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SEVEN DAY CYCLIST
CYCLING, BUT NOT USUALLY RACING
LATEST UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 7th
HOW DO WE DECIDE OUR OVERALL RATINGS FOR PRODUCTS WE REVIEW?
Maxxis Ravager TR Tyres
700x40c 530g £56.99 each
The Maxxis Ravager 700x40c TR Tyre is, aside from gravel, marketed as a model designed for adventurous touring. Tubeless ready, their design and characteristics are, in my view, better thought of as a cross-country mountain bike tyre scaled down for gravel, adventure bike and even cyclo cross duties- if clearances allow. This is no bad thing. I’ve been impressed by their all-rounder personas, being quick and compliant off road but without noise, or too much obvious resistance over metaled roads.
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I’ve been pleasantly surprised by their puncture resistance and durability to date. That said; for the depths of winter, I would probably pay a slight weight penalty and opt for their EXO counterparts, which have a thicker puncture repelling belt.
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Pros: Swift off road, shed mud efficiently,compliant ride even with tubes,handle well in all contexts, tubeless ready, good puncture resistance.
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Cons: More ponderous than some on tarmac.
Specification
Tipping the scales at a middling 530g the 40mm Ravager feature 60Tpi casings and operating pressures between 30 and 60psi. I was pleased to note they feature the brands’ Silk Shield puncture repelling technology, which is a lightweight Kevlar weave that runs bead to bead.
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Less rugged than some, it seems generally dependable without giving tyres a stodgy, uninspiring ride quality. The Exo Versions I mentioned in my opening paragraph are cut and abrasion resistant, which in my view are the better choice for winter, especially during hedge clipping season.
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40mm is for some a little narrow by contemporary gravel bike standards but should be compatible with modern, tour leaning adventure bike and give a decent amount of clearance-especially churning through wetter, claggier mud.
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The more pronounced shoulders are designed to offer reliable cornering in these contexts, the small block centre tread keeping them nimble and relatively swift over hardpack and metalled roads.
​Fitting 4/5
Some folders can prove a bit stubborn and fight back but no issues mounting them aboard the Halo Evaura , or these Ryde rims with only minor coaxing from better quality tyre levers, such as the Crank Bothers Speedier Lever, or these Topeak Shuttle 1.2 Tyre Lever . Same story when removing them (when putting the rear wheel on the jig for some TLC).
Test Bike & Context
Denise, as I’ve chosen to name my quasi-retro gravel build, was the obvious choice. For the uninitiated, Denise is based around a Dawes Edge frameset from the early 1990s built from Reynolds 631 and modified to run 700c wheels. Clearances are more modest by contemporary cross country mountain bike standards but great for gravel duties with tyres to 43mm.
In my view, the perfect, or at least, obvious candidate. I started testing, running a 700x38 Specialized Crossroads up front as a control for the first hundred miles before switching exclusively to the Ravager and finally, the WTB Nano 40. Both have been run with butyl tubes, rather than a tubeless setup. While there’s a wealth of benefits to tubeless, I still prefer tube.
Ride Quality/Handling 3.5/5
From the outset, despite being run tubed and at their 60psi maximum, the Ravager had a very supple, magic carpet-like quality, floating over pock marked and washboard tarmac typical of lanes and local byways. On tarmac, acceleration is reasonable, although rolling resistance was more palpable than some, including the Specialized Crossroads and perhaps unexpectedly, CST’s 32mm Pika.
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However, run at 60 psi, the Pika are noisier, and the Crossroads are designed to be run between 75 and 100psi. Up to speed, the Ravager are easy to keep on the boil and I’ve whizzed along winding lanes at a steady 18-20mph for hours at a time.
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Substituting butyl for lightweight TPU tubes improved their acceleration and climbing prowess quite tangibly and could be a worthy upgrade if you weren’t ready to commit to tubeless.
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Similar story along sweeping descents-I've had them to 30mph (with both types of tube) and couldn’t coax them into behaving badly. The song remained consistent when flooding and mud engulfed the lanes. Weaving around gaping, rim gobbling holes and along soft verges the shoulders bit into the soft mud and I raced round, superb traction inducing a child-like grin.
Unmade roads and trails brought out their most engaging side, accelerating quickly, cutting effortlessly through damp, relatively shallow mud with predictable finesse. A bit of experimentation suggested 50-55psi was my sweet spot, proving a decent amount of traction through green lanes and forest trails.
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I was particularly struck by how well they shed mud when tackling sections of churned bridlepath. A lot of knobbly rubber can quickly become slicks in these contexts, but the Ravagers spat it out, keeping me on track, squirm free. Talking of which, I’ve run them as low as 35psi, which offered a bit more grip. For my tastes, I wouldn’t go below 40psi but it's nice to have the choice, especially on icy winter mornings.
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Back on harder surfaces, the tread will steadily spit out the gloop, meaning you’re not carrying that gloopy heft for long. Being late spring and early summer, there wasn’t much leafy mulch in the mix but judging by this very wet, muddy spell, I don’t think it’d create any problems.
Puncture Resistance/Durability 3.5/5
Having run the Maxxis Overdrive Excel long-term and through some filthy conditions, I was well acquainted with the Silk Shield puncture repelling tech. I wasn’t surprised (but sometimes relieved) to report zero flats in the last 600 mixed terrain miles. Mud makes an excellent conduit for stones, glass, flints and similar sharps but nothing has pierced the casings, let alone induced a flat.
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I should also note that with the TPU tubes, I’ve gone to 35psi, just to see how they’d fare on this front. As I said in my last paragraph, doing so offers greater contact area and therefore grip. However, this also runs the risk of flints and similar sharps burrowing inside. Again, no issues on this front, no cuts or similar damage to date.
Value 3.75/5
In a nutshell, competitive. Cheaper than some dearer than others. CST Pika CST Pika Gravel Tyres | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) are a quick and relatively nimble option available in 38 and 42mm tubeless ready versions (£46 each) which will suit those with tighter clearances too. The puncture repelling belt only covers the centre strip, leaving the tubed version’s sidewalls more vulnerable to sidewall flats.
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WTB Resolute TCS Light SG2 is £55 and designed to run at surprisingly low pressures (25-50psi) which some say makes resistance more obvious on the road. The tread pattern doesn’t extend to the sides/shoulders, which may also prove a more limiting factor in muddy conditions.
However, puncture repellence will appeal to four seasons’ gravel aficionados. WTB Nano 40 £60.00 (review to follow) are a 60tpi tubeless ready model reckoned suitable for gravel, cyclocross, hard pack and dirt duties. 31g lighter than the Maxxis, pressure range is slightly lower (30-50 psi), and they deliver a dependable, compliant ride, albeit a little slower on tarmac.
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Specialized Rhombus Pro2 Bliss Ready Tyre (£45) is available in any width you like, so long as its 42mm and has a similarly mtb influenced tread pattern. One that is also well suited to UK typical gravel conditions but with some trade off on asphalt.
Summary
Ultimately, gravel, like touring, commuting and bike packing can mean different things to different people. The Maxxis Ravager though more ponderous on metaled roads are great all-rounders and will suit those leaning more towards a cross-country mountain bike tyre in 700c guise. One that’s quick, compliant and will still shed that wet, gloopy mud familiar to UK audiences very effectively.
Again, I’ll loosely agree with Maxxis’ adventurous touring crossover claims. That said; even though the Silk Shield is proving reliable, I’d be inclined to spend the extra five quid and plump for the EXO belt for this and for winter duties.
40mm suited me and Denise (the Dawes) to a T, hitting the sweet spot between comfort, speed and mud clearance. However, it will alienate others doing gravel on an older ‘cross bike, or some rough stuff tourists able to indulge in a bigger pocket of air.
Verdict: 3.75/5 Capable tyres for general gravel riding but surprisingly good in the gloop.
Michael Stenning
Madison.co.uk – The UK’s largest cycle parts & accessories distributor
PUBLISHED JULY 2024
