WTB Nano 700x40C Gravel Tire Review

The correct tire choice plays a critical role in the comfort and handling of a gravel bike and also dictates the tire pressure that can be achieved with a particular set-up. If you are in the market for a 700c gravel tire, then the WTB Nano 40mm tire is a great choice. Whether it be hardpack gravel roads, loose gravel or single-track trails, the Nanos will provide the perfect balance of speed and handling to make for an enjoyable ride. In today's video, I put these tires to the test, to see how they perform with speed, traction, cornering, and handling.
Tires mentioned in this review:
WTB Riddler 700x37c: amzn.to/2ItDv2Y
WTB Nano 700x40c: amzn.to/2vBFvnk
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[@darrenelbrow5144]

Had Nano on my gravel bike for two winters now. Just recently set them up tubeless on my new Orro Terra C on Fulcrum Rapid Red gravel wheels. I run them at around 40psi most of the time. They’re brilliant on tarmac and work really well on English mud in the Purbecks in Dorset and wet gravel trails in the New Forest in Hampshire

[@JEstr357]

Have these tires, excellent on any gravel surface and it did shine on very loose gravel. Never slipped or lost grip. Also did use it on a cyclocross race, super grippy even on grass (slowed me down due to so much grip). Pretty sure I can bomb down MTB trails on these tires with no worries of losing traction.

[@jimbo4203]

Just cut my pathfinder on the rear on a rock, put on some Nano 's last week. They roll almost as fast as the pathfinders but have alot more grip.

[@MountainRoadRide]

I think you’ll enjoy the Nano’s. I’ve had mine on the bike for about a year now and it’s still going strong. It’s smoothing out a bit by now, but the grip is still good, especially now with all the fall leaves on the ground.

[@willboi4403]

I think your video is correct. These tires are 40%off road, 40% gravel, 20% road. They are not a designated road tire.

[@PeterSdrolias]

Just got them on my gravel bike. Great review, thanks!

[@rexarthurramos1642]

Thanks for the review. I'm actually gonna get these now.

[@iamchrisbrewer]

Thank you for the review. Just ordered a pair.

[@MountainRoadRide]

I’ve been really pleased with the set that I had on my bike. Rode them for more than a year, and when they began to wear, it transformed into a nice semi-slick tire of sorts. No major puncture issues either during that time.

[@johnhollister3]

Excellent review. Hope to see more gravel oriented reviews in the future. Which park were you riding? Where's the best gravel riding in VA?

[@MountainRoadRide]

Thank you for the feedback! I went through Great Falls & Riverbend park in this video. Loudoun county and Fauquier county offer incredible gravel riding routes here in VA. You can also check out this video that I made to help scout out the best places to ride gravel: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnS0fHaKgbecmJI

[@Aman1nFull]

Baie goede video, ek heb veel geleer. WTB Nano lyk meer geschik voor gravel dan road. Nu is ek vooral bly dat ek WTB Horizon 47mm heb vir my gravelbike. Tot zover mijn poging om Afrikaans te schrijven.

[@genlub60]

indeed a great help as shows different terrains 😊 so great

[@MountainRoadRide]

So glad it was helpful! If you want to see more of the places where I’ve ridden these tires, then be sure to check out some of my Gravel Ride of the Week videos: kzbin.info/aero/PLMjQVAu-pKzWHk0VtvxJgWJ73Z0cy-Jqx I used the Nanos on all of them.

[@genlub60]

@@MountainRoadRide would be of great help will do so, I find this topic very helpful as I am planning to buy a Gravel/CX with the same tire size and quality, I am immensely grateful for sharing this, it really helps keep it up 😊😊

[@Peter-tc3ep]

Wow your mtb trail looks like most of my gravel trails, certainly not a true 1 by trail. Great info on the tire though, living in New England our rocks are much larger and trails have large rocks imbedded in the ground to ride or hop over as well. Plenty of large tree roots and loose soil as well. Love how well groomed those trails look. Have you tried the wtb venture tire?

[@MountainRoadRide]

Yeah I guess I’m a bit spoiled with the quality of the trails in my area. Kudos to the park rangers for keeping it this well maintained. Sounds like you have to contend with a bit more. Thus far I’ve only had the chance to ride the Riddlers & Nanos. Maybe sometime I’ll be able to give the Ventures a go!

[@davehoover8853]

The Nano is a great tire and you have a really fun route to ride. Thinking about the more “tech” areas that you showed - how do you find the Exploro with it’s aggressive geometry? Does it get twitchy in deeper gravel or rougher terrain? I know it is wonderful on the road and smooth gravel. Thanks for a great video!

[@MountainRoadRide]

Thanks for the feedback! Yep, the Exploro definitely has much more of a road bike feel to it with the aggressive geometry. I come from a road riding background, so it doesn’t bother me all that much. I actually like the more “twitchy” riding. I’ll be adding a flared bar to the bike in the next week to see how that changes the handling over the technical stuff - be sure to check out that video soon. One thing to note with the Exploro is that you get quite a bit of toe-overlap with the front wheel, especially when running 700c wheels. When it comes to tight and technical turns you really need to be carefully not turn too sharply while your foot is facing forward.

[@pubplays368]

Do these tires do well on trials and some downhills? I have an old bike I’m restoring that has gravel rims. It’s a high end hard tail but I’m not sure a full sized mtb tire will clear the frame due to the overall design. Trying to find the next best thing.

[@byronwellburn]

Great vid. And I agree. Awesome tires.

[@willboi4403]

I was wondering what your accent was! South Africa, very cool. Probably good riding there too. I've got 1800kms on my Nano's and there's another 1000 or so km left

[@MountainRoadRide]

Bingo! You spotted the accent. You’re right about all the awesome places to ride in SA. Can’t wait to travel back there in the future to go ride my gravel bike on some of those roads. I’ve riden my Nano’s for well over a year by now. They’ve changed a lot, but what I like about them now is that they’ve gone from a very aggressive tire to a much smoother surface - perfect as a semi-slick tire for mixed road&gravel racing or easy gravel roads.

[@OrganicGonzalez]

Might be a perfect fit for my Giant Roam 4 2020.

[@marcinluka]

What is real width of this 40c tires? On what rim? Thanks!

[@MountainRoadRide]

I rode with these tires on a 19mm (internal) rim width. At first they measured in fairly close to spec, but over time expanded somewhat to around 41.5-42mm

[@marcinluka]

@@MountainRoadRide Thank you. Expanded? I think the tire become some softer, that's why :)

[@UweGranzowfilms]

Please post your inner rim with using for this tires - thanks a lot!

[@MountainRoadRide]

The Fulcrum 7 racing wheels that I used have an internal width of 19mm.

[@UweGranzowfilms]

@@MountainRoadRide Thank you!

[@MathisMade]

Where in South Africa are you from? thanks for the vid!

[@MountainRoadRide]

Glad that you liked it! Grew up in the Vaal :)

[@waqasaps]

i got mine punctured, what to do now?

[@MountainRoadRide]

If this is not a sidewall cut then you should be able to use a tubeless plug. I’ve had great success with dynaplugs (amzn.to/383ANkS)

[@hansschotterradler3772]

What's the name of the park you're riding in?

[@MountainRoadRide]

This was filmed in Great Falls park in Virginia.

[@shinzuneuroshima4777]

what is the model of your garmin gps?

[@MountainRoadRide]

I’m using the Garmin Edge 530.

[@andrewraine3405]

How do these size up? I've an older set and they measure 44mm at widest point, might be a bit if an issue with my new frame..

[@MountainRoadRide]

They measure in a bit wider than stated. I measured mine on a 19mm internal rim and had the pressure at 40psi. The width came in around 41mm. When you push the pressure to around 50 psi, the it gets closer to 42mm.

[@andrewraine3405]

@@MountainRoadRide thank you! I've a set of these I picked up a couple of years ago that I've just started to get more use from. On 19mm ID rims they size up at 44mm which is causing some clearance issues on the rear. Ordered another and fingers crossed it comes out closer to 40mm! (Bike has clearance for 42mm)

[@lennartmito]

what is your favorite pressure?!

[@MountainRoadRide]

On a pure road ride: 50psi. Regular gravel roads: 38-42psi. Technical trails: 35psi

[@reesemaleking1979]

mooi plek om te ry

[@MountainRoadRide]

Lekker! My 1st Afrikaanse comment op die channel.

[@AlainCarAudioManiac]

I remembered Arnold Schwarzenegger to look different

[@MountainRoadRide]

💪🏻💪🏻

[@kajwoj]

GET TO DA CHOPPA NAO