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Knobby WTB Sendero & Venture 47 blur the lines between Road Plus, gravel & trail

WTB Sendero 47mm & Venture 47mm high-volume aggressive gravel bike off-road Road Plus gravel tires knobby tread
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Two new knobby WTB gravel tires bring large volume and plenty of grip to Road Plus, and the ever-expanding crop of 650B gravel bikes. Blurring the lines between gravel & proper mountain bike tires, the new WTB Venture and especially the new Sendero offer more confidence-inspiring grip to head further off-road on your dropbar gravel bike.

WTB expands Road Plus with Sendero & Venture gravel treads

WTB Sendero 47mm & Venture 47mm high-volume aggressive gravel bike off-road Road Plus gravel tires knobby tread

I might argue that WTB is the reason for so many great 650B gravel bikes on the market, because their high-volume 47mm tubeless Road Plus tires made it possible to roll fast and still get grip for mixed surface road, gravel & dirt riding. But if you wanted to really leave hard surfaces behind Road Plus had still been deferring to the proper tread off wider 27.5″ mountain bike tires.

WTB Sendero 47mm & Venture 47mm high-volume aggressive gravel bike off-road Road Plus gravel tires knobby tread

I’ve been a huge fan of WTB’s 650B x 47mm Road Plus tires since I rode through the winter on a set of Horizons. In the meantime WTB added a bit more grip in the 47mm Byways. But in my mind it was unfortunate that they dialed the width back to 42mm for the proper knobby Resolute in the interest of fitting muddy tires in gravel road bikes.

WTB Sendero 47 full knobby gravel Road Plus tire

WTB Sendero 47mm & Venture 47mm high-volume aggressive gravel bike off-road Road Plus gravel tires knobby tread

The new Sendero fully leaves the idea of riding pavement in the rearview mirror. Developed to take on the tough gravel events like the Grinduro that mix gravel with technical trail sections, the Sendero is the tire for riders that want to push the limits of their 650B gravel bike. the perfect tire to send it for riders who think that anything with fat tires & disc brakes is a mountain bike.

WTB Sendero 47mm & Venture 47mm high-volume aggressive gravel bike off-road Road Plus gravel tires knobby tread

WTB says the new tire still mixes drop bar efficiency and mountain bike levels of control. With Dual DNA rubber compound harder ramped center knobs keep rolling resistance under control, while more grippy openly spaced outer knobs dig into wet & loose terrain. Sticking with the bigger 650B x 47mm Road Plus casing, this tire might be a tight fit in some gravel bikes if the trails start to get muddy, but I personally welcome the extra volume.

WTB Sendero 47mm & Venture 47mm high-volume aggressive gravel bike off-road Road Plus gravel tires knobby tread

The 47mm Sendero gets the same light TCS Road Plus tubeless-ready Light casing as the other gravel tires in the family, with a claimed weight of 568g.

WTB Venture 47 semi-slick gravel Road Plus tire

WTB Sendero 47mm & Venture 47mm high-volume aggressive gravel bike off-road Road Plus gravel tires knobby tread

WTB calls the Venture 47 their new ‘most versatile’ Road Plus tire. While the Sendero is all about off-road, the Venture leans towards 70% dirt / 30% tarmac.

It features a supportive, but not solid centerline tread that opens up as it moves to the shoulders where large blocks dig in for loose cornering. Something of a mix of what you might see in a file tread cyclocross tire and a semi-slick mountain bike tire, the Venture gets a huge number of edges through the middle of its tread design to fold over and grip on irregular dirt & gravel roads.

WTB Sendero 47mm & Venture 47mm high-volume aggressive gravel bike off-road Road Plus gravel tires knobby tread

Like the Sendero, the Venture shares the same 650b x 47mm TCS Road Plus tubeless Light casing, and Dual DNA rubber for a harder faster rolling center section. But with the more densely packed tread patter it is a bit heavier at 573g.

WTB Sendero & Venture – Pricing & Availability

WTB Sendero 47mm & Venture 47mm high-volume aggressive gravel bike off-road Road Plus gravel tires knobby tread

Both the new Sendero 47 & Venture 47 gravel tires will sell for the same $68 price as the rest of the tan wall Road Plus family. The Sendero 47 will be available first, starting next
week from WTB direct and through your local bike shop. The Venture 47 will take a bit longer, becoming available this winter before the end of 2018. Both will get a debut this weekend at Grinduro in Quincy, CA.

WTB.com

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JMAN
JMAN
5 years ago

Both look like great options to try after burning up my Terrene Elwoods. WTB.. where is the studded 650b x 47 tubeless winter tire? More volume than the current 700 x 38mm Gravdal and Griswold options please.

Shafty
Shafty
5 years ago
Reply to  JMAN

Right? There’s effectively zero 650b options, outside of mtb widths. Distribution of Nokian seems to be discontinued in this country, so even their paltry 32mm tire isn’t an option anymore.

I’d really like a Schwalbe Marathon Winter in 584-42/45/47. It sucks that a gravel bike is otherwise restricted to 3 season use here in Minnesota.

KF
KF
5 years ago
Reply to  Shafty

Restricted to 3 seasons, wut? I grew up in Minnesota, rode year-round, used studded tires once and hated them. Aside from a couple of ice days you don’t need them. Unless you really suck at bike handling…

Jonathan
Jonathan
5 years ago
Reply to  JMAN

I’m in same boat. Would love something like the Gravdal in 650b x 47.

Jonathan
5 years ago
Reply to  JMAN

Agreed on the need for a studded 650b x 47. I’d throw money at a set of Gravdals in that size. There is nothing for 650 road plus in winter right now. Nothing at all.

Loren
4 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

I agree! 650b STUDDED TIRES! As for the person who says if you can’t ride without studs in winter, you can’t handle a bike, well, I’m a 63 year old woman who used to ride/race BMX before BMX was a “thing.” (Motocross before that.) I can handle a bike, but I’d rather have the added safety on ice and snow–for obvious reasons. 650B STUDS, PLEASE, YES! (650b x 45 or 47 in studded tires would be ideal. No mountain bike widths, please.)

KF
KF
5 years ago

Enough with the tanwall tires already!

Thor29
Thor29
5 years ago

Yes, please stop this tan sidewall nonsense. Or at least offer a black version. When you build your own bike piece by piece, aesthetics matter and I will not put tan sidewalls on my bike. So no WTB for now.

Carl
Carl
5 years ago
Reply to  Thor29

This particular tan sidewall color seems to be specific to the WTB gravel tires, so a bit of a brand marker, but I’d agree than it should be offered all-black as well. The aesthetic fits some setups but not others. For instance, I have two wheelsets, one would look good with the tan sidewalls but the other is all black with a slightly deeper rim profile that looks best if all black tires are also used.

Mike
Mike
5 years ago

More tan walls!!! every tire should be available in tan wall!

KF
KF
5 years ago
Reply to  Mike

It’s not 1986 anymore, and you’re not lowering the seat on your dad’s old Schwinn Varsity to show of your wide wale corduroy and tanwall tires, dude… So, there!

vazzedup
vazzedup
5 years ago

Want in 700c size please

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