The latest tire in Specialized’s adventure lineup is the Pathfinder, and it’s designed to bridge the gap between their very fast rolling, minimally treaded Sawtooth and the knobbier (for a gravel tire) Tracer. In fact, they say it’s for rides when you’re rolling on road and off in roughly equal parts.
A smooth center tread ring provides contiguous rubber for smooth rolling. Diamond shaped darts fill in the transition area, with slightly larger versions spaced a bit more apart on the outer cornering edge. It’s all made of their Gripton compound to provide solid traction in all directions
Underneath is their BlackBelt puncture protection layer, followed by three layers of their 120tpi Endurant casing construction so it’ll hold up to roots and rocks without getting sidewall tears. Specialized boasts that this combo has four Dirty Kanza 200 wins.
They’ll be available in three sizes, each in black or tan sidewalls. Options and actual weights are:
- 650×47 = 559g
- 700×38 = 481g
- 700×42 = 543g
The Pathfinder is tubeless ready and retails for $45 each. Available now. And remember kids, don’t drink your 2Bliss sealant, mmmkay?