Back in mid-March, Teravail announced the launch of its all-new Gravel System. The system consisted of a new tire called the Updraft, carbon rims, and a new wheelset. Before Sea Otter in April, Teravail reached out to me to ask if I’d like to try out the new Updraft. Of course, I wanted to.

(Photos / Ron Frazelle)

At the time, I was in the process of building up my own Wilde Rambler SL and thought the Updraft would be a nice addition. So, I had them send it over in the tan-walled, light and supple casing (120tpi), in the 700c x 50mm size.

The Updraft is also available in a more durable casing. It’s only available in 700c, but you can choose from 35, 40, 45, or 50mm widths. And yes, it comes in black-wall as well.

Updraft Retail & Detail

Retail: $75

• 120 TPI Tubeless-Ready Casing: delivers a compliant ride with minimal weight
• Center File Tread: minimizes rolling resistance for easier acceleration and sustained speed
• Shoulder Knobs: raised and staggered for traction and tactile feedback when cornering
• Fast Rubber Compound: reduces rolling resistance for better acceleration and sustained speed

Updraft Install

The tire is pretty freakin’ light at 575g. This is 5g under the claimed weight. Many tires are often over the claimed weight, so this result was refreshing for a change. They set up tubeless without any issue. Once it was mounted and initially inflated to around 40psi, I was a little disappointed that it measured out at only 48.7mm. Not to worry, sometimes tires take a few miles to get to their stated size.

And that was the case in this matter. After a day or so, I remeasured, and it had worked its way out to 49mm. Still not 50mm, but closer. It wasn’t until maybe 150-200 miles that I measured it again out of curiosity, and it had finally made it to its claimed 50mm width… actually, 50.9mm.

First Impressions

I have 500+ miles on the Updrafts, and my first impressions of the tire were initially very good. I liked how fast the Updraft rolled and accelerated. It held speed very well. It made me feel faster than I usually feel. That was a nice bonus.

I also liked how quiet they were on paved surfaces. That being said, this is really where this tire is fantastic, on paved or very groomed dirt trails, or tight gravel. The Updraft is considered Teravail’s “Gravel Race” tire, so that’s not too surprising.

The Updrafts were stellar on paved, rainy streets

Where I found the Updraft to fall short was the loose stuff: loose gravel, loose and powdery dirt, and loose over-hardpack. But to be fair, I have yet to find a tire that handles Southern California’s loose, over-hard conditions perfectly.

To be fair again, this tire would be considered the equivalent of a modern “file tread” semi-slick tire. In my opinion, these types of tires are not a do-everything, all-rounder type of tire. They have a very specific purpose and are built that way. The Updraft is built for gravel racing, and I’m here to tell you, the tire is very fast rolling, so I’m sure it would shine in that application.

Cornering

On to cornering with the Updrafts. Although I believe that the corner knobs on the Updraft are sufficient and would be fine for some, I found their performance to be unpredictable. Again, I am talking about how they performed on the loose stuff. I believe some of the issue I was having with the cornering was the tire’s profile. I didn’t care for the profile of the tire.

Slight Conical-ish profile. Looks worse in person.

The tire profile seemed to come to a bit of a point at the top center of the tread (the above picture doesn’t show it very well). Which, I felt, made the transition to the corner knobs feel too abrupt. Almost like a small free-fall to get to the corner knobs. In other words, it didn’t feel natural or gradual like a tire with a more rounded profile would feel.

It seems like the profile of the tire is designed to keep all of the cornering knobs as far from the rolling section as possible, in order to keep rolling resistance to a minimum. That makes sense with a gravel race tire design, but as usual, there is a tradeoff between grip and speed.

Braking

It wasn’t long until I was pushing the tires to their limits, and I found the center “tread” to be lacking during hard braking while on a looser technical descent. The Updraft’s innovative center “file” tread hooked up great when doing some technical climbing, even when the conditions were loose.

The description of the tire on the Teravail website states that the Updraft is designed specifically “for sustained speed on gravel roads and race courses.” Even in the world of gravel racing, there is a tremendous difference in courses, conditions, and terrain. These tires would be a great choice for less technical terrain with firmer conditions without a lot of loose gravel.

500+ miles and the Updraft looks great. Plus, the 50mm width fills out that fork really well.

The tire has proved, without a shadow of a doubt, to be extremely tough. I have put my set of Updrafts through the ringer. I used and abused the tire well beyond its intended scope of use, and it’s survived while still looking great.

Cannonballs & Conclusions

Looking back now that I’m finishing this review, I feel like you guys might read that I didn’t like the Updraft. While that’s partially true, it’s only true in certain riding conditions. The Updraft wasn’t designed for some of the stuff I was riding it on. And it’s not really fair to base the review solely on that.

Where does the Updraft kick-ass? On paved roads, b-roads, tight gravel, or hard-packed dirt. The Updraft is a light, supple tire that rolls very fast. Braking and traction were adequate on all surfaces other than the conditions I mentioned earlier in the review.

Even when enjoying the Updrafts, which I did for most of my review period, it still took some time to get used to the conical-ish profile of the tire, you can see it really well in the comparison photo below.

And at the end of the review, I’ll say that I don’t care for the profile of the Updraft. Hey, it’s OK, I review this stuff to give you my honest opinion. I’m not going to like everything I ride/review.

I did like the Updraft in most cases. I just don’t think it’s the right fit for me and my application. But if you want a fast rolling, light gravel race tire more than an aggressive cornering or braking tire, then I would consider taking a look at the Teravail Updraft.

How ‘Bout Some Extra Credit

Teravail Updraft (left) and Cannonball (right) tread comparison. See the conical profile of the Updraft on the left?

You guys wanna know what my favorite gravel tire has been for the last 900+ miles or so? It’s the Teravail Cannonball. This tire, in my opinion, is the perfect all-rounder, mixed-terrain tire. I use the Cannonballs in the Light & Supple, tan-wall casing in the 700 x 47mm size.

Cannonballs in use

It’s got a round profile that is easy to navigate and feels predictable in almost every single cornering scenario. It has a more traditional file center tread in combination with tight-knit, directional knobs on top, for great braking and climbing traction.

Cannonballs on the dirt…

…or, on the road

I have put many, many hundreds of miles on my Canonnball tires. I am on my second set and only removed them to review the Updrafts. I’ll be reinstalling them later today.

They are an amazing and versatile tire that can be used for just about anything, as I have done. If the Updrafts sound like they may not work for you, go check out the Cannonballs.

All of this being said, maybe you need to go check out all of the tires Teravail has to offer on their site by hitting the link below. There, you can absolutely find the right tire for your needs.

Teravail.com

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