Teravail Rutland Light & Supple 700 x 42 review

The Teravail Rutland is the US brand's most aggressively treaded gravel tyre and really comes into its own on mucky and wet gravel rides that take in technical off-road tracks, unpaved roads and the tarmac in between.

Easy tubeless setup and competitive pricing make the Teravail Rutland one of the best gravel bike tyres out there for winter riding or when grip is at a premium, with plentiful sizing options to choose from.

Teravail Rutland specifications and details

The Rutland is Teravail’s gravel tyre designed for foul weather and rougher terrain, and it’s available in a range of widths for both 700c (38mm, 42mm and 47mm) and 650b wheels (47mm), as well as a 2.2in option for 29ers, if your gravel bike is verging on mountain bike territory.

I’ve tested the 700 x 42 tyre – a popular combination when it comes to gravel bike setup.

The tread features an asymmetric, directional pattern with a series of ramped knobs toward the centre, flanked by a row of transition lugs, which are more widely spaced to aid mud shedding.

These transition lugs feature a slit from front to back, known as tyre siping, which is designed to improve traction in wet conditions.On the tyre’s shoulder, the outer lugs are designed to offer additional grip when you’re really leaning the bike into corners.

The Rutland is available in two carcass constructions. I’ve tested the ‘Light and Supple’ construction, but there’s also a ‘Durable’ construction with bead-to-bead puncture protection.

Finally, as far as specs go, the Rutland is offered with either black or tan sidewalls.

Teravail Rutland performance

As I’ve experienced with other tyres, including the Teravail Cannonball all-rounder, tubeless setup is incredibly easy with the Rutland, and can be done with only a track pump rather than with the assistance of a tubeless pump or CO2 inflator.

On 23mm-wide rims, they did size up a fraction narrow at 41mm, though there is also a 700c x 47mm option if you have the tyre clearance and preference for wider rubber.

The Rutland has a strong reputation among gravel riders, and for good reason. The tread might not seem as aggressive as other mud-centric or winter gravel options, yet it really does deliver when it comes to grip, even in really muddy and wet conditions.

Over hardpack and ‘real’ gravel, these tyres continue to deliver a dependable ride feel, meaning you can really commit to fast-flowing gravel tracks by leaning right into the corners without feeling as though you might slide out at any moment.Spin back onto the road to link up sections or finish your ride, and the fairly low-profile, ramped lugs don’t create the significant draggy feeling you can get from more overtly winterised tyres.

In fact, if you live in an area with gritty, rough and broken back roads, this could even make for a good winter all-road tyre, rather than an out-and-out gravel tyre.

Back off-road, the tread design works well to shed stubborn mud, so the knobs can work effectively again when you need them next. This continued to be the case through testing, even on really muddy sections of trail.

I’d usually shy away from lighter carcasses for a tyre like this, opting for something more durable for chunkier gravel terrain and the potential added load of bikepacking kit.

Having said that, I haven’t had any punctures with these ‘Light and Supple’ tyres, which also come with a weight saving of 100g per tyre versus the ‘Durable’ model.

On that note, the 700 x 42 Rutland tyre tested comes in at 445g, against Teravail’s claimed weight of 440g.

Teravail Rutland bottom line

In this 42mm width, the Teravail Rutland offers a brilliant balance of generous off-road grip, without sacrificing on-road speed.

There will be faster-rolling options for drier conditions. However, for four-season riding, if you want a true fit-and-forget option, and specifically when things get wet or muddy off-road, the Rutland is hard to beat.

If you prefer a little extra comfort or off-road capability, there are also wider options available.