Continental Terra Adventure 700 x 45mm Tires Review: Update 2

 Note: Continental Tires sent Guitar Ted Productions two Terra Adventure 700 X 45mm tires for test and review at no charge. Guitar Ted was not paid, nor bribed, for this review. All opinions are Guitar Ted's.

Not quite a month ago I posted the first update to this review. I wanted to do two things after the update. One - I wanted to switch wheel sets to one with a wider internal rim width. Second - I wanted to do some more dirt and single track testing with these tires. Their aggressive tread and intended use seem to call out for this sort of a test, in my opinion.

I have had the chance to do both since the last update, so in this update I will give my opinons on how the Terra Adventure responded to a different wheel set and how I found their performance to be on dirt and single track.

The Wheel Change: If I had to choose a "standard" for gravel cycling wheel sets, I'd likely look at 24mm - 25mm inner rim width as that "standard". I'd have liked to have put the Terra Adventures on a wheel with 25mm inner rim width, but all I had available to me at this time was a Irwin Carbon Aon 35 wheel set with 24mm inner rim width rims.

So, a one millimeter wider inner rim width. Whatever.... But you know, it did make a difference. Using 30psi, I now measure one tire at juuusst over 45mm and the other a bit under. So, I am confident in saying the Terra Adventure tires would end up being 45mm+, eventually, on 24mm - 25mm inner rim width rims. Plus, I think you could afford to go to something wider, say in the 27mm - 28mm inner rim width range, because the Terra Adventure has a pretty significant 'crown' to them, which a wider inner rim width would flatten out a bit.

The Terra Adventure has a very damped quality which is great on chunky, loose gravel. 

Gravel and Single Track Performance: The Terra Adventure was put to the test on gravel, naturally, and while the damped quality of the casing was very much appreciated, the high-crowned casing caused a bit of a nervous, looser feeling on loose, chunky crushed rock road. Again, putting this tire on a rim with a wider inner rim width might help smooth things out in this area.

 I thought the tread pattern was nothing which held me back. I suppose a smoother tire with a more supple casing might prove to be faster, but if I was looking for a tire which could go off-road, on dirt, and even single track? I'm okay with how the Terra Adventure handles gravel roads.

And speaking of single track, if you have the will to go fast on your drop bar bike in the woods, I think you'll find the Terra Adventure is up to the task. Keeping in mind this is a 45mm tire, and the knobs are not huge. Obviously there are limitations, but on smooth, buff single track? I think you might find yourself faster on the gravel bike fitted with Terra Adventure tires than you are on a mountain bike.

The grip these tires have on dirt is really quite good, but I wouldn't probably go with quite the same speed and gusto on loose over hard pack or chunky, rock infested single track, so choose wisely here. Most of the time you'd be better off with an actual mountain bike, but the Terra Adventure is capable on dirt in the right situations. Fortunately, our river bottom single track is perfect for this tire, so I enjoyed using them on our dirt trails.

So Far... I like this tire a lot. It has one of the best feeling casings I've been on in a while. On our typical gravel roads, it does a good job. It would likely be great on wider rims than I am using, so this is something to consider with the Terra Adventure.

I really was impressed by the dirt/single track performance. If I had one bike, and I had to use it on both gravel and dirt, I would opt for a drop-bar gravel bike that could fit the 50mm Terra Adventure and ride everywhere. The grip is pretty good, and while it is not a single tracking all-around tire, it can hold its own on dirt.

I'm using Orange Seal for sealant in these tires and I am noting the tires do not hold air pressure as well as some of my other set-ups do. Just something to note. Otherwise living with the Terra Adventure tires is pretty easy.

I'll have a final verdict in my last update on this review in a month or so.