Michelin

There are lots of reasons to site that are most likely trumped up to make us tolerate the exponential increases in bike related retail items, particularly tires.

Sadly, one of the most affordable outdoor recreation alternatives has exceeded my willingness to pay for participate in.

So, I guess I will cave in to play Pickleball with the masses of wiffle tennis octogenarians.

Of course, I will make my own racket to avoid paying an obnoxious price for a carbon fiber swat stick reminiscent of that high dollar Trek full Durace 5900 I bought back when I was still working and had expendable cash.

Thanks for the great time I had riding the open spaces.

Really good tire from Michelin, rolls fast and feels lighter than the scale would suggest. I bought them in 30mm and weighed them at 330 and 335 grams so not that heavy and not that light either but they react to bad roads like a lighter tire. I don't do that much climbing so I might have noticed the weight more if I did. I have them mounted on Reserve 42/49 wheels and they are about 34mm with a really good, round profile. I swear they look like they were designed specifically for these wheels. Obviously there is a huge air volume so they are extremely comfortable but give enough feedback so you still feel connected to the road, only the best tubeless tires have this tendency in my experience. Not that this affects performance but they seem to stay cleaner than most tires, even after riding through dust they seem to just shake it off. They've been durable so far, some tread cuts on the rear but no punctures. The 35mm version tested well on BRR as a gravel tire, hopefully the 28mm version will eventually be tested for road pressures.

I've used a lot of tires in my day and can never quite find the Goldilocks tire. If they're fast and grippy, like a conti gp5k, they're not durable. If they're durable, they're heavy and ride like a wooden wagons wheel. These Michelin jawns are the best tires I've ridden in years. They're light, grippy, and durable. Plus, if you get them on sale, they don't break the bank like the contis will.

Installation was easy and tubeless setup was straightforward. They seem to be true to size but I have not actually measured them.

On race day, I'll use a different tire. But for training, fondos, and group rides, these are perfect. I've got around 500 miles on them so far and they still look new. I hope they last, because otherwise I will look like a fool.

In the past I've purchased the non-TLR version and had good success. These tires (TLR) went on sale, so I decided to get a pair. I recently moved to tubeless and wanted to give the tubeless version a try. I had no issues with mounting the tire nor any problems with getting the tire seated and eventually filled with Orange sealent/inflated. I've only conducted some short rides- close to home- to ensure the tire tubeless DIY job worked. So far so good. I look forward to riding many miles with this tire.