We unveil the road.cc Recommends Tyres of the Year 2024/25

Get ready to discover the best tyres for road and gravel riding that we reviewed in 2024.

Like last year, we’re giving tyres their own category, separate from our road.cc Recommends Components of the Year awards, because we’ve reviewed a huge variety and the quality has been impressive. In this roundup, we’re covering both road and gravel options, including those reviewed by our sister site off.road.cc.

Plenty is happening in the tyre market with the gravel sector becoming ever more important and the growing popularity of tubeless setups for all types of riding. Plus, road bike tyres are still getting wider. It wasn’t so long ago that 23mm ruled, but many speed-focused models aren’t made that narrow anymore. Whatever kind of riding you enjoy, there are some excellent tyres to explore.

How did we make our selections? Each month, we add top-rated bikes, clothing, components, and accessories reviewed on road.cc – as well as off.road.cc and ebiketips when relevant – to road.cc Recommends. This section of our website is dedicated to the most impressive products, with only the exceptionally good earning a place. Below, you’ll find the best tyres that made the cut this year, plus a few that came close.

With our bike awards, we rank our favourite models into top 10s, but we don’t do that with components and accessories. Instead, we have three award categories:

Bargain Buy This goes to the product that we feel gives exceptional value for money on a bangs-for-your-buck basis.
 
Money No Object We take price out of the equation for this one; it’s all about performance.  
 
Editor’s Choice This award is presented to the product that gives the best combination of performance and value for money.

We don’t always present all three awards in each category; it depends on what we think the products in our selection genuinely deserve. Spoiler Alert! We haven't dished out a Bargain Buy award in the tyre category. That's not because the tyres we've picked are bad value, but simply because none offers a level of value we'd consider exceptional for the price.

Now, let’s dive into the road.cc Recommends Tyres of the Year 2024/25.

Panaracer Agilest Light £49.99

The Panaracer Agilest Light tyre is a very good choice if you’re looking to shave weight and maximise speed, particularly in racing or hill climb scenarios. As a tubed counterpart to the Agilest TLR, it’s 64g lighter and made for performance without compromising on durability or grip. It sits in the mid-range price bracket, offering reasonable value for its intended purpose.

One standout feature is its grip. Despite its sleek, race-focused appearance, the Agilest Light performed admirably on slippery, wet roads during testing, with no loss of traction. Its ZSG Agile Compound casing ensures consistent performance in various conditions. The tyre also proved surprisingly puncture-resistant, surviving numerous training rides without issue, although a few minor cuts appeared over time.

While the ride is slightly firm, likely due to the TF (Tough & Flex Super Belt) layer designed for puncture resistance, it’s not uncomfortably harsh. Initial installation requires a bit of effort, as is common with folding tyres, but subsequent fits should be easier.

If you are looking for an out-and-out race tyre or you have an ultra-light hill climb machine, the Agilest Light is a really strong contender. It would be nice if you could run it tubeless – but then you have the Agilest TLR for that, albeit with a weight penalty. This is a reliable, fast, and race-ready tyre that’s worthy of serious consideration.

Why it’s here Superlight tyre ideal for a hill climb bike or racing in all conditions, just not the softest ride
Read the review 

Ere Research Genus Pro CCX Skinwall £89

The Ere Research Genus Pro CCX takes some of the finest aspects of earlier-generation tyre technology and brings things up to date with a tubeless-ready construction and compatibility with hookless rims. Featuring a 320 TPI (threads per inch) cotton casing, this tyre is exceptionally supple, delivering a smooth and responsive ride.

The construction combines a Zylon bead with a latex-coated interior that addresses cotton’s typical air permeability issues to create a reliable tubeless option. Reviewer Matthew Page found the Ere Research Genus Pro CCX effortless to fit, inflating easily on both Ere and Cannondale wheels.

This is a lightweight option (around 275g per tyre) that’s ideal if you’re looking for speed and agility on the road, and the Genus Pro CCX provides outstanding comfort. You still get feedback through your hands so you know about changes to the surface beneath your wheels. This is a big benefit, boosting your confidence and speed on descents.

An Armis X protection layer under the tread provides puncture resistance, although the tread itself is thin so the lifespan is likely to be limited. Still, this is a race-orientated tyre so that’s not uncommon.

The Genus Pro CCX delivers incredible performance with a beautifully smooth and fast ride quality – albeit with a high-end price tag to match.

Why it’s here Supreme comfort and feeling of speed, at a price that might make you wince
Read the review 

Challenge Gravine PRO Handmade Tubeless Ready Gravel Tyre £83

The Challenger Gravine Pro Handmade Tubeless Ready Gravel Tyres are an excellent choice if you’re looking for a versatile and high-performing option that offers impressive grip and smoothness. They feature a robust, knobbly tread that’s built for off-road adventures, yet they perform surprisingly well on the road too.

Over two months of testing in diverse British conditions, reviewer George Hill found that these tyres delivered a consistently impressive performance throughout. While knobby tyres usually compromise rolling speed on tarmac, the Gravine Pro excelled everywhere, easily handling everything from fast road rides to muddy singletrack. The deep tread provides grip on softer surfaces and sheds mud effectively.

Challenge has used its gravel-specific Superpoly Carazza Armor here, which is a dual-layer 260TPI casing designed to protect the sidewalls against sharp rocks and debris. This is accompanied by Challenge's Ganzo PPS2 puncture protection layer. Combined with a tubeless setup, these features mean you’re unlikely to see many flats here. George suffered none during testing and there were no signs of sealant bubbles on the tyre’s surface.

The Gravine Pro tyres are pricier than most, but their durability and exceptional all-terrain capability justify the investment.

Why it’s here Very expensive, yes, but an excellent gravel tyre that also excels over other surfaces
Read the review 

Panaracer GravelKing SK TLR Gravel Tyre £54.99

The Panaracer GravelKing SK TLR Gravel Tyres are a fantastic choice if you’re looking to balance grip, cushioning, and feedback on gravel rides. With a tread designed to tackle a variety of surfaces, from dry, hard-packed gravel to muddy, rocky fire roads, they hold up impressively well. You get excellent traction and, despite a substantial width (45mm in the case of our review tyres), low rolling resistance too.

Panaracer's improved ‘Beadlock’ bead is tighter and easier to seat than previously, and it works better with more types of hooked and hookless rims. Reviewer Steve Williams found that they seated and inflated with one blast from an Airshot bottle.

Although there’s a bead-to-bead puncture protection layer hidden away inside, the 120TPI casing is supple and it conforms well to rough surfaces at lower pressures without flopping around. Steve rode these on rough descents and through jagged boulder fields without punctures or visible damage.

This durable casing and ample air volume smooth out rough trails, making for a comfortable ride. The tread pattern provides plenty of bite on climbs and in corners, and it’s stable enough to handle tarmac without a hitch. The rubber compound, known as ZSG, grips confidently in both wet and dry conditions, allowing you to stay in control even on tricky corners.

While it may not be suited to deep mud, the GravelKing SK TLR offers excellent all-around performance for most gravel conditions. If you’re looking for a solid, dependable tyre with a great mix of stability and feedback, this one is hard to beat.

Why it’s here Grippy, supple, strong, smooth and confidence-inspiring in any gravel conditions
Read the review 

Panaracer GravelKing X1 R-Line TLR £64.99

A second Panaracer GravelKing? Yup. Panaracer revamped the range in 2024 and we've been working our way through the various options.

The Panaracer GravelKing X1 R-Line TLR is a premium gravel race tyre that combines speed, grip, and durability in a lightweight package. It is most at home on gravel roads, byways, and rough tarmac rather than muddy or root-filled trails. Weighing just 460g in the 700x40 size, the X1 uses a 120 TPI TuffTex-R casing for bead-to-bead puncture protection without adding weight, making it Panaracer’s fastest GravelKing yet. It’s also available in 35mm and 45mm widths for different terrains and setups.

The ZSG Gravel compound ensures low rolling resistance and impressive grip, offering a smooth ride across a variety of surfaces. During testing in Scotland's gravel-rich Aberfoyle, the tyres delivered speed and control on everything from smooth gravel to rocky trails. The tread pattern’s tightly packed centreline and angular shoulder blocks provided excellent grip on fast descents, with predictable handling even when pushed to the limit.

Despite their lightweight design, durability isn’t a concern. After 400km of riding, the tyres showed minimal wear and resisted punctures well. Installation was a little challenging, requiring effort to seat the beads, but once in place, they held air reliably.

The GravelKing X1 R-Line TLR is pricier than some competitors, but its lightweight design and all-round performance make it worth the investment. If you’re looking for a fast, durable gravel tyre that’s suitable for a wide variety of surfaces – provided it's not muddy – the X1 is a very good choice.

Why it’s here The X1 excels on dry gravel, and its low rolling resistance and light weight mean it feels very quick too
Read the review 

Michelin Power Protection Tyre £79.99 

The Michelin Power Protection TLR tyres deliver durability, impressive grip, and puncture resistance, making them ideal for day-to-day training and general riding. Setting them up tubeless was surprisingly easy. The 30mm tyres slid onto the rims of reviewer Ollie Smith’s 21mm-wide Reynolds rims without needing tyre levers, and held air without sealant, only needing a regular track pump.

On the road, these tyres balance comfort and performance. Adjusting the pressure to 55psi in the rear and 50psi in the front reduced vibration on rough surfaces, giving a smooth, enjoyable ride. While the sidewalls are a bit stiffer than some due to the bead-to-bead puncture protection, this doesn’t detract from the overall experience.

The grip is outstanding. The Magi-X compound kept Ollie steady, offering confidence in corners, even on broken tarmac. After over 1,000km on mixed terrain, including chipped roads and cobbles, there was only a small amount of wear, and no cuts or slashes.

The premium price tag may deter some, but considering the durability and performance, the Michelin Power Protection TLR tyres are a fantastic all-season choice.

Why it’s here Grippy and durable with a competitive weight – expensive, yes, but an excellent all-season tyre
Read the review 

Vittoria Ridearmor TLR Tyre £59.99 

The Vittoria RideArmor TLR is a high-quality tyre if you’re looking for a puncture-resistant option for training or commuting that doesn’t compromise suppleness, comfort or grip. While slightly heavier than a speed-focused tyre, the ride quality makes this an excellent year-round choice

The RideArmor is designed to offer puncture protection without the performance downsides that can come along with tougher tyres. Reviewer George Hill tested it for a month, and not only did he avoid punctures entirely, but he also noted minimal air loss. The protection is thanks to the tyre’s multi-layer construction, which includes a graphene and silica top layer, a Kevlar barrier, and a 100TPI nylon casing. You get sidewall protection too, courtesy of the ArmorSkin Sidewall Layer.

The RideArmor tyre also provides plenty of grip and comfort, which is something of a rarity in puncture-resistant tyres. That grip comes from the fact that you can run lower pressures, as it’s tubeless, and the graphene compound used.

Although weight is always going to be higher in tyres that come with multiple layers of puncture protection, reviewer George Hill found these to be nippy and confident even on fast descents with tight corners.

Though priced higher than some, the RideArmor justifies its cost. delivering impressive grip, rolling resistance and puncture protection. This is a fabulous tyre for all-weather riders looking for dependable performance without taking a hit on ride quality.

Why it’s here Puncture-resistant tyre with an excellent balance of durability, grip and speed
Read the review