As an Amazon Associate and eBay Partner, toptenpick.com earns from qualifying purchases. Prices and availability are subject to change.
The Tour Aotearoa is New Zealand’s 3,000km bikepacking brevet, and it mixes sealed road, loose gravel, farm track, and the occasional muddy singletrack in one route. Seven of these ten are tyres real Tour Aotearoa riders or NZ tyre shops have specifically named for the route; the gravel/bikepacking tyre field is wider than that, so the last three add well-regarded, currently-sold gravel tyres suited to the same mixed terrain, clearly marked as general picks rather than TA-specific citations.
| # | Product | Price | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Schwalbe G-One Bite | $55-$70 | Amazon · eBay |
| 2 | Schwalbe G-One Ultrabite | $50-$70 | Amazon · eBay |
| 3 | Vittoria Terreno T50 (Mixed Gravel Endurance) | $75-$90 | Amazon · eBay |
| 4 | Vittoria Terreno Wet | $75-$90 | Amazon · eBay |
| 5 | Vittoria Mezcal III | $65-$80 | Amazon · eBay |
| 6 | Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M | $75-$90 | Amazon · eBay |
| 7 | Panaracer GravelKing SK+ | $65-$75 | Amazon · eBay |
| 8 | WTB Byway | $40-$66 | Amazon · eBay |
| 9 | Maxxis Ravager | $60-$70 | Amazon · eBay |
| 10 | Rene Herse Juniper Ridge TC | $87-$110 | Amazon |
The picks, in detail
Schwalbe G-One Bite
An aggressive-tread gravel tyre that NZ tyre retailer Flow Tyres specifically recommends for the Tour Aotearoa, striking a balance of rolling speed and grip for the route’s loose gravel and farm-track sections.
- 700x40c tubeless, Addix SpeedGrip compound
- Knobbier tread than Schwalbe’s road-leaning G-One models
- RaceGuard puncture protection
- Directly recommended for this route by an NZ tyre shop
- Good balance of speed and off-road bite
- Noisier/slower on the sealed-road stretches than a smoother gravel tyre
- Not as grippy in mud as a dedicated MTB tread
Schwalbe G-One Ultrabite
The grippier partner tyre in Schwalbe’s own recommended Tour Aotearoa pairing — run with the Bite for a fast-rolling front and grippier rear (or vice versa) combination.
- 700x40c tubeless, Addix RaceGuard compound
- More aggressive knob pattern than the Bite for extra traction
- Folding bead
- Purpose-recommended as a Bite pairing for this exact route
- Strong grip on loose and wet gravel
- Rolls slower than the Bite alone on sealed sections
- Pricier than the Bite in most listings
Vittoria Terreno T50 (Mixed Gravel Endurance)
Vittoria’s mixed-surface gravel tyre — sold today under the T50 name (the tyre previously marketed as Terreno Mix) — built for exactly the sealed/gravel blend the TA throws at riders.
- 700×40 tubeless-ready
- Endurance casing for long unsupported days
- Mixed-terrain tread pattern
- Confirmed current Vittoria product with listed retail pricing
- Endurance casing suited to a multi-week brevet
- Name changed from ‘Terreno Mix’ to ‘T50’ — check you’re buying the current SKU, not an old listing
- Less aggressive than the Schwalbe Bite/Ultrabite pair in deep mud
Vittoria Terreno Wet
Vittoria’s wet/muddy-conditions gravel tyre, recommended alongside the Terreno Mix/T50 by NZ tyre guides for the sections of the TA that turn to slop after rain.
- 700c gravel endurance casing
- Higher-traction knob pattern for wet and loose surfaces
- World Cup cyclocross-proven tread
- Specifically built (not just repurposed) for wet, sloppy conditions
- Same Terreno-line durability as the T50
- More rolling resistance on dry, hard-packed sections
- Priced in line with Vittoria’s other Terreno-line tyres, a step above budget options
Vittoria Mezcal III
A 29er XC mountain-bike tyre that recent Tour Aotearoa riders have actually run (in 29×2.25) on hardtail bikepacking setups — the route’s rougher farm-track and trail sections favour the extra volume over a pure gravel tyre.
- 29×2.25 tubeless-ready XC tread
- Lower rolling resistance than most MTB tyres in its class
- Widely used across NZ’s Great Rides
- Verified in an actual 2024 Tour Aotearoa rider’s setup
- Better float and cushioning than a 40-45mm gravel tyre on rough farm track
- Needs a hardtail/MTB frame with clearance, not a drop-bar gravel bike
- Overkill volume for riders staying mostly on sealed and hardpack
Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M
A mixed-terrain gravel tyre that at least one 2025/2026-season Tour Aotearoa rider ran in 700×45 TLR, sized up for extra comfort and float over the route’s rougher stretches.
- 700×45 tubeless-ready, SpeedGRIP compound
- Gravel-specific tread for varied surfaces
- Folding bead
- Verified in a recent TA rider’s actual setup
- Wider 45mm option adds comfort on long unsupported days
- Slower-rolling on sealed road than a narrower, smoother tyre
- Newer to the NZ market than the Schwalbe/Vittoria options
Panaracer GravelKing SK+
A benchmark gravel tyre that another recent Tour Aotearoa rider ran at 43mm — good rolling resistance on the sealed sections without giving up grip when the road turns to dirt.
- 700×43 tubeless, ProTite puncture protection
- Widely regarded as a category benchmark for mixed gravel
- Lower knob height than the Schwalbe Bite pair, favouring speed
- Verified in a real TA rider’s gear list
- Faster-rolling than the more aggressive picks on this list
- Less bite in genuinely muddy conditions than the G-One Ultrabite or Terreno Wet
- The step-up SK+ (not the base SK) costs more
WTB Byway
A widely-used bikepacking tyre with a fast-rolling semi-slick center strip and knobby shoulders — a general (not TA-specific) pick that suits the route’s mix of sealed road and loose gravel particularly well, since the center tread favors the pavement miles.
- 700×40 tubeless-ready, 120 TPI, SG2 puncture protection
- Semi-slick center tread, knobbier shoulder lugs
- Folding bead
- Excels specifically on the road-heavy sections other picks here aren’t optimized for
- Widely stocked, well-established bikepacking tyre
- Not a rider-verified TA pick like the Schwalbe or Vittoria/Pirelli/Panaracer tyres above
- Less shoulder grip in genuine mud than the G-One Ultrabite or Terreno Wet
Maxxis Ravager
Maxxis’s dedicated gravel/all-road tyre, a general well-regarded pick for exactly the mixed sealed/gravel riding the TA involves, sitting between the Rambler’s road bias and a full MTB tread.
- 700c gravel tread, tubeless-ready
- Balanced center/shoulder knob pattern for mixed surfaces
- Available in multiple widths
- Purpose-built gravel/all-road tread from an established tyre maker
- Competitively priced against the Schwalbe and Vittoria options
- Not a rider-verified TA pick — a general gravel-tyre recommendation for the route’s terrain type
- Less specialized for deep mud than the Interco-style tyres used on hardtail TA setups
Rene Herse Juniper Ridge TC
A premium, supple-casing gravel tyre from the boutique maker built by Bicycle Quarterly’s Jan Heine — sold in 650b, so it fits a different wheel size than the 700c tyres above and would mean a wheel swap, but it’s a genuine, currently-sold option for TA riders running 650b wheels.
- 650b x 48mm, TC (Tan Casing) supple construction
- Extralight or Endurance casing options
- Tubeless-ready
- Exceptionally supple ride quality, reviewed favorably against WTB Riddler in direct rolling-resistance comparisons
- Wide 48mm volume suits the TA’s rougher farm-track sections
- 650b only — not a drop-in option for a 700c wheelset
- Premium pricing versus the mainstream brands above, and less puncture-resistant casing options cost extra
Buying tips
- The Tour Aotearoa splits riders between drop-bar gravel bikes and hardtail 29ers — pick a tyre size your frame can actually clear rather than chasing the single ‘best’ width; 40-45mm gravel or 2.2-2.25in MTB are both proven on the route.
- The route runs sealed highway, loose gravel, forest road, and occasional mud within the same day, so a tyre with a faster-rolling center tread and grippier side knobs (like the G-One Bite/Ultrabite pairing) suits the TA better than a single-purpose road or mud tyre.
- Run tubeless if your rims support it — the TA’s long unsupported stretches make a pinch flat or thorn puncture far more costly than the tubeless setup hassle.
As an Amazon Associate and eBay Partner, toptenpick.com earns from qualifying purchases. Prices and availability are subject to change.