New Challenge Getaway gravel tyre promises grip in mud and speed on tarmac

The Challenge Getaway is the latest addition to the Italian brand's gravel range, designed as a versatile all-rounder. The tightly packed centre knobs are said to be “fast rolling for straight line control and speed”, while the widely spaced transition and side knobs are claimed to provide “controlled cornering and stability in loose conditions.” It's also tubeless ready.

Challenge is perhaps best known for its tubular cyclo-cross tyres, such as the 30mm Limus that carried Tom Pidcock to second place at the Dübendorf World Cup last season, but it has been developing a steady line in tubeless gravel tyres for the past few years, which have featured heavily in the DK200 (now Unbound Gravel), as well as various other gravel races.

The Getaway is handmade, which Challenge claims enables the production of an exceptionally supple casing. This is supposed to not only increase comfort but also traction, as the tyre conforms more accurately to the terrain.

Challenge has applied its experience from gravel racing – where an unfixable puncture spells D-N-F – and has developed an all new GANZO PPS puncture protection system for these tyres. This has been achieved by placing a “highly flexible, tighter-weave puncture protection fabric between the tread and the casing.”

Although the most important feature of the sidewalls is, of course, that they are tan, there has also been much attention paid to their robustness. A 260TPI (threads per inch) casing, combined with a bead-to-bead latex-based inner coating is said to “deliver maximum sidewall protection while greatly reducing air pressure dissipation, but still retaining a very supple and comfortable ride.”

The tyres come in 700x40c only and have a claimed weight of 460g. The retail price is £83 and are available in the UK via www.upgradebikes.co.uk

We’ve got a set coming in to test and we’ll be putting them through their paces in the mud of the Low Weald, across the chalk of the South Downs and on the many little lanes that criss-cross Sussex.