How this is scored
Every ranking is three numbers combined. The course surface is Gravel Wire’s own read, estimated from map data unless a row says otherwise. Model version tire-fit/5.
How it works, in plain language
These numbers are Gravel Wire's stated judgment, not measurements. We publish them so you can disagree with them. Where an independently measured value exists and we are licensed to use it, we say so on the row.
The three axes
- Tread against surface — weight 50
- Width against the course’s target — weight 30
- Casing against cut risk — weight 20
Each axis is scored only over the part of the course we have actually read. An unread share is never guessed at and never counted as anything.
Tread × surface
| Tread | paved | hardpack | loose | dirt | sand | mud |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| slick | 1.00 | 0.85 | 0.40 | 0.50 | 0.20 | 0.10 |
| semi-slick | 0.90 | 1.00 | 0.65 | 0.70 | 0.35 | 0.25 |
| small-knob | 0.70 | 0.95 | 0.90 | 0.90 | 0.60 | 0.55 |
| large-knob | 0.45 | 0.70 | 1.00 | 0.95 | 0.85 | 0.90 |
Width targets
| paved | 38 mm |
| hardpack | 42 mm |
| loose | 45 mm |
| dirt | 45 mm |
| sand | 47.5 mm |
| mud | 45 mm |
The width axis scores 100 − 6 × |width − target|, with a floor of zero.
Verdicts
85 and above strong · 70–84 good · 55–69 fair · below 55 poor.
Confidence
Estimated is the standard state and renders in full. High is a label a course earns when an organizer has confirmed its surfaces; it is never a gate. Where more than a quarter of a course is unread, no score is shown at all.
What is never an input
Rider weight, price, brand relationship, and race results. None of them reaches the score.
Changelog
- tire-fit/5 · 2026-09-28Knob height re-read for 19 tires from the maker's own published tread wording, stored as our reading with the maker's words as the rationale; smooth and slick centres keep 'none'. The arithmetic is unchanged — only that input changed — and every course was rescored.
- tire-fit/4 · 2026-09-27Hardpack knob modifier: a separate term of 0.0125 a step, centred on 'low', outside the tread table's cap. Taller knobs score lower on hardpack.
- tire-fit/3 · 2026-09-27Knob height read from the catalog's five-step scale (none, micro, low, medium, tall) in equal steps of 0.025 around 'low', on loose, dirt and pavement.
- tire-fit/2 · 2026-09-27Width targets split by surface: 38 mm on pavement and 42 mm on hardpack. They had both been 40.
- tire-fit/1 · 2026-09-19First published version.
Rankings are computed by Gravel Wire's published model from tire specifications and our read of each course. No brand has paid for placement in these rankings, and rank is not for sale. Where a Buy link appears, Gravel Wire may earn a commission on the sale — that link is the only thing a brand partnership changes. Course surfaces are Gravel Wire course reads, estimated from map data unless marked otherwise.