It started as an experiment: Is the 2.25-inch tyre trend for gravel bikes really a good idea?
It was August 2024, and all eyes were on the Leadville 100, where drop-bar mountain bikes were being rolled out of bike shops as the gravel pros searched for every possible advantage. This burgeoning trend, built on innovations seen earlier in the year at the 200-mile Unbound Gravel race, where the likes of Dylan Johnson, Keegan Swenson, and Payson McElveen popularised the use of 2-inch tyres (or 50mm in non-MTB speak) on gravel rigs.
