I’m currently in the process of buying my first gravel bike. For my budget (1500€), I will be mostly looking at second hand bikes and therefore my biggest question is tire clearance. On old bikes, the clearance is usually smaller (35mm max) than now (around 45mm on new bikes).
My big question is : would 35 or 38mm tires be enough for the king of riding I want to do (see below for description) ? I would really like to have your opinon and real world experience !
To give you a bit of context Here is how I plan riding:
85
- % afternoon rides
10
- % very light bikepacking (only saddle bag and frame bag – no camping gear – Airbnb to sleep)
– 5% climbing : one or two mountains per year : this year the Galibier is planned
Overall, I really enjoy riding on the road, but what I like the most is to explore other terrains without having to turn back!
The kind of terrain I want to ride on is (please see photos attached) :
- white gravel roads
- dry forest paths
- small loose stones
- countryside paths
But most importantly I do not want to ride in any of these :
- mud
- technical MTB terrain
- roots
- big rocks
Since I’ll still ride mostly on roads (probably around 80-90% road overall), I want the bike to remain fast, dynamic and enjoyable on pavement and climbs.
That’s why I’m considering staying around 38mm tires instead of going full 42-45mm+ gravel setup.
My question is: for the terrain shown in the photos, do you think 38mm tires are more than enough?
I feel like internet discussions sometimes make it sound like you absolutely need huge tires for gravel riding, but I’m wondering if that’s overkill for my type of riding.
Would love to hear your honest opinions and real-world experience!
by imSmogg
43 Comments
Yes. More than enough.
Yes in the many years before “gravel” was a thing people have been doing those rides on 32mm wide cyclocross/touring style tires
I only have the time to ride gravel on weekends, my daily rides are pavement. I went from 38 to 40 to 44 over time and my average and top speed never changed on pavement, however the 44’s were way way better on gravel.
I would say it’s generally “enough” to get by on the easier stuff just fine with the right tire. But why limit yourself? Tire clearance should be the number one thing you spec for, but do consider if the frame can fit bigger with 650b wheels as well. You can certainly run something smaller but its nice to have the option to expand later to a tubeless 40-45mm tire at least. It may be worth spending a little more for future proofing since 55+ is becoming quite normal on gravel bikes, regardless of terrain. You can always put a narrower tire on a bike with big clearance, but there’s a hard limit in the other direction.
I absolutely love the Schwalbe G-ONE RS I’m running on my bike in 700×40, in tubeless it works wonders without being a giant tire. I’m using it for similar conditions you describe. But I have a 650 set with much chunkier tires for the other fun stuff. And I can absolutely clear more tire if I wanted to. Bike came in around €2k new in 2025.
As a matter of future proofing, I’d target a frame that supports up to 45mm minimum. You can absolutely ride a lower tire clearance bike on all of what you said and it’d be fine. But a wider tire will offer you significantly more comfort even on the terrain you listed. It will also offer you some better flat protection (wider tire = more volume = lower pressure needed = less chance of a flat).
For that yes. But I would look for the best clearance that you can find in a frame that fits you and is in your price range.
38mm is fine. Is it optimal? Maybe not. But ten years ago 35mm was the standard, and people rode the same roads then as people ride now.
On gravel, 35-38mm is doable, but 42-45mm will be much more comfortable and enjoyable.
On road, I don’t have enough direct experience to compare, because the bikes I rode are not the same. From what I read, I don’t think you will see much difference between 38 to 42mm on road.
I live in urban area. The gravel I ride is quite mild. Dirt with 2-3″ (5-8cm) rocks embedded in the dirt, or sparse loose gravel <1″ (3cm). I have ridden these on hybrid bikes with 32mm tires; gravel bikes with 42-45mm tires. Wider tires are much more comfortable, enjoyable, and can go faster. With narrow tires, I was actively avoiding the bigger rocks. With wider tires, I just go straight and over them.
38mm is adequate. Wider would be more comfortable. If there is more air in the tire because there is more room for the air without too much pressure, the tire will absorb more vibration and bumps.
38 is fine for that. You could use semi slicks for your senarios which people have been doing for decades.
I’ll use 42c in MTB technical single track on the gravel bike. Nobody talks about how handling starts to get sluggish closer to 50c for the knarly single track at moderate speeds.
Tire choice is such a personal thing. I love a super big 2.2 XC tire even on very light/hard packed trails, just because of how it rolls. Other people would run as close to a road tire as they could on the same trail.
32 for what you are describing is plenty.
What you’ve pictured is totally fine on a road bike. This is nothing a 28mm tire can’t handle. I ride stuff like this all the time on my 32mm road bike tires, and it’s no big deal.
I also have a 45mm gravel bike, and when I’m on that, I’ll work in single track, big rock climbs and descents, roots, and other technical trails, climbs, and descents. If you’ll not be doing any of this, you really don’t *need* big tires. What you’ve pictured is fine on road tires. Not ideal, not as comfortable, but totally doable and enjoyable. Especially if it will only be like 10-20% of your ride time.
35mm or 38mm tires will be totally fine. It’s what I would recommend for 80% road and 20% what you’ve pictured.
If we go back to 2019, most gravel bikes boasted a tire clearance between 38mm and 42mm. At this time in the gravel world, very few brands were pushing clearance out into the 45mm range. The Specialized Diverge for example, had 40mm tire clearance. This is where most bikes sat. There were very few bikes back then that had clearance for 45mm, the Salsa Warbird and the Santa Cruz Stigmata are the only two bikes I can think of off the top of my head that had 45mm tire clearance. 50mm, common now, was completely unheard of.
So, if you are on a budget, a used pre-2020 gravel bike should be exactly what you want. You’ll get 40mm-ish of tire clearance, and a geometry more consistent with todays modern all-road or endurance bike, which, is actually what you should be shopping for; all-road/endurance road bike. This is the category of bike that will best suit your riding.
The Santa Cruz Stigmata 2 (ended 2019) had clearance for 38mm tires. The Cannondale Topstone’s of this era had clearance for 40mm tires. Specialized Diverge, same thing. Any of these bikes would be great.
Not sure what your used market is like, but if you tell me what brands are near you, I can help narrow down your search.
Why not buy a trek checkpoint alr gen3? It takes 50+mm tiree. Way more comfortable
You can do the Katy Trail on 32mm.
I’ve bombed some gravel roads with 28mm slicks before. Definitely a bit squirly, but if they could do it then some treaded (or non treaded) 38mm tires should do fine. Cyclocross riders manage with 33mm tires.
My bike only clears 35mm
I rode gravel on a cross bike with 32mm tires for years.
In 2017 I was racing pro/open on 38 pathfinders and it was considered the hot setup at the time.
Bigger tires are faster and easier but for just riding it’s fine.
Absolutely. I used to ride worse on 35mm tyres.
You should be fine with 38. It’s always a compromise on mixed terrain. What’s ideal for one condition is not for another. If you find the terrain is to sandy or other for 38, you’ll just slow down a bit.
Yes I’ve ridden paths like this on slick 38mm tires just fine.
38 is big enough in the sense you can do it but won’t be “optimal”
I used to ride gravel (singletrack) on a Jamis Aurora with 35s. A 50mm tire was insane to me at the time
I ride two seasons with tufo 36. All good, except sand.
I used to ride light gravel on road bike tires. You’ll be fine.
I rocked 38mm grave tires for green and blue single track mtb trails in my area. You’ll be fine with 38mm on what you’re wanting to ride.
I do gravel like this and more on my endurance bike with 32mm road slicks. You’ll be fine.
From those two pictures, if it isn’t muddy or wet, you could probably ride both on 28mm slicks negl.
Have a look on YouTube for some cyclocross vids, they ride 33m
After riding 42mm’s for a while, and now 45mm’s, 38mm is the smallest I would consider for gravel (mainly from knowing how much more comfortable it is to ride a wider tire).
Enough? Yes. Wider will be more comfortable though.
Used to ride dirt roads on 23s in the 80s
Should be fine
I have a 700c 35mm Randonneur and a 650B 50mm Gravelbike (both steel). The Rando does just fine (and reasonably comfortable) on anything that is not technical, lots of roots or loose gravel/sand with 35mm Slicks. Anything worse is still possible, but not as fun and sometimes a bit sketchy. You may want to go tubeless on those smaller tires if you are serious about riding gravel or else you will have lots of snakebites.
Like many commenters, I like wider (like 42-50mm) and lower pressure tires for gravel b/c I get more comfort and control on loose paths. I ride mostly in dry areas of CO and UT. I find that the paved sections I ride are still reasonably fast and the compromise works well for me.
But 38mm tires are not so slim that it’d be a mistake to settle on them. You can get good grip from a Michelin power gravel or a Schwalbe G-One R tire at even 35mm (and there are no doubt many other good choices too). If you get a good grippy tire and you find the right pressure for your ride and trail types you can make this size work really well.
Have fun riding!
100%
It is wide enough and nowadays called “all road” if you want a trendy term for that. You can even find pretty capable tires with aggressive tread in that size.
However, I‘d personally stick to uphill and flat sections when gravel riding on these kind of narrower tires and take the road for descends. Even with a background in MTB and the necessary bike handling skills, bombing downhill offroad on skinnier tires (< 40mm) just feels sketchy and bumpy. So-called “underbiking” is fun for a short while but then gets exhausting, both physically and mentally. Wider tires with lower pressure are more forgiving.
Just my 2ct though. I‘m a bit of a diva when it comes to (road) surface quality, particularly on longer rides (>3h).
It’s fine for that type of gravel. Anybody that says you “need” more or talks about an anecdote is just regurgitating marketing talking points.
The wide/MTB tires for gravel was never that you can’t ride it on narrow. It’s that the wider can/will offer the following: better handling, better puncture, and faster rolling resistance.
I think it’s optimal for the kinda gravel. Especially if you ride pavement to get there
I’ve been riding gravel on my cross tyres for longer than gravel has been a thing and while more volume is nicer, it’s not essential.
Yea you should be fine. I’ve done light gravel with much skinnier tires but even 32s and 35s have been fine most of the time. I’d look into diff types of treads for traction but I’ve mostly been fine even on more slick tires.
Consider going tubeless; it’ll allow you to run lower air pressure and get better grip and more comfort
I do loads of gravel on 38’s. Wish I had bigger but that is all I can fit. Gets a little bumpy at times but definitely doable.