Michelin
Received the tires very quickly-really like the way they rode on gravel and light trail riding. Traction was excellent and not harsh. The tires mounted very easily on the rims and seem to be holding the air with new tubes. Big improvement over the Specialized OEM tires. Exceptional value for what you get with a name brand tire. Very pleased, I think I will get another set for my wife's mountain bike.
Have 600 miles on these now in every imaginable condition, I've commuted through the winter on these this year here in Michigan. First off, they are TALL.. I haven't measured but these 35's are definitely taller than the 38 studded tires i also own. So beware if you have limited clearance. This is no surprise, the tread is mega-deep on these things. As you can imagine, there is weight associated with all that tread, and it's certainly noticeable coming straight from 35 semi-slicks. All that said, I feel they roll pretty well. They're silent. Generally not squirmy even at the low end of the PSI range under a 45lb loaded bike and 200lb man commuting, if I take a corner aggressively while loaded down the rear can start to feel a little noodley. The sidewalls must be pretty robust, I've been surprised how stiff they feel (the 'ole two-finger pinch test) at low PSI. I've settled on running them on the lower end of the inflation range, even in dry conditions, for the added comfort, I don't think it slows them down too much. Absolutely no reason to run these over 55 psi. Traction is good on wet surfaces, decent in fresh snow (I've ridden them in up to 6 so far, was surprised how well they propelled and tracked in untouched powder), but beware in ruttedfreeze cycled snow and ice, there's hardly any lug spacing on the shoulders, so they won't claw their way out of ruts. They aren't magic on black ice, but I'm convinced they've kept me upright in multiple situations that a semi-slick or mtb tread wouldn't have. So all that said, then factor in the price point on these, they get my endorsement without any doubt.
I commute about 20 miles round trip weekdays - I don't track miles closely but I have more than 1,000 miles on the set of these I bought (25 mm). As others have written, I found them more difficult than previous Michelins with Kevlar bead to get on the rims, which seemed an unpleasant surprise. However I have had one flat from a wire and getting the tire off and on after some use was not that bad - not as difficult as I thought it might be.
I guess this isn't the endurance tire in this series - I too am tired of Michelin's evolution of the names they give these products - but nevertheless they seem to be wearing quite well. These come with some dimples just off center that are supposed to be wear indicators - if you can't find any of them, I guess, then that means it is time to get new tires! I have decided that they don't hurt anything and hey, per the dimples, I don't need new tires! Yay!
These are basically slick tires but there are some widely spaced lines that suggest tread - I don't understand what the point is of having this except as a design feature, and in the photos on this site you can't see them. I don't have a way of telling if these have more or less rolling resistance then the earlier Michelins - they seem fine.
Plus - durability seems excellent, and the price while not low is not bad for tires that last a long time.
Negative - initially difficult to get mounted on the bike.
