The team at Teravail has been busy. Today, they’ve launched three vital components to a fast gravel bike. The Updraft is a new gravel tire with a unique tread pattern that I’ve been riding for a few weeks. The Circos is their first carbon rim. It’s also available as a wheelset, but we’ll get into that later. And they put it all together with their new Tubeless Valve.
I am a big fan of Teravail’s tires. I use Teravail’s Kessel on both of my mountain bikes and still love them. I’ve been running their 47mm Cannonball tires for hundreds and hundreds of miles on my gravel bike without an issue. So far, it’s been my favorite gravel tire. So, when they sent me the new Updraft, I was excited to see how it compared to my beloved Cannonball.
The Teravail Circos Carbon Rim
The Circos is Teravail’s first carbon gravel rim. It was designed specifically to pair with their gravel tire lineup. Teravail says that it’s built to “give the rider the best possible connection to the terrain”, giving your gravel rig a lighter, more responsive ride quality.
The low weight and stiff rim will help your wheels spin up quickly and help you hold your line through the rough stuff.
Carbon rims can also make for a smoother feeling ride by offering a fair amount of vibration damping. The Circos’s durable design comes with a lifetime warranty. The Circos rim, when paired with Teravail’s gravel tires, promises a stress-free tubeless setup
Available as a complete wheelset with DT Swiss 350 hubs or as a rim-only for custom wheel builds, complete and custom Circos wheels are hand-built at Teravail’s warehouse in Minnesota (QBP).
Circos Rim Retail and Detail
Retail: $495
- Lifetime warranty
- 370 grams
- 25mm internal width
- Front- and rear-specific designs
- Hookless design
- 24- and 28-hole options
Circos Complete Wheelsets
Retail: $590 (front), $795 (rear in Shimano HG or SRAM XDR) Only 28 holes available for wheelsets
- 25mm internal rim width
- Hookless rim design with thick flange holds up to rugged gravel roads
- Reinforced rim spoke bed with washers for added durability
- Front- and rear-optimized rim drilling for better spoke bracing angles
- Works seamlessly with Teravail tubeless tires, valves, and tape. They recommend two layers of 30mm-wide Teravail Tubeless Tape for Circos rims.
- Rim backed by a lifetime warranty (see warranty information)
- DT Swiss 350 hubs are reliable and easy to service
- Built with DT Swiss Competition spokes and DT Swiss Pro Lock nipples
- Teravail Tubeless Tape installed and Tubeless Valve included
- All Circos wheels are hand-laced, trued, and tensioned in Minnesota by professional wheel builders
The Teravail Updraft
Teravail says this is their fastest gravel tire ever. It’s designed for “responsive acceleration and predictable control on gravel”. The tire features a unique and effective file tread in the center of the tire for efficiency, longevity, and grip. The center tread means that it accelerates and rolls fast on the road and hard-packed gravel.
But it also has pronounced shoulder knobs for confidence through loose and unpredictable corners.
Teravail Updraft Retail and Detail
Retail: $75 (Light & Supple casing), $80 (Durable casing)
- Tubeless-ready casing to prevent flats, boost traction, and comfort at low pressures
- Minimal center tread lowers weight and boosts grip, shoulder lugs provide tactile feedback when cornering.
- 120 TPI casing delivers a compliant ride with minimal weight
- Available in 700c x 35, 40, 45, and 50mm sizes
- Fast compound and both Durable and Light & Supple casings
New Tubeless Valves
Lastly, Teravail’s new tubeless valves are designed specifically to keep tubeless set up (and maintenance) easy. They look good, too!
- 48mm length (additional sizes to come)
- Integrated valve-core tool
- Compatible with tire inserts
- 4mm hex key slot for leverage when assembling/disassembling
- Matte metallic finish
My First Impressions of the Updraft
I received the Updraft in 50mm, which is a little bigger than my current 47mm Cannonball tires. I also got the tire in the Light & Supple casing (120 tpi), with a folding bead.
They weighed in at 575g and measured 49mm at 40 psi. Not too shabby.
Installation
The installation went well. The new tires were tight but not too tight to get on my Hunt 35 Carbon rims. The beads snapped right into place with a quick shot of compressed air. I use MilkIt sealant, and they’ve been holding air since, no problem.
How’d They Ride
So far, I have a little over 60 miles on the new Updrafts, and they roll very fast. I’m using them on my Wilde Rambler SL, and the combo makes for a handsome and fast gravel bike.
I’ve done some rides in semi-loose terrain, and they handled it well. Corning is predictable, leaving you to have fun cornering and not babysitting the front end of the bike.
I’m really liking the little bit of extra volume I’m getting with the 50mm when compared to the 47mm Cannonballs. I ride my gravel bike 80% of the time on mixed surfaces, some tight gravel, semi-hard-packed singletrack, forest service roads, and paved surfaces. I feel that these are going to be a fantastic tire for all of it.
All the above items are available now on Teravail’s site. Hit the link below and get a pair of these Updrafts. I think you’ll like them.
Teravail.com