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
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.
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
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 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.
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 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.
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
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.
