Vittoria Terreno Zero TNT G2.0 tyre

The Vittoria Terreno Zero tyre is a new move into the gravel market and it's a good opener thanks to a reasonably grippy compound; they're smooth, quick rolling on and off-road and offer loads of puncture resistance. The lack of knobbles does mean you'll be limited to dry stony trails, though, with no option to take in a bit of the local soft tracks.

• Pros: Fast rolling on tarmac, good puncture resistance
• Cons: Smoothish tread pattern no good if your gravel track gets muddy

The Zero tyre uses a lot of the technology from Vittoria's established cyclo-cross range – the Terreno Dry, Terreno Mix and Terreno Wet models – but with a tweaked tread pattern more suitable for hardpack gravel without sacrificing performance on the road sections in between them.

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The centre section is based on the Corsa road tyre, offering decent rolling resistance on hard surfaces.

Pumped up firm, they're good for pure road use, and would make for a great commuter tyre through the winter thanks to their wide profile and plenty of rubber on the road.

Grip-wise things are pretty good, too. They aren't super-tacky like a full race tyre because of the need for durability off-road, but they are good enough and I was certainly confident to push them into the bends.

With their 47mm width in this 650B guise (they are also available in three 700C widths – 32, 37 and 40mm), there is plenty of rubber on the ground when you do hit the gravel to stop them sinking if it's loose and made up of smaller stones.

On the harder packed stuff, that smooth central section works here as well but the hexagonal tread pattern on the shoulders offers a little bit extra cornering grip. It works surprisingly well.

Some gravel tyres come with a more pronounced tread, like the Compass Steilacoom TC, which gives you more off-road options should your intended route become a little muddy or you want to whip into the woods to try out the trails. The lack of tread on the Zeros means you'll be limited to staying on the dry stuff.

Like a lot of tyres these days the Vittorias are tubeless-ready using a TNT casing. That stands for Tube/No-Tube so you can choose how you are going to set things up. For gravel use, my preferred choice is tubeless as the chances of sharp stones puncturing a tube are increased. Fitting was easy too.

The Zeros use a nylon-reinforced 120 TPI (threads per inch) casing which seems to be very strong. It and the rubber tread are showing no marks or cuts at all and I certainly didn't suffer any punctures throughout the test period.

If weight saving is more important to you, then there is a TLR (Tubeless Ready) version which has a thinner casing and less puncture protection.

When it comes to price, the Vittorias are £44.99 each in both the 700C and 650B versions, which isn't really over the top compared with the opposition when you consider the quality of the Zeros.

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The very good Compass Switchback Hill Extralight TC tyres, for example, are £73, though they are over 100g lighter than the Vittorias.

I really rate the Schwalbe G-One Bite Microskin TL-Easy, having used them on plenty of bikes and terrains. They're £58.99, but I would say that the Vittorias are more robust and roll better on the tarmac.

Overall, the Terreno Zeros are a great choice for commuting on byways and canal paths, and are excellent for pretty much every gravel adventure provided the surface remains firm.

Verdict

Robust, fast-rolling tyres that are great on the tarmac and when taking to firm gravel tracks