Teravail Cannonball gravel tire review

Teravail makes three 700c gravel tires with the Cannonball sitting between the raised-center slick Washburn and the mini stud Rutland. It’s a great all-around speed tire for drier conditions with a sublime ride feel, decent protection and plenty of size options. However, if you’re bothered by weight or like getting a lean-on in corners, you should seek out the Rutland or one of our other best gravel bike tires picks. 

Construction

Teravail tags the Cannonball as its off-road racer and the chevron center flanked by strips of file tread makes it quiet and a naturally fast roller once you’ve got the considerable weight rolling. The carcass feel is also sublime even in the reinforced ‘Durable’ version, which gets an extra layer of puncture proofing under the tread. That gave our 47mm samples a wonderfully floated hovercraft vibe across baked tractor ruts and cobbles, and the weight helps sustain speed as you’re stoking the pedals across extended rough sections. As long as the bike is upright, the rubber compound is good enough to keep reasonably assured traction under braking and power, and the fact you can run it at low pressures without wallowing or folding obviously helps the connection. 

The tread ends abruptly with some small interlocking chevron fins that are so thin they just flex and flop before you even apply pressure. Then it’s an empty gulf before you could hope to find even a slight amount of grip from the very shallow L-shaped blocks that sit right down on the sidewall. In practice, you’ll be sliding or spinning unsaveably long before they engage, whether you’re leaning or paddling through slop. As a result, we’d definitely point you towards the Rutland if you like to get dirty or dynamic with your riding.

• Best gravel bikes: fast-rolling yet grippy rubber for drop-bar dirt road rides

Performance

While the 630g ‘Durable’ is the obvious choice for more threatening terrain, even the light and supple version seems sturdy when confronted with thorns and sharp sniper rocks on singletrack. While we’ve seen some reports of sidewall sealant leak on the tan wall versions, we’ve had no issues at all with our samples. We rolled them onto DT Swiss wheels (lever free) and popped both of them up instantly with a track pump. They’re reasonably true to size, too, with our 47mm samples inflating to 46mm on a 24mm internal rim at 28psi. If you want less volume and less weight then the 700 x 35mm version is a more reasonable 470g (claimed), and there are 650B and 29er options too in either tan or black wall. They’re decent value, too.

Verdict

If you’re looking for easy speed and a luxury ride feel on dry summer trails and are happy to trade peppy, lightweight acceleration for durability and floated speed then Teravail’s Cannonballs are awesome. The lack of meaningful side tread means aggressive/dynamic riders are probably best running them on the rear only, and don’t expect them to paddle through winter either.

• Cheap gravel bikes: gravel bikes under $1,500
• Best gravel shoes: gravel shoe options for racers or explorers
• Best gravel bike pedals: light yet tough pedals for getting the power down off-road

Tech Specs: Teravail Cannonball tires

• Price: $55 / £50
• Weight: 550g (700 x 47mm ‘Light and Supple’) 630g (700 x 47mm ‘Durable’)
• Colors: Tan (tested) or black wall
• Sizes: 650 x 40 and 47mm, 700 x 35, 38, 42 and 47mm