Velo: Best of the Best for Puncture Resistance and Rough Terrain
Gravel cycling has exploded in recent years. It’s no longer just a few renegades who are riding off-pavement… The bike industry has noticed as well. Gravel bikes have been a big thing for a while, and there are more and more gravel tires, too. Here at Rene Herse Cycles, we may have been pioneers when we developed our first supple-and-wide tires more than a decade ago, but we are no longer alone in offering tires designed for gravel riding.
How does a small manufacturer like Rene Herse remain relevant when so many big companies have jumped on the bandwagon? For us, the answer is obvious: by maintaining our lead. Having a huge head start obviously helps. So does a science-based research program. Add our collaboration with top racers, and we have a lot of experience in making tires that are fast and durable. We’ve never been content to accept the status quo. That applies to our own products, too: We’ve continuously developed our tires over those years. The names and outside appearance may not change much, but what’s inside is actually quite different today, compared to back in 2014, when we introduced our first gravel tires.
Of course, we would say that our tires are best… That’s a bit like parents thinking that their children are exceptional. However, we are not the only ones: Last week, Velo (formerly known as VeloNews) published their buyer’s guide under the title: “The Seven Tires that Define Gravel Riding in 2026”
With just seven tires mentioned, among dozens of gravel tire brands, our chances of making the cut were small. Imagine our surprise when we read the article: Our Poteau Mountain was chosen as “best gravel tire for puncture resistance and rough terrain.”
Under the heading “The best of the best in the world of gravel tires,” Tech Editor Logan Jones-Wilkins reported: “Over the past three years, I have ridden dozens of gravel and mountain bike tires on dozens of different gravel bikes and wheels. It is an immense category of gear and one that is the subject of so much research and development, as the market is constantly changing and growing.”
About the Poteau Mountains, Logan wrote: “Rene Herse has been making gravel tires for as long as the category has been around, with the company providing a simple range of gravel tires in a wide range of sizes. The two new semi-slick options have been a huge win for Rene Herse, as the semi-slick tire offered a great solution for venturing into the unknown of long, adventure gravel rides. I found this a huge benefit this winter when I took the 48mm Poteau Mountain option deep into the Arizona mountains for a ride with long, chunky descents, punishingly steep climbs, and a hefty dose of mud.”
Logan acknowledged that durability isn’t the only strength of the Poteau Mountains: “There are a few categories where this tire could have slotted into, but realistically I saw the Poteau Mountain as an adventure tire more than anything. That starts with the casing. The Endurance casing option has been very reliable across the different widths and treads I have tried.”
This is especially meaningful since Logan lives and rides Arizona, which has the roughest and sharpest gravel you’ll find anywhere. To say nothing of the goatheads… I have great memories of a tour from Phoenix to Flagstaff, but some of the gravel roads were challenging even on wide tires. I’m glad that the Poteaus handled that unforgiving terrain just fine.
Logan especially liked the semi-slick tread pattern: “The semi-slick, with its extra-large side knobs that transition smoothly to a large, smooth center tread, is the happy meeting point that I have really enjoyed on unknown adventures.”
Of the seven categories in the Velo buyer’s guide, the award for puncture resistance and rough terrain is especially meaningful for us. The speed of our tires is well-established—they’ve won the biggest races and scored well in tests after test. The focus of our R&D has been to make sure this speed doesn’t come at the expense of ruggedness and durability. It means a lot to us that Logan and Velo agree. And we definitely agree with Logan’s conclusion: “After all, there’s no component more important to riding gravel than your tires.”
More Information:
- Poteau Mountain and other Rene Herse tires
