The Best winter road bike tyres 2024 - hard-wearing, puncture-resistant tyres to get you through the winter

Fitting the best winter road bike tyres to your bike can be a great move to make as winter approaches. In the northern hemisphere as winter sets in and road conditions deteriorate fitting the best winter tyres to your bike can make a big difference to your riding and winter training. 

Winter conditions in different parts of the world can mean different things. For those of us in the northern hemisphere it may not necessarily mean ice and snow-covered roads for months on end, but it can often be constantly wet for long periods, and winter rains and freezing conditions can mean lots of debris is washed into the roads. Freezes can cause water to constantly freeze and crack, damaging road surfaces too. All of this means your tyres - your sole point of contact with the road are tested a lot more. Debris-strewn roads and lanes can test the best road bike tyres and make mincemeat of lightweight race tyres, so swapping your lightweight tyres out for some more durable winter options is often a good move to make. It's also going to be dark and cold most likely, so be sure to check out our guides to the best bike lights, the best winter cycling gloves too.

Winter cycling can often test us enough without burning cash and ruining a pair of lightweight road tyres every other weekend. Standing at the side of the road trying to remove a tight-fitting tyre from a mucky wheel with cold hands is something most of us would pass on given the chance, we'd much rather focus on the winter training. The best winter road tyres, whether run tubeless or with tubes, will use more durable compounds and extra material. This is usually in addition to a more textured surface to better improve grip in wet and cold conditions. 

We have years of combined testing experience here at Cyclingnews and have put the hard yards in to test a range of tyres and find the best winter road bike tyres. Read on to find which ones we recommend you look for when choosing a winter road bike tyre. If you still need some help, head to the bottom of the page for some useful buying advice. 

Best tubeless winter road bike tyres

Introduced a couple of years ago, the Vittoria Corsa Control was recently updated with the brand's 'functionalised' Graphene 2.0 quad compound rubber blend, which delivers a predictable ride feel in a range of conditions. Thanks to the tread, which is a mix of central ribs and a chevron shoulder pattern, they're an excellent choice for changeable weather conditions, as they're pretty capable and grippy in most of what you can throw at them. The sidewalls are still a little on the thin side and so can be prone to picking up slits and cuts. 

Our reviewer was happy to trust them with reasonably aggressive riding in a wide range of road surfaces and weather conditions and found they held up really well in terms of wear life as well. The Corsa Control is available in Tubless TLR, Clincher and tubular versions in black and with trendy tan walls and in a range of sizes, though the tan walls may be a little harder to keep looking fresh in the winter.

Despite its 'Race' nomenclature, this tyre from Panaracer is a tough all-rounder, making it a good option for winter. If you're the kind of rider who wants to continue through the colder months but doesn't want to sacrifice their relatively skinny tyres, then you'll be pleased to know that these come in a size 25mm and offer impressive traction and puncture resistance.

The brand's Zero Slip Grip dual compound is one of the stickiest you can get, so you can ride in confidence even on cold and frosty mornings. It does mean you'll work a bit harder, but this is offset somewhat by the ability to pair with mudguards and sustain speed. The Japanese-made tyres are available in 25 and 28-mm options and in a single black colourway.

A toned-down version of Schwalbe's G-One gravel tyre, the Speed version has the same basic tread pattern (well, more of a texture) and is made from the brand's TripleStar Compound. Starting at 30mm wide, it's on the larger end of what traditionally would pass as a road tyre, but they are still fast-rolling and comfortable, perfect for those who ride over rougher terrain or are looking for additional comfort.

The G-One Speed is built around Schwalbe's Microskin carcass, which is a fabric layer in the casing that helps the tyre hold air without the need for an inner tube. Under the tread is a V-Guard fabric puncture protection layer, and the brand's Snakeskin sidewall protection — Schwalbe calls this double defence. 

If the G-One Speed piques your fancy, you'll need a bike that can handle wide tyres. At 330g per tyre, however, they're not likely to please the weight weenies among us, but that's mainly because you're looking at a wider tyre than most brands are offering.  

Vittoria's Rubino Pro tyre is ideal for your long winter base mile rides and is designed to handle the worst winter conditions. With plenty of puncture protection thanks to the bead-to-bead tread wrap and the PRB nylon anti-puncture layer inside the casing.

The Rubino Pro also takes advantage of Vittoria's 3C Graphine Structure, which sees the single-molecule thick carbon material slotting in between the rubber molecules for additional puncture protection and extended life — plus they are tubeless-ready. 

With a 150tpi casing, they are surprisingly supple and competitively light too at 270g (28c). 

Built around Bontrager's Hard-Case Lite carcass, the R3 Hard-Case Lite TLR has recently been revamped from a slick to a lightly treaded tyre. Bontrager says the proprietary TR-speed compound is faster rolling and longer-lasting than its predecessor, while also offering superior puncture protection. 

The centre strip is still smooth with Bontrager adding light tread to the shoulders which becomes more aggressive as the tyre gets wider — claiming this increases cornering traction which is an interesting feature.

Bontrager has also added a new Nylon 105 breaker belt and says its own lab testing showed the tread lasting 75 per cent longer than its predecessor. The tyre is available in 23, 25 and 28mm widths. 

Gravel King might be a slightly misleading name for these Panaracer tyres as they are likely to leave you undergunned on anything more than a recently graded gravel road. They do however make good, comfortable winter road tyres if your bike has enough clearance. 

Gravel tyres are, by definition, designed to stand up to a fair bit of abuse, so it's no surprise the 'Anti-Flat casing' and AX-Alfacord puncture protection are well suited to sharp road debris. The ZSG natural compound file tread is fast rolling and provides oodles of purchase even on steep, wet gradients.

These tyres are only available in 32-38mm widths and in black and brown sidewall versions (narrower versions are now discontinued, but you might find them if you look hard enough), which means many road bikes might struggle for clearance, but they make a great tyre to convert your gravel bike into a winter road mile muncher that's still capable of hitting the 'gravel-lite' trails.

Best winter road bike clincher tyres

The Challenge Elite XP is Challenges four-season, tube-only tyre option. So if you are still in the inner tube camp this could be a great option. Designed to be a hard-wearing and durable road tyre whilst maintaining speed and feel. The Elite XP features the Challenge Ganzo PPS technology which is an additional puncture protection strip that uses a tight weave fabric for protection. There is also Carazzo armour which is a double-layer casing for durability and reliability.  

Challenge tyres are handmade in Thailand which is something of a USP. You can read a lot about Challenge tyre technology but its handmade approach means the tyres don't have the horseshoe shape of regular vulcanised tyres which they claim improves rolling resistance. 

The Elite XP tyres look stylish and are available in 25 and 27-mm sizes, they can also be run with Challenge latex inner tubes if you want to lower rolling resistance and increase that premium feel a little more. A compromise if you would like to see a tubeless version is to run inner tubes filled with an amount of tubeless sealant for a best-of-both-worlds setup. 

Continental reckons its Gatorskin is the most popular training tyre in the UK. We obviously can't back that claim up, but we know they're a common choice for a lot of riders for winter weather. And while temperatures aren't the coldest in the UK, the country certainly knows what winter weather looks like. 

The Gatorskin is best known for its bombproof resilience to punctures and its durability, so if your winter riding often means dealing with the thorns, grit and glass that gets washed into the road, then Gatorskins could well keep you rolling. 

However, on the subject of 'rolling', that's where the trade-off comes; the high puncture resistance results in a tyre that is slower than others but still rolls fairly well. The Gatorskins can hold a reputation as a tough tyre to change, this can be down to numerous factors but the strong durability and puncture resistance should minimise flats anyway.

Pirelli made quite a splash with its re-entry into bicycle tyres with the P Zero range, and the Velo 4S served as the brand's all-season tyre optimised for wet and cold conditions. The Velo 4s Has now been succeded by the Race 4S the next evolution of the all-season tyre

The tread is made from Pirelli's SmartEvo compound which is fast-rolling, and the Italian brand says the tread is based on its TechBELT construction which is borrowed from its Diablo Supercorsa motorbike tyres said to maximise wet weather grip - take this claim with a grain of salt.  

Under the hood, the Pirelli P Zero Race 4S features an aramid fibre strip for puncture protection and a 120tpi carcass in 26 and 28mm widths. We just wish they would offer them in the iconic red and yellow logos for the added cool factor.

The S-Works Turbo might not be marketed as an all-weather winter tyre, but its relative affordability, good levels of grip, supple casing, and quality construction make for a tyre that is capable of performing year-round. 

Not only is the tyre supple, grippy and fast enough to run on your best summer bike, but the S-Works Turbo is also so well made that it will happily stand up to the worst winter might throw at it. In fact, one of the Cyclingnews team members has run these tyres for three British winters - including sub-zero and snowy days - and can only remember a single puncture (26c, butyl tubes, budget alloy wheels).

That puncture protection comes courtesy of Specialized's Blackbelt technology, and the Gripton compound has an extremely low rolling resistance.

Of course, if snow, ice or thorny back roads are a common occurrence, then there are tyres with better winter-protective capabilities, but if your winter riding is predominantly spent on cleaner unfrozen surfaces or your club run or riding group tends to be a bit of an arms race where speed is still required, then the S-Works Turbo is a fantastic choice. 

Falling somewhere in the middle of the generally bulletproof Gatorskin and the top-end GP5000, the Grand Prix 4 Season offers added puncture protection and durability without sacrificing too much in the realm of rolling resistance. 

Available in sizes from 23c to 32c, the GP 4 Season sees a double-layer Vectran breaker to keep pointy road debris from meeting your tube and features the German brand's polyamide fibre DuraSkin sidewall to stave off cuts. They are also about the same weight as the Gatorskin.

The GP 4 Seasons don't get the BlackChili treatment, but the tread is made from a relatively soft compound that grips well in the wet and has proved to be surprisingly hard-wearing. 

Michelin's Power tyres cover a wide range of performance levels, and the All Season clincher is designed for wet roads. Michelin used a new resin in the All Season's Grip Compound which, according to Michelin, offers a 15 per cent improvement over the Pro4 wet weather tyre, is faster, and is more puncture-resistant - especially in the cold. 

In the real world, the All Season tyre does offer notably better grip on wet roads than the Competition (the latter is still better when it's dry), and the All Season will outlast the rest of the tyres in Michelin's Power lineup.

Keeping the tube protected from pointy road debris comes compliments of a Michelin-developed artificial fibre called Aramid Protek+ layer that adds a few grams, but is claimed to increase puncture resistance by 20% so should help keep your tyre levers safely in your pocket. 

The Marathon plus from Schwalbe is the benchmark for puncture protection and out-and-out longevity. Technically from the Schwalbe city/tour product line, they are probably more suited to commuting or touring duties but can be used on a road bike if you want the maximum possible protection. They feature deep tread, rough and tumble sidewalls and extreme puncture protection, but that all comes at a hefty cost: A 595g weight.

The Marathon Plus come in a wide range of widths and sizes and see Schwalbe's top level of puncture protection which sees 5mm of rubber under the tread made from recycled latex - don't expect to win any sprints with the added puncture protection as they aren't very fast rolling, but if you're commuting, audaxing, touring or simply riding without care for average speed, then look no further. The marathon plus is a little harder to install than some tyres due to its weight and construction but once they are on your rims you can breathe easy once more. 

How to choose the best winter road bike tyres for you

If you are planning on a lot of outdoor riding this winter, your estimated weekly mileage and local road conditions will dictate what winter tyres are right for you. If your mileage is high and you're heading out whatever the weather a tyre with a little more weight and puncture protection will be the way to go. If your riding is mainly short weekend blasts and you want to keep up on a faster club run or group ride then a slightly faster rolling tyre with some additional protection may be the way to go.