Terra Speed and Terra Trail get new 45mm options, too

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Continental has expanded its range of multi-terrain tyres, with the Terra Hardpack arriving as a 50mm-wide gravel tyre designed for bikepacking.

The Terra Hardpack joins the Terra Speed and Terra Trail in the German brand’s gravel line-up, with the former designed for riding fast over rough terrain (it’s one of the best gravel bike tyres we’ve tested) and the latter featuring a more aggressive tread pattern for improved grip.

The Terra Hardpack, meanwhile, arrives as an option for bikepacking rides that require both rolling speed and a wide, rugged footprint for off-road excursions. “​​Made to roll on sealed roads, yet gets you safely through the gravel sections,” in Continental’s words.

That means there’s a flat central section with a tightly-packed file-like tread, paired with angular knobs which become more aggressive on the transition to the sidewall.

However, despite that tread (and as the name suggests), this is a tyre designed for hardpack or mixed conditions within the spectrum of Continental’s gravel rubber, rather than wet or muddy rides.

The Terra Hardpack is a tubeless tyre, as we’d expect for gravel, but can also be used with an inner tube. It utilises Continental’s ShieldWall puncture protection layer.

The Terra Hardpack is also made from Continental’s PureGrip compound, which sits below the BlackChili compound used on the company’s top-tier tyres, including the Terra Speed and Terra Trail. It’s designed to balance grip, rolling speed and durability, according to Conti.

The Terra Hardpack is only available in two sizes at launch: a 50mm width for either 700c or 650b wheels.

While some of the latest genre-blurring gravel bikes have pushed tyre clearances up to 50mm and beyond, including the likes of the Cotic Cascade, Fairlight Secan 2.0 and Felt Breed, many machines are restricted to around 45mm, including the Orbea Terra and new Cannondale Topstone.

Continental hasn’t ruled out adding more sizes but that’s it for now. We’d like to see 40mm and 45mm options and Continental says it’s already had that request from the US market.

The 650b tyre weighs 485g, according to Continental, while the 700c option comes in at 530g. And the price? £39.95.

Continental is also due to add a 700c x 45mm width for its existing Terra Speed and Terra Trail tyres.

As noted in our Continental Terra Speed review, width options were previously limited to 35mm and 40mm (for 650b and 700c wheel sizes).

That left both the Terra Speed and Terra Trail fairly narrow by the latest gravel standards and Continental has responded by introducing a third option, albeit only for 700c wheels.

George Scott is BikeRadar's editor-in-chief. He has been writing about bikes for more than a decade and riding them for much longer. He's a road cyclist at heart and is happiest in the mountains, even if he can't climb them particularly quickly. George has ridden the Etape du Tour, Maratona dles Dolomites and Haute Route sportives, but has also caught the gravel riding bug. George also contributes to the BikeRadar Podcast and YouTube channel, and, as well as being the former editor of RoadCyclingUK.com, has also written about cycling for Rouleur, Cyclist.co.uk and T3.

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