I recently put the Tufo Gravel Thundero tires (700x40mm, tubeless ready) to the test on the challenging gravel roads of Patagonia, Arizona. Mounted on my Open Upper with Enve 3.4 700c all-road wheels, these tires proved to be a reliable and versatile option for a variety of terrain.
Tufo markets the Thundero as a 'universal tire for those who don't want to think about where to go,' and for the most part, they lived up to that promise. On groomed gravel and even some surprisingly chunky sections, the Thunderos excelled. They provided a comfortable and confident ride, absorbing bumps and maintaining traction. I was particularly impressed with their grip on climbs, both long, sustained ascents and short, punchy efforts. They felt responsive and efficient, allowing me to power through demanding sections of the Spirit World 50, Organ Pipe, and other local routes I tackled.
However, the Thunderos did reveal a weakness in sandy conditions. While the majority of the terrain was handled with aplomb, the tire's outer edge struggled to find purpose in loose sand. This resulted in a noticeable lack of bite, making it difficult to maintain a consistent line and requiring extra effort to regain traction. It's worth noting that sandy conditions can be challenging for any tire, especially a 40mm, but I found the Thunderos to be less effective than I'd hoped in these situations.
Pros:
Excellent performance on groomed and chunky gravel.
Impressive grip on climbs.
Comfortable and responsive ride.
Tubeless ready.
True to size 40mm.
Cons:
Limited traction in sandy conditions, particularly on the outer edge.
I find this tire to be fast both on pavement and offroad.....currently using the 40mm size, but would like to go wider for certain events/terrain (or perhaps use a Swampero in the front). I live in the southwest so there's a lot of hardpack sand and loose sand (of varying depths), and the tires seem to grip well on the hardpack and light/shallow sand. I have a pair of overpriced Rene Herse Barlow Pass file tread tires, and would use these on the pavement over those. Not currently running any sealant in them, but they seem to hold air well without it. I only have around 100 miles on them so I can't really speak to durability yet, but for speed and traction in the areas I ride, they seem to be my new favorite tire. The 44mm version will likely be on my bike when I do BWR Utah again, seems like a perfect tire for that type of terrain.
These are really good all around gravel tires, with a great balance of rolling resistance, puncture resistance (particularly sidewall), and grip (check out Bike Tire Rolling Resistance site for the test data). In the real world, they perform as the data would suggest (fast, reasonable puncture resistance, and have more grip than a lot of fast rolling tires). These are my primary tire when gravel is chunky with embedded rock (e.g. AZ, Flint Hills, etc.), or for B roads (limited maintenance roads). I coach several cyclists who ride/race gravel, and all have been happy with these tires as well. Sure, for some gravel races with more tame gravel, you can find faster tires (some of the semi-slick or slick gravel tires from Challenge, Panaracer or Rene Herse, but for riding/training and racing in tough conditions... these are really hard to beat.
(Follow up from 2/3/22)
Very Good tires, rotated F & R every 300'ish miles, these, like all rubber tires harden as they age and slightly shrunk. Rear died after running over a metal strap/band on fire service road, gashed edge of tread and sidewall up to rim, not fixable. Got my money out of these, may get the new Tufo Thundero HD? Best pressure i found was 30 psi up to 38psi, for SE USA clay, gravel, dirt roads, worked in all conditions, dry & wet year round. Better on pavement at 40psi-55psi. (for avg. guy 6ft and 200lbs)
For my 40% pavement, 50% gravel, 10% 'wish I were on a mtb' riding, these are stellar. Relatively low rolling resistance and good braking/cornering grip. HD version durability tbd but they've handled jeep trails at speed just fine and I'm not a featherweight or a delicate descender.
If they sound great - they are - but my set happen to lose air unlike any tires I've run before, particularly over long stretches of hot days. The 5 or more psi they require 3-5 times a week is worth the performance, for now
This tire is lightweight for 700X48mm and has very low rolling resistance. However, I've had to use a plug on a 2mm slice on one ride and then punctured a TPU tube a couple of rides later. I use Stans and it couldn't plug the slice because of the thin wall. I am going to try the HD, which weighs 30g more, but shouldn't puncture as easily.
I've been running these on my gravel bike for about 200 miles now. So far I've used them for my commute, which is a mix of road and hard-pack fire road, as well as recreational gravel riding. Coming from WTB Riddler (fast-rolling) tires, it feels like the Tufo tires have a fair bit less rolling resistance when near the max PSI, yet they maintain similar grip to the WTBs when aired down. I haven't had any issues with punctures yet, and they seated with zero sealant seepage when installed.
I put the Thundero in 40's on my Trek Domane SL6 to cross over into a little gravel riding. I love them so much that I am unlikely to switch back to my regular road tires (another brand in 28's). These are just as fast, if not faster, and provide great traction in wet conditions when road riding. Plus I can quickly take a detour on to gravel roads without any concern. I also rode in two gravel races so far this season (2024) and they held up just fine without a single issue or puncture. These also work wonderfully well in my longer endurance style riding. Summary, I love these tires and I will keep using them for all my types of riding.
A little hard to mount, but insanely good traction wet and dry, street and crud. Shockingly fast, I'm keeping up with the dudes on slicks on road rides. I may never use another tire again. The 48 is like riding on a beach cruiser tire, it's so plush.
Very fast on pavement despite knobs. Nice and grippy on gravel
These tires are fantastic. Fast, supple, I haven't had a single flat in 1000 miles of mixed terrain, and they are perfectly round. These feel almost as supple as the Rene Herse extralight snoqualmie pass tires that I used to ride, but I'm not worried about these blowing off the rims.
These roll noticeably faster than my friends' tires, as we can see when coasting side by side. They feel about as good as the 32mm slicks on my road bike.
I use on a Trek Hybrid bike that came with too small of tires. I prefer meatier tires and switched to these in 48mm and really like the cush, low roll resistance, and traction in mixed pavement, and light trail duties. This tire has all the qualities I was looking for.
These tires roll great on road and gravel, and feel very comfortable for those long days in the saddle. This is my second set and I will be buying again.
My go to tire for gravel riding, pretty much any conditions. Nice low rolling resistance but still knobby all over for grip. With three sizes to choose from they've got options for everyone!
I've been enjoying these tires on road and light gravel routes. They roll fast and feel great over chipped roads and gravel access roads. I give 4/5 because they loose a point for chunky and technical trails. The tire tread just doesn't hold the trails as well as my previous tire and I don't have the same confidence. If I was only riding paved and gravel access roads then this would be a winner for me.
I read good things about this tire so I went for it and i'm glad I did. I've ridden a few hundred miles on it with one 65mile gravel race, plenty of paved road, and commuting and they are doing great. When you get the tire you can see and feel quality. The 44's roll nearly as well as my 32 GK slicks and much faster than the 38 GK+. That was the main reason, gravel kings were just sluggish.
I decided to give these a try after reading a positive review for them on bicyclerollingresistance.com. They score very well there in many of their categories and are highly recommended. First of all, the tires look great, with a creamy tan sidewall and crisp lettering--very premium looking. They grip very well on pavement and hard packed gravel, and they even handle slightly looser gravel well. Ride quality is fantastic, too. I run mine with tubes at about 38-40psi and I feel like I'm just floating over the road. I'm looking forward to trying these tubeless someday.
Rolls fast, good grip, enough tread for dirt roads in New England but not so much that you get annoying knob sound on asphalt. Pretty much the only tires I need on this bike. Yes they are good.
These tires felt good for the first 70mi or so. Logged a nice 50mi 40% asphalt 60% gravel ride on them and they felt quick. Nice curvature to the tread that lets you lean nicely into turns on smooth roads. Thin casing makes for lighter weight and a more supple ride. Second ride was pure road. 30mi in the bead on the front tire failed. Ouch. I reached out to the manufacturer (nicely) and sent them a photo of their defective product. Three months later... still no response. I deliberately did not provide them with the lot number from inside the tire so they would have to respond to obtain that info to investigate the defect. Avoid these at all cost. Injury is never worth it.
These are great tires for both pavement and gravel. Good trip with little rolling resistance on hard surfaces.
