Category: Tires

Do yourself a favor and check out Pirelli’s Cinturato Gravel range. The tires are criminally under the radar and should be on more bikes than they are now.

The Cinturato M’s have what Pirelli claims is a “gravel specific” compound for the rubber. Whatever “SpeedGrip” is, it works.

These are good looking tires with big, diagonally placed knobs and a center row which forms a solid ridge, more or less.

So, as it stands now, WTB has a 36mm and a 40mm Vulpine that would make for a fantastic tire for racing, and maybe it would work for adventurous types and everyday gravel riders if the terrain was tamer.

So, looking at this tire as what WTB has described it as – a gravel racing tire – I have to hand it to WTB at this point.

We really liked the speed, ride feel, and grip that this ‘on the skinny side’ gravel tire had. Not surprisingly, we hoped that WTB would opt to offer a wider version of this great tire.

This tire seems to me to be the “mountain biker’s gravel tire”. A tire for rougher adventures, dirt roads, mountains, and even light single track.

Now with several more rides in on these tires, my impressions have only been solidified and so, it is time for a final verdict on the Kimberlite tires.

I found the Speedmax to be stable on loose gravel, and capable in a bikepacking situation on deeper gravel as well.

It (the Kimberlite) felt less wooden and stiff than the previous versions of American Classic tires and more akin to a tire costing much more.