PSA: switching to a dedicated gravel tire made my commute 12 minutes faster

I was running 32mm slicks on my old road bike for 2 years through potholes and dirt paths near my place. After swapping to 40mm gravel tires last Monday, my usual 40 minute ride dropped to 28 minutes on the same route. Anyone else see a bigger time gain from just tires than expected?

2 comments

2 Comments

jordang3211d ago

That's a big time drop from just tires. I think people don't realize how much rolling resistance and traction change when you go from a skinny slick to something more suited for rough surfaces. The gravel tires let you hold speed through bumps and potholes instead of having to slow down and pick a line. Plus, you can probably corner harder on the loose stuff without losing grip, which adds up over a whole ride.

michaelchen10d ago

Were you running tubeless before or did you switch that too? I keep hearing people say going tubeless with gravel tires is a game changer for puncture protection and lower pressure, but I'm wondering if the tread pattern itself did most of the heavy lifting here. Also did you change tire pressure from your slicks or just keep it the same? I'm curious if running lower pressure on those 40mm tires helped smooth out the bumps more than the tread itself.