Steve Thomas
Challenge has a strong repute for making thoroughbred off-road tyres. Steve Thomas test out their all-new rugged gravel ‘Gravine’ range.
All Challenge tyres are handmade in their Thai facility. All have an artisan like feel to them, which reflects hugely in their distinctive and precise handling characteristics, and that feel runs true with their new Gravine and Gravine XP TLR tyres, of which we’ve been riding both in the 40mm version over the past weeks.
These tyres are intended for mastering rough ground; rocky, wrist jarring, slippery and muddy conditions are their domain, and their tread pattern is strikingly similar to a Griffo cyclo cross tyre, only with more pronounced and tweaked studs, which are designed to bite into the mud and grip the rocks and roots whilst also having the breathing space for any mud to clear when you hit harder packed ground.
Apart from the colour schemes, the main difference between the standard Gravine and the XP version is an extra “Corazza Gold” layer lining the tyre, which adds to the puncture resistance and durability of the tyre.
Using the brand’s own SmartPlus rubber, Gravine is designed to be more durable and harder wearing than their cyclo cross tyres, although, as with most high-end tyres out there, these are made for outright performance above all, meaning that they likely wear faster than tyres with a harder and less grippy compound.
These tyres showed up during a dry spell, so I’ve been unable to find much mud – but having ridden Challenge’s Getaway and past Griffos, it would be safe to say they should perform well in the gloop, and having battered them over rocks and through ruts I can attest that they are very grippy, especially so the sidewalls, which is refreshing to find.
The Gravines roll well on the road and hard stuff, but not to the level that their less aggressive sibling the Getaway does, and they also give a racier, slightly harder and more precise response – which you will notice when taking your hands off the bars the first few times.
Like all Challenge tyres, these are tubular feeling and plush riders, and correct tyre pressure is crucial to nail to get the best out of them. I ended up going down to a comfy and grippy 30psi, which is low for me, and they still felt precise.
And like other road & gravel tyres we’ve tested from the company, their tyres do seem to exude a touch of extra speed … they just love to go fast, over 30 to 40k’s per hour they just spin, spin and spin.
Challenge Gravines are not inexpensive tyres – but they are premium performers and do offer fair value for money and are perhaps best kept for those wet and wild epics when performance is critical, where they will strut at their finest.
I would also recommend paying a few bucks extra and carry another 65 grams for the extra robustness of the XP.
If, on the other hand, you are looking for a top-notch Challenge gravel allrounder, then do check out the Getaway, less extreme and pointed than the Gravine, but multi-talented and also available in an XP version. 
More at www.challengetires.com
