Specialized Pathfinder Pro Review After 1000km - The Best Gravel Tires?

Specialized Pathfinder Pro Tires on a Gravel Bike

With hundreds of excellent options, how do you choose the best gravel tires for your bike? The answer to that question boils down to preference and availability, but if you’re looking for a set of gravel bike tires that can do it all, look no further than Specialized Pathfinder Pros.

We’ve ridden them on the road, smooth gravel, chunky gravel, and on singletracks - and they perform surprisingly well. After 1000 kilometers (620 miles), we got zero punctures with a tubeless configuration. The tires overall don’t show any sign of wear and tear.

Today’s review will focus on 700x42c tires, but the sizes range from 32c to 47c, so you do have plenty of options, even if you’re riding on 650b wheels!

Here are some quick pros and cons if you don’t have the time to read the full review:

For a more in-depth review, simply continue reading or reference the table of contents.

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Specialized Pathfinder Pro tires are fast on any terrain, except on muddy singletracks. But hey, which gravel tires with this kind of tread profile actually perform well in the mud?

We’ve used the 700x42c version for the last 1000 kilometers (620 miles) on a mixture of terrains - 65% road, 30% gravel, and 5% of singletrack. The tires still look almost brand new and got zero punctures:

Why is increased versatility essential for gravel bikes? Let’s put it this way - you’ve purchased a gravel bike because it’s a do-it-all bike. It’s almost as good as a road bike on the road, and almost as good as a mountain bike on singletracks (provided you have the technical skill). That being said, it makes sense to opt for do-it-all tires. Sure, there are ones better suited for road or forest trails, but not a lot of tires can do both this well.

It’s about smart compromises.

Specialized Pathfinder Pro gravel tires have a smooth center section, as you can see from the following image:

This means you’ll be able to keep up with your road buddies more often than not. On the other hand, the diamond pattern on the sides means you can feel comfortable on gravel terrain and singletracks.

Keep in mind that the diamond pattern is somewhat specific, and will take you time to get used to. In plain English, you’ll have to put in a couple of rides to feel confident while cornering.

Other than that, the tires are exceptionally grippy due to Specialized’s Gripton compound, so rain and slippery conditions shouldn’t be a problem.

The tires are directional! Pay close attention while installing them. We forgot to check the direction and installed both in the wrong way. Extra fun when a tubeless setup is involved.

Other than that, installing the tires is as easy as it gets, and requires no tools.

Now you know the tires are worth your money, so you can stop reading if you don’t care about the technical and nerdy stuff.

There are multiple widths available, with a difference of up to 200 grams of weight. Here’s every configuration option you have available:

• 650 x 47b (555g)
• 700 x 32c (380g)
• 700 x 38c (480g)
• 700 x 42c (540g)
• 700 x 47c (575g)

You can buy the tires in black and tan sidewall, but the latter has been exceptionally hard to find lately. Check with your local bike shop, they are more likely to have them in stock than webshops.

Regardless of the option you choose, you’ll get fast rolling speed, plenty of grip, and a 120 TPI casing.

Regarding the grip, Specialized has implemented their Gripton compound which offers a low rolling resistance with superb performance in all weather conditions.

The tires are also puncture resistant due to the BlackBelt anti-puncture strip under the center of the tread.

If you’re wondering what is the recommended pressure for the Pathfinder Pro tires, Specialized advises a range between 50-80 PSI, which is weirdly high for gravel tires. You’re free to experiment and settle for a lower value, especially with wider tire options.

We’ve found that 40 PSI in the front and 45 in the back tire works well for both on-road and off-road use.

Think of rolling resistance as the energy lost when the tire is rolling, mostly due to the constant deformation of the tire. Super nerdy, but that’s how we like it.

But before actually exploring and comparing Specialized Pathfinder Pro rolling resistance, let’s take a look at the overall stats. All of them are kindly supplied by Bicycle Rolling Resistance website:

The Pathfinders aren’t the lightest of tires, but provide decently low rolling resistance and an exceptional amount of grip in wet conditions.

The actual rolling resistance values depend on the air pressure and whether your tires are set up tubeless or not. Here’s an example for tires inflated to 25 and 33 PSI:

You can see that going tubeless allows you to save a couple of watts and to still ride comfortably with lower tire pressures. We wouldn’t recommend using a tube inflated to 33 psi, but hey, it’s still a valid comparison.

We now know the general performance of Specialized Pathfinder Pro gravel tires, but how do they compare to the other gravel options? Let’s find out.

This section will compare the Pathfinder Pros to the other gravel tires we’ve used on the same bike - similarly priced Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H 40 and cheaper Panaracer GravelKing TLC 40.

Let’s go over the general performance comparison first:

As you can see, Panaracers are the lightest and offer the lowest rolling resistance, but have the worst puncture protection and grip. Pathfinder Pros outperform Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H in almost every aspect, with just a small penalty in weight and rolling resistance.

While on the topic of weight, let’s compare all three:

The Pathfinders are the heaviest, but not by a lot when compared to Cinturato Gravel H. The Panaracers are significantly lighter, coming in below 350 grams per tire.

Next, onto the rolling resistance. The difference isn’t as big here, especially if you take into account that Pathfinders weigh about 200 grams more than Panaracers:

And finally, let’s inspect the puncture resistance test results. Pathfinders take the clear win here, offering almost double the resistance when compared to GravelKings:

Long story short - Pathfinders are heavier, but the added weight significantly improves puncture protection while having a minimal negative impact on the rolling resistance.

In the end, are Specialized Pathfinder Pro tires worth it? Are they the best gravel tires you can buy?

Well, that will depend on the terrain you ride on the most. If you spend most of the time on the road, there are lighter alternatives. On the contrary, if you primarily find yourself on technical singletracks with lots of rocks, roots, and mud, a knobbler set of tires would do better.

Specialized Pathdiner Pros are all about smart compromises. They’re not the best for road, and they’re not the best for mud and technical terrain. But they are the best at striking the balance between both worlds.