These are the best all around gravel tires for the SF Bay Area. I primarily ride in the East Bay on pretty chunky trails and some single track and occasionally get over to Marin. I have the 45's with tan wall and haven't had any flats over the last 10 months or so and they still have plenty of tread left on the rear tire, front looks pretty new. The Thundero HD's are super fast and grip very well, the only minor quibble is in mud the smaller knobs don't dig in too well. Other gravel tires I've ridden are Maxxis Ramblers (meh slow not too grippy), Pirellli Cinturato M's (very good as well a little slower but better grip in mud, heavy, not as supple). Unless something better comes out I'm planning to get another set.
I've been using Tufo Gravel Thundero tires for over a year and really like them on my gravel bike. They have performed very well. I had a few issues flatting with the standard tires and switched to the HD and love them.
Replaced a set of Panaracer Gravel kings with the Thundero and it was a good choice. They roll well on all surfaces and with the 48mm size I've dropped pressure down to 33psi. They measure at a solid 47mm on 23mm ID rims.
This review is for the HD version of the Tufo Gravel Thundero in the 44mm, Black. My local conditions are typically hard dry gravel, but chunky rock and deep loose gravel are often encountered. I switched to these after Pathfinder Pro 2Bliss for the past two years, running tubeless. I feel the Thundero HD track better when hitting deeper sections of loose gravel and give me a little more confidence. I don't feel like I'm losing any rolling resistance with the change. Mine measure right at 44mm on a 24mm iw rim. I've had no leaking or weeping of sealant at about 300 miles of gravel riding so far.
After seeing the high score (5) on Bicycle Rolling Resistance regarding the Tufo Thundero HD Tires in 700 x 40c, I had to test these out. Setting these tires up is super easy and seat without any issues. The clustered diamond pattern in the center and the rows of shoulder knobs give me confidence when going fast through loose corners. Whether on the tarmac or gravel, these tires roll fast! So far, I've put around 700 miles on these tires through all sorts of mixed-terrain and have not experienced any concerning issues.
I was interested to read the prior review, I had the exact same experience on my last set of regular Thundero 44mm tires (no the HD). Just like Jacob here one tire was leaking air thru micro holes all over the place almost from the get go, I just dealt with it for a while, the leaks were so slow that they wouldn't be an issue over the course of a ride (even 5 hours) but over the course of a few days they would go flat. I ended up taking it off the rim out of curiosity but couldn't see any obvious issues, I put new sealant in it and low and behold the leaks were gone after that, strange thing is there was plenty of sealant still in there and I'm pretty sure it was replaced with the same sealant - Stans regular. Other than that these tires are fantastic, i've never flatted them over some pretty heinous gravel in the PNW here and they roll super fast, just ordered the HD's in 48mm, hopefully no weird leaks.
I was interested to read the prior review, I had the exact same experience on my last set of regular Thundero 44mm tires (no the HD). Just like Jacob here one tire was leaking air thru micro holes all over the place almost from the get go, I just dealt with it for a while, the leaks were so slow that they wouldn't be an issue over the course of a ride (even 5 hours) but over the course of a few days they would go flat. I ended up taking it off the rim out of curiosity but couldn't see any obvious issues, I put new sealant in it and low and behold the leaks were gone after that, strange thing is there was plenty of sealant still in there and I'm pretty sure it was replaced with the same sealant - Stans regular. Other than that these tires are fantastic, i've never flatted them over some pretty heinous gravel in the PNW here and they roll super fast, just ordered the HD's in 48mm, hopefully no weird leaks.
I bought two of these tires to replace the Maxxis Receptors that came stock on my gravel bike. I wanted to grab something with more aggressive tread and better puncture resistance so I bought the Thundero HD. One tire has been great, but I immediately had air leakage on the other. I run tubeless and I'm losing about 10psi overnight from the bike just sitting. After having my LBS check it out, I was told my only options would be to replace the tire or try different sealant since air is leaking just about everywhere. I've been running Stan's and will try Orange Seal, but I wish I would have gone with the standard Thundero and saved some money since the HD came with its own punctures.
I bought these to replace a pair of worn out Gravel King SKs. These tires are more supple, roll faster, and are more fun to ride! Highly recommend.
I can simply say fantastic tire. I used it for gravel rides and bikepacking trips (reason for HD) and tires worked great and continue to do so. Low rolling resistance makes them fast and small knob design mask them gripper in all conditions. In loose send tires preformed ok. Going to 44mm next for that reason. Highly recommend Tufo tires ????
Ordered the HD version due to some complaints about sealant leakage & flats with the non HD version. Great review on BRR, tire lives up their review. Took a bit to find the tire pressure I like for most riding but now it rolls fast, grips well and I've had zero flats over hundreds of miles & rough gravel. Just finished SBT GRVL & had zero issues! Highly recommend!
Easy tubeless setup. 200 miles so far and no complaints. 40mm tire measured 38mm on my rims (25mm internal rim width). Great traction in the corners which is what I was looking for. I just wish they made this as a semi-slick and it would be 5 stars for me. I know they offer the speedero, but the side knobs are worthless on that tire which is why I picked the thundero.
I do a mix of paved trails, forest roads, single track and gravel. These tires perform great on all surfaces, good grip and smooth rolling.
Great tires! Was using Pathfinder pro 42's before and never were in love with them, never felt like I had good traction in a turn. Got the Thundero HD 44's for Unbound and they were great! I felt much more stable in turns and felt they were still a fast rolling tire. Performed great at Unbound, I did have one tiny puncture but it sealed itself very quickly and didn't need to add air.
Great rolling resistance without compromising grip and durability.
After trying many other tires in the market, I think that this will be my go to for a while.
