Big test bike tyres: Who makes the best tyres from gravel to touring?

The perfect touring tyre? Unfortunately, there is no such thing. Tyres remain a compromise of conflicting properties. If you want a lot of tread and the best grip, you also have to live with high rolling resistance. Lush puncture protection limits lightweight construction and rolling comfort. The good news is that tyres are relatively inexpensive and easy to replace, yet can significantly improve the riding characteristics of a bike. With years of experience, there are two manufacturers in particular that have established themselves for touring bikes: Continental and Schwalbe, which we are putting to the test in a duel across the most important tyre categories from SUV to Gravel to Tour.

Laboratory and practical tests

We supplement our practical test with objective values from the test laboratory, where we were able to test the tyres for rolling resistance and puncture protection under comparable conditions. In addition to the normal test, the programme also included burning questions with a current background. Are the currently so popular gravel tyres perhaps also a recommendation for trekking bikes? How well do tyres from the new SUV category roll and what about sustainable tyres with a higher recycled content and a green conscience? We provide the well-founded answers below.

Classic touring tyres: The marathon category

Schwalbe's classic Marathon dominated the touring tyre segment for years. The light tread in combination with high puncture protection and outstanding durability were the key arguments. In the meantime, however, manufacturers are daring to experiment more and this is paying off. With Pure Contact and Marathon Efficiency, Schwalbe and Continental are sending their top tyres into the race. The Schwalbe aims to score particularly well in terms of rolling resistance, the Conti in terms of puncture protection. We have also included the environmentally friendly Green Marathon with a very classic tread pattern in the race.

And lo and behold: in practice, the Green Marathon is actually one of our favourites. It rolls and cushions well, puncture protection and weight are fine and the tyre is very affordable. This gives the Green Marathon the price-performance tip. Pure Contact and Marathon Efficiency Both are a little more specialised. With both, you can hear a clear transition in the rolling noise when leaning. The Schwalbe, with its flat cross-section, also rides a little rough, but rolls really well. Overall, we found the Continental to be a little rounder. The high puncture protection might be the decisive argument for some. Especially as the difference in rolling resistance in absolute figures - 17, 18 and 19 watts for Efficiency, Green Marathon and Pure Contact - is not that great. For comparison: Good tubeless tyres roll at well under 15 watts in the same conditions, even with a slightly off-road profile. Here is an overview of the exact evaluation of the touring tyres.

>> Continental Pure Contact in the test: puncture protection tip for the Conti all-rounder

>> Schwalbe Marathon Efficiency test: Road bike speed on a trekking bike?

>> Schwalbe Green Marathon in the test: Sustainable and uncomplicated to the price-performance hit

The top marks for Marathon Efficiency for rolling resistance and Pure Contact for puncture protection are clearly visible. The Green Marathon delivers strong all-round performance at a particularly favourable price and is the clear winner in terms of sustainability. If you don't have any special requirements for a tyre, you can buy the recycled tyre without hesitation.

Tyre recycling: long a reality

>> Disposing of bicycle tyres: Schwalbe expands recycling of used tyres

>> Tyre Recycling by Schwalbe: How the circular economy is becoming a reality with bicycle tyres

E-bike touring tyres - Are special tyres worthwhile?

Many manufacturers also have their own tyres in their range especially for e-bikes. They promise excellent rolling properties for the longest possible range with low wear and high puncture protection, but are prepared to accept a slightly higher weight. After all, the electric motor provides a lot of help when accelerating. Is the investment in an e-bike worth it?

Both candidates, eContact Plus and Energiser Plus are extremely close to each other in our test. It is possible that they clearly outperform classic touring tyres in terms of wear. However, we found the riding characteristics of the special e-bike tyres to be somewhat unusual. As with classic touring tyres with thick puncture protection inserts, the tyres hardly cushion at all and therefore ride somewhat harshly. The rolling resistance falls slightly behind the touring class (above). The puncture protection - relevant when riding over kerbs with low air pressure - is high. However, lighter touring tyres can sometimes score even higher in terms of cut resistance.

>> Continental eContact Plus: E-bike tyres for touring and everyday use

>> Schwalbe Energizer Plus: Endurance runners for e-bikes and cargo bikes?

Special e-bike tyres are particularly stable and durable. Weight and rolling resistance are of secondary importance, as the motor helps here. However, almost all normal tyres are now also approved for e-bikes. Those who prioritise lightweight construction, off-road grip, rolling resistance or damping will therefore often be happier with conventional tyres.

SUV tyres: Comfortable and safe on any terrain?

Trekking bikes with wide tyres and light studs promise additional riding comfort and more safety, even on slippery gravel or light terrain. With the e-bike trend, these SUV bikes have rightly established themselves as a new category and tyre manufacturers are naturally responding accordingly. For the test, we pitted the classic Johnny Watts against the competitor eRuban from Continental and also included an extra-wide gravel tyre in the race, which is also often fitted to trekking bikes with all-round aspirations.

Apparently, manufacturers such as Diamond with the Zing Trip Plus (tested here) has landed a lucky strike with the wide G-One Allround. With a fine profile and tubeless suitability, the G-One rolls with only around 10 watts. Around half as much as eRuban Plus and Johnny Watts with a tube! On the road and on light gravel, the G-One offers a soft and smooth ride with good traction.

The classic SUV tyres only have a slight advantage on real off-road terrain and also outperform the G-One in terms of puncture protection. Especially the Johnny Watts also drives very smoothly on the road, while the eRuban with hard transitions in lean angles takes a little getting used to, but offers the best traction on mud and soft ground. However: Durability could be the Achilles heel of the G-One be. The fine gravel tread does not usually cover itself in glory here. eRuban Plus and Johnny Watts are probably much more durable. We cannot judge this objectively after a few kilometres in the laboratory and in practice.

>> Schwalbe G-One Allround 57: Maximum width?

>> Continental eRuban Plus: Favourable SUV tyre for soft surfaces

>> Schwalbe Johnny Watts in the test: Round, carefree, uncomplicated?

With a smooth ride and good handling characteristics on both road and gravel, the puncture-proof Johnny Watts is a great carefree solution for SUV e-bikes. We liked the weight, rolling resistance and ride feel of the G-One Allround even better. Unfortunately, the gravel tread probably wears out quickly.

Gravel tyres: Fast & sporty on tour?

The trend sport with curved handlebars brings a breath of fresh air to the design of touring tyres. Gravel tyres often roll fast and at the same time offer good off-road grip and a good dose of comfort, even with narrow dimensions. Sounds perfect, even for trekking bikes, doesn't it? Not quite, because classic gravel tyres such as the Schwalbe G-One Allround lack puncture protection. And experience has shown that the durability of normal gravel tyres is not the best.

Continental and Schwalbe have therefore added two independent gravel tyres with increased puncture protection and more durability to the range, especially for adventurers and frequent riders. While the Terra Adventure with its mountain bike tread prioritises grip even on real off-road terrain, the Schwalbe G-One Overland Pro The tyre is more focused on fast rolling and good riding safety off-road. Both tyres share a narrow tread pattern with large centre lugs, which should have a positive effect on wear.

>> Continental Terra Adventure test: plenty of grip for adventurers and bikepackers

>> Schwalbe G-One Overland Pro: Fast gravel tyre for frequent riders

>> Schwalbe G-One Allround in the test: Wide or narrow, what will it be?

Continental and Schwalbe have different priorities. The decision is clear: if you value maximum traction even on rough gravel and trails, go for the Conti. Everyone else is better off with the faster and slightly more puncture-resistant Schwalbe. With a great mix of weight, rolling characteristics and grip, this is our tip for sporty riders.

BIKE summary of the test: tyres for bike tours

The high overall standard of modern touring tyres is impressive. In addition to the enormously versatile G-One Allround and G-One Overland gravel treads, two tyres with a green focus, Pure Contact and Green Marathon, also received recommendations. One of them, the Green Marathon, is also really affordable. Touring cyclists with no special requirements can pick up this tyre without hesitation. Brave new world! - Adrian Kaether, Editor Test & Technology

How BIKE tests: tyres in the lab and in practice

How the tyre rides in practice can already tell you a lot. How safe does the tyre feel in bends and on changing surfaces? Does the tyre dampen well and how loudly does it roll? What about traction, even in the wet? But evaluating tyres objectively and fairly in practice is one of the most difficult tasks at MYBIKE, even with several experienced testers. In order to be able to compare tyres as directly as possible, we therefore used several sets of wheels on one and the same bike and kept variables such as air pressure as constant as possible.

The laboratory test under controlled conditions provides the most important test results. In addition, we drive the tyres under comparable conditions in practice to assess grip on changing surfaces, comfort and driving safety.

Nevertheless, laboratory values are essential for correct categorisation, especially in terms of rolling resistance and puncture protection. We were therefore able to call on Schwalbe's test laboratory, where the tyres were tested under our supervision. The tyres rolled on a drum test bench at 20 km/h and 50 kg load to determine the rolling resistance. In addition, the puncture resistance is determined with a drop axe from various heights and the cut resistance is determined with various test chisels on the tread and sidewall.

This is behind the values from the laboratory test

The higher the cleaver goes until the tyre is flat and the more force has to be applied until the test chisel penetrates the tyre, the better. We present these two figures in the test reports in millimetres for the penetration height and in Newtons (N) for the cut resistance at the various points on the tyre. To make them easier to understand, we have transferred them into a grading system, as well as the value for the rolling resistance (given in W for watts), and shown them below. The wide tyres were measured at 2.0 bar on a 30 mm rim, the narrow tyres at 2.5 bar on a 25 mm rim. Tests were carried out with standardised inner tubes. Only the gravel tyres ran tubeless, as in our opinion this makes more sense for performance-oriented applications. With tubes, the rolling resistance would presumably be 2-3 watts higher.

Even more tests on the subject of tyres

>> Fast and durable: 10 TPU inner tubes put to the test

>> A fine line between speed and grip: 10 gravel tyres in the test

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