WTB Venture SG2 gravel tyre review

Designed with gravel riding and bikepacking in mind, the WTB Venture SG2 is a durable all-rounder gravel tyre that delivers more than the sum of its parts.

Despite having a fairly low-profile tread, giving good rolling speed on smoother terrain, the Venture SG2 delivers plentiful grip both in the dry and, surprisingly, the wet.

The Venture SG2's versatility helps make it one of the best gravel bike tyres you can buy.

WTB Venture SG2 specifications and details

The Venture SG2 is characterised by a centre line of tightly packed, almost continuous tread, with more aggressive, larger knobs on the shoulders of the tyre.

These knobs also feature some siping for water dispersion.

In between, a mass of small, thin tread blocks are packed tightly.

WTB markets the Venture as a ‘fit-and-forget’ option with a wide range of suitability including hardpack, gravel and dirt, with the only exception being soft, wet terrain.

This SG2 version includes added puncture protection in the form of a bead-to-bead nylon insert, adding a claimed 50g to the standard model.

WTB Venture SG2 performance

Tubeless setup was pretty straightforward, marrying the 40mm-wide WTB Venture SG2 tyres to the brand’s i23 CZR gravel wheels.

The beads were popped onto the rims using a single shot of air at 120psi from my Schwalbe Tire Booster. The inflated tyres measured 39.5mm wide at the shoulder and 41mm across the widest part of the tread on the 23mm-wide rims.

In accordance with their intended use, I tested the WTB Venture tyres both on a bikepacking overnighter on Dartmoor, in the south west of England, and on a series of local mixed-terrain gravel rides.

Testing also incorporated a soggier, but faster-paced and more technical lap of the Devon Dirt mountain bike event.

Both loaded and unloaded, the Ventures performed well on a mix of dry terrain, from tarmac to rocky byways, dirt tracks and granite singletrack.

Though they offered plenty of grip that enabled me to take on more technical trails, they didn’t feel slow or sluggish when it came to linking sections of rough lanes or smoother tarmac roads.

The Ventures aren’t marketed for use in the wet, but I was nevertheless curious to see how they performed in the UK's inevitable April showers.

There was plenty of peanut-butter mud and track-wide puddles gracing the route on the Devon Dirt. However, the Venture tyres proved themselves surprisingly capable, even when hitting sloppier sections at speed.

They definitely don’t rival the grip offered by mud-centric tyres such as the Vittoria Terreno Wet, WTB Sendero or Schwalbe Ultrabite. But I’d rather take the nippier ride feel of the Ventures for the vast majority of my annual mileage.

After all, swapping tyres whenever the conditions change is a chore for many, so it’s good to know the Ventures won’t be completely overcome by wetter weather.

They also provided a good level of grip on wet granite tracks, but it was on the wet slate (typically one of the slipperiest surfaces I ride on) where they lost traction quickly, resulting in a more sketchy, disconcerting riding experience.

I pushed the Ventures hard when it came to trialling puncture resistance, with some tough, boulder-strewn tracks, singletrail and riding near plenty of gorse – but didn’t experience any tubeless punctures.

I did notice a small loss of pressure between rides though (despite the expected ‘synergy’ of wheelset and tyre brand), so needed to top up the tyre pressures before heading out each time.

I would argue you should be checking and setting your pressures before a ride anyway, so this isn’t the extra hassle it might first appear to be.

In terms of value, the Venture SG2 tyre comes in at £10 less than the similar Schwalbe G-One Overland and Teravail Cannonball.

You often get what you pay for with tyres, but the Venture certainly feels as though it delivers good bang for buck.

WTB Venture SG2 bottom line

Worthy of high acclaim, the WTB Venture SG2 is a good-value, fit-and-forget gravel tyre option.

The Venture's versatility makes it an attractive option for both gravel riding and bikepacking.

With added puncture protection and ample grip, it’ll see you through all but the very worst conditions.