New road and gravel tyres from Silca signal a change in strategy for the Italian company

Italian company Silca has added to its range of bike accessories with a range of gravel and road tyres, which it says balance all the performance protocols associated with rubber.

Better known for its lines of cleaning fluids, pumps, bags, tools and, more recently, TPU inner tubes and sealant, its new Protocol line of tyres provides a wide range of rubber for riders, all of which are tubeless ready.

The gravel range features three different models, and one road tyre, though all come in a variety of widths, the company aiming to shake up the bike tyre market.

"Instead of traditional manufacturing methods that simply scale up road into gravel tyres, SILCA took a fresh perspective by distilling XC mountain bike performance into high-efficiency gravel and road tyres engineered for modern air pressures and rim standards," their press release states.

"The result is a tyre collection that is proven to be faster and more durable than the competition, both in lab and field testing."

With Silca’s range of tyre accessories among their range, it’s no surprise the tyres themselves are designed with their Ultimate Sealant, tubeless valves, rim tape and TPU tubes and even their pressure calculator in mind. It is, in fact, those other products which inspired the company to produce their own tyres.

"Each product answered part of the equation. Eventually, there was one component left. The tyre."

The RCR designated road tyre is listed as 'All-road' and comes in 29, 34 and 38mm widths, is optimised for 25mm internal hookless rims and is "built to eliminate unnecessary weight". The 29mm weighs in at 290g, while the 38mm is a claimed 350g.

The three gravel models each have different intended purposes. Silca claim the RCG-1 is "the fastest gravel tyre ever made," adding the "directional tread is built for hardpack, pavement transitions, and high-speed race conditions."

RCG-3 fits a mixed terrain tyre with extra puncture protection, "directional tread balances rolling speed with grip when the surface turns loose."

Finally, the RCG-4 features an aggressive tread, enough to shed mud on loose surfaces, Silca saying it’s the tyre for "rides that favour control over speed."

All of the tyres come in 45, 50 and 55mm widths and the brand has also developed a 32" specific version of the RCG-3 specifically for 32" gravel wheel bikes, which seem to be gaining traction. All of the tyres retail for £99.

A rider known for his detail-focused approach to gravel marginal gains is Dylan Johnson. Over the past few years, the American racer has become well known for his optimised bike, wheel and tyre choices.

Until now, Johnson didn't have a tyre sponsor, but it seems he played a key part in the development of the new Silca gravel tyre range and has joined the brand as a sponsored rider.

In an Instagram post (embedded below), he explained, "I made no promises to Silca. I told them if the tyres ride well and test well, then we can talk about a contract."

Johnson has raced on tyres from both Continental and Schwalbe in the past, but we should only see him on Silca rubber from now on.

We will aim to test the new Silca rubber for ourselves soon.

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