Schwalbe G-One Overland tyre review

The latest in the German brand’s gravel tyres expansion, the Schwalbe Overland is an all-round gravel and road riding tyre with durability at the fore. It's rated for electric bike use as well as for non-assisted gravel riding.

On both off-road tracks and linking tarmac, the Overland has impressed with its versatility.

Schwalbe G-One Overland tyre specifications and details

Marketed as a tyre for cyclists who split their rides between tarmac and gravel, the Overland is a gravel tyre with road capability. It's touted as a good option for commuting, off-road riding and electric bikes.

It’s available in three widths for 700c wheels. Sizing starts at 40c, with an intermediate 45c option and chunky 50c (2in) width for bikes with ample clearance.

All options are black only (so no pretty tan walls here), with the rubber made using Schwalbe’s ADDIX Speedgrip compound.

The tread blocks are oriented directionally, relatively shallow and packed tightly along the centre line, designed to maximise straight-line speed.

There are more aggressive, widely spaced knobs on the shoulder of the tyre, which come into play when cornering.

Schwalbe G-One Overland tyre performance

In terms of setup, the Overland tyres proved a little trickier to get onto the bead than some other tubeless tyres due to their thickness (which is more akin to mountain bike tyres). It was far from impossible though.

Once inflated, the tyres held pressure well, with a true-to-size 40mm inflated width on my chosen 23mm-wide (internal) WTB CZR i23 gravel wheels.

Tested on tarmac lanes, rocky byways, rooty singletrack and everything between, the Schwalbe Overland tyres have proven to be real all-round performers.

Heading into slop season in the UK, I usually reach for more aggressively treaded gravel tyres for the best grip in the mud. However, I haven’t been let down by the Overlands when it comes to hitting some of the muckier tracks.

Where they really excel is in the patchwork of terrain that I ride commonly in Devon, with fantastic gravel tracks linked by long sections of road.

Here, the Overlands offered the cushioning of the 40mm width at lower tyre pressures, but didn’t give the same draggy feeling you often get with out-and-out mud tyres.

To test road-riding capabilities, I inflated the Overlands to 50psi and used my gravel bike as a test rig. Granted, I wasn’t heading out on fast-paced club rides, but I didn’t resent using the Overlands as a substitute winter road bike tyre for general riding.

Grippy granite, bog and tussock; heading off the beaten track put the Overlands to the test off-road too, with plentiful grip yielded both in wet and dry conditions across a range of terrain.

The puncture resistance of the tyres was really challenged on my local lanes during peak hedge-cutting season. However, I sailed through the thorns and debris without a single deflating hiccup.

Plugging holes or fitting tubes in the muckier seasons is no joke, so this added valuable peace of mind when it came to heading out in the filth.

Durability is a key claimed selling point of the Overland tyres, and wear has been hard to detect in testing.

The tread and sidewalls still look practically as good as new, even after several hundred kilometres on lanes and dirt tracks, which bodes well for longer-term use.

Price-wise, the Overlands will cost you a little less than Schwalbe’s gravel racing tyres, including the Schwalbe G-One RS, putting them more on par with comparative all-rounder gravel tyres, such as the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M and Teravail Cannonball.

Schwalbe G-One Overland tyre bottom line

The Schwalbe G-One Overlands have been real fit-and-forget tyres: not a single puncture, zero inflation issues and consistent, reliable performance no matter the terrain.

If your typical rides take in both off-road sections and longer stretches of road between them, then the Overland tyres are among the best on the market for you.