Specialized's gravel tyres get an update—first ride impressions of the all-new Tracer

Specialized has revamped its tyre offerings across the board, narrowing its smorgasbord catalogue down to four road tyres, three gravel models and four mountain bike models. This simplification process should make it easier for customers to select tyres that meet their needs without getting bogged down by too many choices.

The three new gravel tyres are the Pathfinder SLR (designed for racing and hardpack), the Tracer (for mixed gravel), and the Terra TLR (designated for gravel and trail). All three tyres have updated casings and tread patterns and are available in larger sizes than previously. The new models promise to be 19% faster than the previous models and 30% more cut-resistant.

Intriqued by the "One Tire, Any Surface" pitch, we opted to test-ride the all-new Tracer.

Design & Construction

The older iteration of the Tracer served double duty as both a cyclocross and gravel tyre. Its closely spaced tread made for a reasonably fast rolling pattern, but without much in the way of grip in muddy conditions.

This updated version is now a dedicated gravel tyre that has been wholly revamped with a stronger casing and new tread pattern. Per Specialized, the “compact center knob cluster” (try saying that out loud with a straight face) improves rolling resistance by 19% and the new casing improves cut resistance by 30%. The outer tyre tread has knobs that are set slightly wider and taller to aid in mud-shedding and cornering support. Specialized uses the same springy compound for the tread (T5) it uses on the shoulders of its road tyres.

The updated Tracer is hookless compatible and available in 40, 45 and 50 millimeter widths. With these changes, it would appear that Specialized is no longer making any UCI-compatible cyclocross tyres.

First ride impressions

Forty-fives?! What is this, the nineties?

Only joking. It’s a testament to how fast tyre sizes have changed that 45mm tyres could already be considered small. The reality, however, is that even though pro gravel racers might be moving towards 50 + mm widths, not everyone needs (or wants) tyres this large. Also, gravel roads are highly region-specific, and tyre requirements vary by geography and geology.

My test set of Tracers are the most “Goldilocks” of the three, in the most “Goldilocks” size, 45 millimeters. The listed weight is 530 grams, but of the two sent to me, one measured 520 g and the other 495 g. Hopefully production versions are more consistent, though at least they’re both lighter than advertised. On 24.5 internal rims, they measured roughly 43.5 mm—a little undersized.

Mounting was seamless. I had both tyres mounted up and inflated in about ten minutes. Can we all take a moment to appreciate just how far tubeless technology has come? I mount up a lot of tyres for testing, and it’s rare these days for it to be anything other than smooth.

On the bike, my first impression was one of confusion. I thought something was coming loose, but it turns out these tyres just kick up a lot of small rocks, hence the noise. Riding through a sandy patch on the road (as one might find when snow melts in the spring) sounds like Armageddon. This didn’t pose any issues, but it seems worth noting.

On pavement, the tyres performed predictably, without any squirminess. The weight is impressive for knobby tyres in this width (which I attribute to both casing makeup and the short knob height); this was noticeable while accelerating and especially when moving the bike around beneath me.

On rough gravel, the tight knob spacing isn’t as confidence inspiring as I would like, but then the Tracer isn’t really designed for this. It seems like it is designed to fill the gap between a semi-slick and true knobby, but perhaps with some bias towards smoother terrain. On fast dirt roads with some sporadic moisture it excels, biting in when it’s wet, but still rolling well when it isn’t. I have no doubt we’ll see more of this tyre at the pointy end of gravel races throughout the season.

Specs

• Brand: Specialized
• Model: Tracer TLR
• Price: $55 / £45 / €50 / $90 AUD
• Use case: "hardpack racing, loose gravel exploring, singletrack shenanigans"
• Casing: 60TPI 3-ply TLR casing, tubeless
• Compound: GRIPTONT5
• Weight 700x40c - 460g, 700x45c - 530g, 700x50c - 550g
• Side walls colours:
  • Black: 700 x 45
  • Tan: 700 x 40, 45, 50