Donnelly X'Plor MSO 120TPI tyres

The Donnelly X'Plor MSO folding tyre is a superb choice for a full range of adventure riding from gravel roads and trails to urban riding. Don't be confused by the rebranding, they are every bit as good as the formerly recognised Clement X'Plor MSO tyres.

• Pros: Grippy, confidence-boosting on most surfaces, well manufactured
• Cons: Struggles in deep mud, relatively expensive

Having ended its trademark licensing of the Clement name from Pirelli in 2017, Donnelly Sports has relaunched its tyres under its own brand name, Donnelly Cycling. Since revitalising the 130-year-old Clement tyre brand in 2010, Donnelly Sports has developed some great cyclo-cross and adventure tyres, and it doesn't appear to have lost any of the quality with rebranding. 

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The X'Plor MSO tyres are aptly named after the airport code of Missoula, Montana, home of the Adventure Cycling Association and the epicentre of many of their cross-country cycling routes, including the TransAmerica Trail, and a stone's throw from the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. You quickly get a sense of where the inspiration for the adventure tyres has come from.

The combination of smooth-rolling centre knobs and aggressive shoulder lugs creates a confident feel in all conditions bar sloppy mud, which in fairness they aren't designed for anyway. The 40mm clincher MSOs tested allowed pressures as low as 20psi (bearing in mind I'm a small and light rider) with no worrying signs of pinch flats. The integrated puncture protection belt under the tread also seemed to do its trick for me, with no flats over the month of testing.

I thought they were brilliant in almost everything I tried. Urban riding around Bristol was great, with the large width and low pressure ironing out bumps in the road without that wallowy feel. They give full confidence in the rain and have made a great winter commuter tyre with minimal wear over a month.

In their natural off-road adventure habitat they were grippy on the dirt and gravel, despite their relatively small knobbles. They reminded me of the Schwalbe G-Ones I rode a few years ago at the Dirty Reiver and have loved ever since. The only time the MSOs struggled was when I attempted a practice lap of a VERY wet and muddy cyclo-cross course where they ended up out of their depth.

Other than that, they give you full confidence on the trails and light mud. If the test had been during the incredibly dry early season they would have done really well, and should certainly serve you well for some summer 'cross (provided your league isn't a stickler for tyre width rules).

Size options

Speaking of width, the permutations of sizes, widths, thread counts and tubeless ready or clincher versions for the MSOs is vast. For anyone running 650Bs looking for some fat tyres, Donnelly offers 42mm or 50mm, both in tubeless ready and clincher options. There is also a tan-walled option to add to your retro look, both for 650B and 700.

As for 700C, widths of 32mm, 36mm, 40mm and 50mm are available, with tubeless ready or clincher for all bar the 32mm, which seems to be clincher only. Sadly, I wasn't testing the tubeless option here so I can't comment on the difficulties of setting up, but the clincher was a breeze, as you'd expect from a folding bead.

There are also two threads-per-inch (TPI) options for the X'Plor MSO tyres, 120TPI as tested, and 60TPI. As a general rule of thumb, a higher thread count means finer weaves that make the tyre more supple.

Although it might seem pricey at £65, in my view it's worth every penny for the grip and ride quality you get. I'm all for lower price, long lasting tyres, but if you can't enjoy riding on them then it's worth spending more.

> Buyer's Guide: 16 of the best gravel and adventure tyres

A couple of warnings. Be sure to check what tyre width can fit your frame, and remember that they will inflate to a different width depending on the rim width you use. Also, with so many configurations of size and width, just be sure to double check your purchase exactly to avoid disappointment!

All in all, the Donnelly X'Plor MSOs are excellent all-round tyres for urban riding, commuting, trail blazing or gravel grinding. Be wary in the thick mud, but otherwise it's a great tyre to get out and have some fun on, the confidence they give with grip being key.

Verdict

A brilliant choice for your 'do it all' adventure bike and still has the quality associated with the old Clement name