Selecting a Challenge Gravel Tire
Need assistance figuring out which tire to mount for your upcoming gravel race or ride? Or perhaps you're selecting a "daily driver" that needs to perform well everywhere. Below we provide details on the tires in our gravel line. The keywords give you the tires attributes in a nutshell. For further insight, we reached out to Challenge-sponsored pros to get their take on the tires. We hope this information allows you to better choose a Challenge Gravel tire based on their capacities and strengths.
If you need clarification or advice about which tire is for you, always feel free to ask questions at info@challengetires.us
Strada Bianca
FAST - SMOOTH - COMFORTABLE
The Strada Bianca is suitable for poor pavement, packed dirt, dry gravel, or a mixture of all of these. It looks like our legendary Strada on the outside, but comes in 30C and larger sizes with the added puncture and sidewall protection of PPS2 and Silver (corazza) Armor on the inside.
WHEN IS IT PERFECT?
They are well suited to "champagne" gravel, when the roads are smooth and fast. Consider Nordmarka in Oslo, Birkebeineren in Lillehammer, or Halmstad and Bergslagen in Sweden. They're perfect on the straight-line gravel roads of the Rocky Mountains like those found in Steamboat or northern Utah. Equally, they would do well in their namesake – Strade Bianche!
Gravel Grinder
FAST ROLLING + CORNERING TRACTION
The Gravel Grinder is for cruising at speed and cornering with confidence. When the tire is upright, the diamond center offers little resistance, allowing for high speeds. However, when you lean the bike over to turn, the side knobs hook the ground for traction. Our Pro Says: “They are lightweight and the feel is great. They are my preferred tire for fast gravel on a wet day. They are perfect for courses with firm roads but lots of turns. You get the extra grip on corners while not compromising speed.”
WHEN IS IT PERFECT?
These are for roads a bit more varied than those where Strada Bianca is the best choice. Tighter turns found on secondary roads, descending into or exiting washes or perhaps good gravel roads that are a bit wet. Gravel Grinders are often the tire of choice for Northern European gravel like Halmstad UCI or FNDL GRVL, both Scandinavian races that have mostly fast but also variable gravel.
Getaway
FAST, VERSATILE ALLROUNDER
Our most popular gravel tire is designed to handle hardpack, gravel, loose, and rocky soil; in other words, many of the conditions you might face every day. Our Pro Says: “They are fast, great handling, but also work well when a section has chunkier gravel. They are good all-around tires for riding or racing courses with some more challenging conditions.”
WHEN IS IT PERFECT?
It's likely the best choice for most riders who enjoy a variety of dirt. The tight knob pattern has terrific rolling resistance and almost velcro-like dry traction in most Western USA conditions. The low profile tread isn't as grippy as Gravine over rocks and roots, but anywhere Getaway can grab dirt it's a great choice. For example, The Traka, which takes on the paved roads, gravel roads, and trails surrounding Girona. Consider also the terrain of Northern Europe where it gets a little muddy.
Gravine
AGGRESSIVE AND DEPENDABLE
The Gravine is the most aggressive tread of the Challenge line-up, suitable for more severe gravel terrain. Taking inspiration from our knowledge in cyclocross, we increased the height of the knobs for enhanced grip through muddy sections and over more rocky terrain. An open-tread design encourages mud/dirt shedding and self-cleaning of the tire. Our Pro Says: “The Gravine is the tire I use when I know the going might get tough. Perhaps the weather has been wet and the course has muddy sectors. I know that I can trust the Gravine’s tread to get me through.”
WHEN IS IT PERFECT?
When you're just not sure what you're going to find, Gravine could be a good choice. The larger knob works better in loose and soft terrain, and rocky or rooty sections of singletrack will feel more confident.
XP Series
DURABILITY + PROTECTION
XP stands for extra protection. The tires maintain the supple feel of handmade construction with the addition of enhanced sidewall protection. This offers great resistance to punctures when facing chunky gravel and loose stones. Our Pro Says: “The Getaway XP are a good option for courses with a huge variety of terrain, as they are fast and handle well, but have increased puncture protection. The durable construction does add weight over the Getaway, but if a course makes you worry about punctures, then Getaway XP is my selection. The Gravine XP allows me to push my gravel bike to its limits with confidence - it's a tire I can trust in the worst conditions!"
WHEN ARE THEY PERFECT?
XP tires are a good option for The Rift Gravel Race through the dark lava fields and highlands of Iceland, and equally good for Unbound with Kansas’ notoriously-sharp gravel. Or perhaps think of Rasputitsa in Vermont, a notoriously wet spring race that has sectors of gravel that venture into the muddy woods.
