Some precautions must be taken before you consider fitting gravel tyres on your road bike. Why? Because gravel tyres belong to a class of bicycle tyres that is designed for more demanding terrains than most road bikes are exposed to. In other words, they are not predominantly designed for road bikes but for other sorts of bicycles, such as hybrids.
When should you consider fitting gravel tyres on your road bike?
If you own a road bike and want to take it onto a track, a towpath, or another off-road surface, then another sort of tyre might be preferable to conventional road tyres.
Indeed, road bike tyres are – as their name implies – designed for use on stretches of tarmac. In other words, they are optimised to produce the least amount of rolling resistance when they are being used on a hard and relatively uniform surface. But when using them on challenging surfaces such as twigs, gravel and stones, they are more prone to puncture. In addition, road bike tyres will not always offer the same degree of bike handling control on such types of terrain.
How do you know if you can fit gravel tyres on a road bike?
The simplest way to know it is to check the shape of the frame for the rear wheel and how close the front forks are to your tyre. Why? Because gravel tyres tend to have a more pronounced profile, sometimes with more width and/or height than conventional road bike tyres. Therefore they may touch the frame once they are fitted and become unusable.
Indeed some road bikes have a little spare headroom and space to the side to accommodate slightly larger tyres, while others do not. The maximum tyre dimensions are defined by the bicycle manufacturer. You should check your bike’s specs to find out the maximum width and height that it can accept.
But beware! Even when road bike wheels have been successfully fitted with a set of gravel tyres, they may still not fit the bike's frame.
Fortunately, MICHELIN POWER GRAVEL tyres come in different sizes and will fit many roads bike wheels. What's more, their knobbly design means it is easier to maintain grip, performance and handling on both roads and trails. That's because their tread pattern, which features small blocks for low rolling resistance, still offers excellent traction on a mix of terrains.