My previous tire was the Schwalbe Big Ben on an older Giant Iguana MTB. Those had a nice forgiving feel to them which was important as I dropped the fairly low-end front shock in favor of a rigid fork.
These Michelin Country Rock (sounds like an oldies FM radio station), have just a tad less internal volume so perhaps just a little more rigid, but for the price (almost half of the Schwalbe) they have turned out to be a great value. The full width at the tread is about 1-5/8 (43mm) so a little narrower than the stated 1.75" width, but that makes them a little lighter than the Schwalbe.
All-in-all, a really good tire for the money and Bike Tires Direct got them shipped out in a timely manner as usual.
Perfect tires for touring,pressurewise perfect threads for road and gravel and grass no surprises with losing traction while pulling gear on bike and attached Bob single wheel trailer,also long lasting no flats with Mr tuffy heavy duty tire liners,definitely my favorites.
Best way to turn a mountain bike into a street bike. Fast rolling and great puncture resistance. Surprisingly high traction rubber and great tread. When commuting on asphalt gets monotonous, this tire is perfect for the trails on the long way home.
-The Country Rock Is Awesome-
I purchased a second set of these tires when I replaced my Raleigh after the other bicycle was stolen. I ride a M60 for pavement and hard trails off road. M60 is no longer available but i found one that was nos. These tires are superior to keeping the knobby tires that come stock with the bike and others like it. I cannot add anything I don't like as the feed back instructions request. I am completely satisfied and i believe others would be too.
I prefer to use the WTB Gravel tires in the winter, but they were sold out and I tried these instead. My riding consists of wet and dry pavement, grass, and light dirty spots (single track, non-racing), and general city commutes. I'm impressed and have no complaints. I got a slightly wider tire to run lower pressure, and this thing really feels nice. It helps confidence in fast sections of my commute in the rain or slow places where I cross grassy wet fields.
For what I got, I'm stunned at the low price. I replaced some old knobby tires on a MTB that I inherited and hated. Now I love it and I'm using it as a bad weathertouring bike for the days I don't want to risk using my road bike. I made four different enhancements to make the MTB a better street performer, but these tires have proven to be the 1 difference maker. I've taken them through some short patches of rough gravel and they handled it well. They obviously do well on wet grass, which they see a lot of. No problem cornering on pavement in the rain, I have a lot of confidence in them. Fully inflated they pose much lower rolling resistance than I had before, I've had no problem hitting 30mph, which is a big deal for me. Drop the pressure to 40 psi and you'll get a really soft, comfortable ride, if that's what you want.
Before getting these tires and matching Michelin C4 tubes I had two flats in two weeks. With these tires and tubes I've had no flats in 2,000 miles of bike trails, gravel, rocks, and occasional dirt.
I replaced 2.1" MTB tires. These are definitely better for the type of riding I do. The somewhat rounded 1.75" rides well on all surfaces. I haven't had any traction issues on gravel or damp asphalt. I'd like to try something similar in a 1.65" or maybe even a 1.5", but if you're on MTB tires and looking for something a bit more gravel/adventure-friendly, these tires are highly recommended.
Really great replacement to the larger Cruiser type tires I had. These are much better, smoother, quieter, more comfortable and faster. Sounds crazy but these tires made a huge improvement. Using on concrete boardwalk and the street.
Terrific price on a great general purpose tire. These were added to my Trek 990 Single Track (HT) to convert it to a gravel bike. Great option! They roll well, no flats, and can go pretty much everywhere. I really like them.
These tires are great all purpose tires. Air them up higher for pavement. Lower pressure for gravel, and off road. These are great gravel tires. Fast, while still having great traction. These are the best bang for the buck tire I have used.
I replaced a set of 26"x 2.4" Radio tires off a 26" Radio Asura Dirt Jumper with a set of Michelin Country Rock Tires 26" x 1.75" I ride these on dirt jumps around berms and loose, powder dirt. Such a better tire. Good Job Michelin.
I've been riding these tires for over a year now, got them when I purchased a used steel frame rigid MTB from my local bike shop. These tires are fantastic! I run 60psi for the pavement and drop it down to 45psi for rougher dirt and gravel roads. They roll very easily on pavement, and are incredibly light compared to other 26x1.75 tires. Traction on hardpack dirt is great too. Handling starts to get sketchy in mud or wet sand though.
My only issue with these tires is the lack of puncture protection. The tread tends to pick up road debris in the grooves, and on several occasions I had a small piece of glass puncture the tire. A set of heavy duty tubes and a tire liner for the rear eliminated flats. Overall a great tire for using an old MTB as a commuter.
