offered a very comfortable ride. The tread pattern also offered enough grip on dirt but rolled well on pavement.
I'm a bit disappointed in how quickly they appear to be wearing though, mostly the rear, although to be fair most miles have been with a loaded gravel bike. Also, I did get a rear flat on day 2 of the Olympic event, although never did find a culprit. So can't necessarily blame the tire but I do wonder if the faster-than-expected wear played a role.
I bought these because I wanted a tire with a less aggressive tread as my riding is a mixture of road and packed gravel. They have not disappointed . Subjectively I think they are faster than what was OE on bike, and I feel that they corner much better. That was a surprise given the tread design. I can quantify that I have been riding longer distances since putting them on, which leads me to believe that I am using less energy to keep moving, though that is really just a guess. They were pretty easy to mount, and with help from my local bike mechanic, to get both beads seated. The front tire is holding air very well, but the rear is losing a little more than I would like. User error, I think, but worth mentioning .
I got these in 47mm to ride mtb trails with my friends. I've also ridden them in a couple gravel races. They're reliable, fast, and very tough. Only had goathead thorns pierce them (easily sealed as I run them tubeless). They are quite reliable on easy to moderate mtb trails and have never flatted due to sharp rocks or rim puncture. Run really well/fast in gravel races and my Garmin clocked me at 42 and 43mph in them. I plan to run these in 40mm or 42mm for gravel rides and races and maybe try the gravel M's for MTB trails once I wear out my current tires.
Fairly new to the gravel scene but my bike shipped with stock Maxxis Ramblers. In my area there are a lot of connecting asphalt roads along any gravel route and for 90% of the year the gravel roads do not require knobby tires. After seeing high ratings of these tires on Bicycle Rolling Resistance I thought they would be a great tire with a bit of tred but low rolling resistance overall and so far, they fit the bill. No punctures yet after a few hundred miles and they absolutely ride faster than the Ramblers I previously had. Seated on my hookless rims without any issues and I can't say there is anything I wish they had or didn't have. Solid purchase and would recommend.
Finally got my Pirelli's out for a proper gravel ride. I was impressed. This is a fast tire. On pavement it almost feels like a road tire. On smooth gravel or hardpack it is fast. Today's race had one rolling hill after another and I was in a group of about 15 riders for much of it. On every descent I passed most or all riders simply coasting. I think the tires were the reason. I was simply rolling faster than other riders. The tire is great on pavement, hard pack and smooth gravel. It does OK on chunky stuff - today's ride ended with about 3 miles of rough jeep road and single track and these tires did fine. It has more grip than I expected in loose corners or loose over hardpack roads - even when climbing on loose stuff there was no slippage. I was able to carry speed through loose corners without the tires sliding out. Overall this seems to be a good all around tire for mixed surface rides or smooth gravel.
I think these tires rate highly in both categories.
I have the tan sidewalls and they look nice on my red gravel bike.
They mounted easily as tubeless and I put 60 ml of Stan's sealant in them.
They measure 41mm wide, for a 700x40 size , and my rims measure 21 mm inside width.
I run them at 40-45 psi on the road depending on the road condition and the weather.
I feel they are very fast tires and if the psi is correct, a very comfortable ride also.
One of the nice thing about tubeless road and gravel tires is the air pressured can be tailored for speed, grip, or comfort depending on preferences. No need to worry about pinching a tube.
Gravel roads spring and fall. Don't really ride in mud. Road riding in spring as the roads dry out from winter packed ice. Works well in all cases. OH, easy mounting on Roval gravel rims.
I installed this tire easily with 1 spoon on a Belgium rim!
At 55psi the 35 mm rolls like my GP4 season 32s on pavement.
I descended on some steep gravel roads and felt no wash out.
It measures 93mm wide pressed flat on bench so the 35 is a
a fine gravel //hard pack tire and you will want bigger sizes for
rough//loose gravel but this seems to be a fast tough tire that we CAN fix
a flat up in the hills. My new all terrain tire.
I rode this tire in the 45 as a rear tire on a 18.6 internal width 18.6 velocity Dyad on a cross check. It fit with a couple of mm to spare. It was about as wide as the rock and road tire it replaced, but with what felt like less cushion and more puncture protection.
It was fast on pavement, and off road it held pretty well in dry conditions. However it provided minimal traction in wet and muddy conditions.
The tire seemed to slide out almost every time there was mud or wet roots. Turns that were previously handled by other tires required a lot of slowing down and/or "foot off the pedal" readiness to stabilize. There was a frequent feeling of being about to slide out through turns. There were times when I straight up slid out and fell through familiar turns that I had previously made with different tires. There times where I rode completely straight through the muddy edge of a puddle with my weight balanced as neutrally as possible and the tire still started to slide out!
Overalll, it provided decent width and good puncture protection, but it's disappointing to have to regulate your speed lower that what you know you'd like do in order to make it through wet conditions.
Previously in love with the schwalbe g-one all round evo's for the past 2 years, so comparing to those- grabbed these as the g ones are unobtain-ium right now. After 2 rides and 100 miles these have became my new favorite tire. Mounted on zipp 303's ( hookless compatible) with about 40 psi I've taken them on every surface possible including mtb single track and they are one notch better in every category in my opinion. They just roll Faster on pavement and gravel, just as stable on all types of gravel, surprisingly grippier on loose crap and wet slick things - they seem to hold on a little longer before breaking loose on very steep climbs, even while climbing out of the saddle. Haven't had any issues with punctures ( it's early yet) but they have withstood the worst of everything I could carelessly plow over so far, including mine fields of big sharp rocks, streams, squirrels, feral cats.., really no negative on these, but I do sometimes notice a very slight counter steer feeling I think from the side lugs when leaning hard on fast clean pavement but nothing that feels bad or hurts confidence. Sidewalls feel a tad stiffer, not too mushy or balloon like , but still a super comfy ride. Excellent tire that covers everything very well.
I got these in 40mm at the beginning of the 2021 season on a Domane SL. Didn't use at Wild Horse Gravel, as that is pretty chunky/rocky terrain, but did 5 other races including Glenwood Gravel, Loess Hills Enduro, Gravel Worlds, BWR Kansas and rides in Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa. BWR was 10+ miles of mountain bike single track, including a lot of rocks and technical descents and climbing. The only issue it had was with mud. Not enough tread on the outside to grip. But that was after 1500+ miles on the tires. I never once had a flat. Crazy, isn't it? I used Stans sealant. The tires must be inflated before every ride, as they will go from 35-40 to 25 over night. But never had a problem being low at the end of the longest rides. About 25% of the miles are on pavement, and it certainly is not as fast as a smaller tire would be, but no problems with sound, and the grip is awesome. I've gone to a Pirelli on my road bike as well and again, their compound grip it exceptional.
My favorite things about the tires are the grip of the compound on rocks and pavement, their supple side wall for comfort and grip but still stable in corners and strength to hold up to gravel racing. The price was exceptional. Will replace both, as I worry about the compound hardening over time and UV exposure, but if I wanted could just go with a new rear and would be fine.
Tucson is close to paradise, but the roads resemble hell. Much of the asphalt on the road surfaces in Tucson has burned up and we're left with essentially solid gravel. I put these tires on my cross bike to lessen the beating. They work great and the Pirelli logo make me look like I'm somebody.
These are my first gravel tires on my first gravel bike, a Sage Titanium Barlow. I�m not new to tubeless tires. I ran Conti GP5000s on my previous bike. The tires mounted easily on Roval Terra C wheels with 60ml of Stans sealant. I'm using 700 x 35 tires. The ride is smooth at 45 psi. Traction and cornering are not an issue. I've ridden mostly paved roads so far. I deducted a star from these tires because the issue is how well they hold air. If I pump them to 45 psi, by the next morning they're down to 30 psi. The wheels are new. The rim tape is intact and the valve is snug. With my Continentals I had to add air maybe once a week. I used Orange Seal endurance with those tires. One bike shop person told me that the issue may be the Stans sealant. I've had one thorn puncture and it sealed almost immediately. If I were to do any adventure riding, I would probably use tubes because of the absence of a floor pump for daily pumping duties. These tires look good, have a supple ride with good traction. I will definitely try another set and use a different sealant next time!
Solid performance year after year on gravel, mud and pavement. All with bike pack gear and my 200+ lb body. Great tire and it doesn't throw a lot at those following:) Very pleased!
