MichelinLithion 3 Road Tire(Return to Product Page)

Bought this set on sale at BTD as an experiment. I have three models of Michelin on the fleet-four bikes out of a dozen or so (hobby...). These are on my Windsor 54cm Super Carrara, which is mildly modified with 700c wheels, compact crank/chain rings, spread the chain stays for "modern" rear wheel and cassette. It's a steel framed bike, so I'm not too concerned about the additional weight, but I do appreciate the flat protection as it gets ridden on the sketchiest roads that I ride. This is one of my summer steel bikes, my favorite among a USA Schwinn Super Le Tour and a Centurion Accord RS. I didn't see any indications that this was a directional tire but I mounted them with the "chevrons" as if they were. I'm running between 70 and 80 psi most of the time. Conti tubes, tires are 25's. Confident crossing RR tracks, which is frequent where I live. They seem to be holding up well, no flats, maybe not the fastest tires (but at 68 years old don't care much). The ride is not plush which I'm willing to trade for durability and flat protection. Good option for heavily used road/training/commuter. Didn't have a wet summer, so no report on rain performance. Mounted fairly easy for a belted tire. Runs true.

I have a Kuips branded carbon seat stay and fork/ alloy frame bike, that gets the majority of my road riding. The bike is a major Taiwanese manufacturer bike that wears a lot of different bike brands. Ultegra groupset, the wheels are basically generic, but true. I wanted to upgrade with my very limited budget, and added these tires, size 700c 25, to my Michelin Pro 4 Endurance (which I run on my six13 w/ Mavic Aksium wheels which is my group ride/ special ride bike, and yes, I'm a little too heavy for it, but so far OK) order with Bike Tires Direct. They arrived quickly, mounted easy, seated just great, run true, and are comfortable enough, with the Conti butyl tubes I have on hand, but I'm still experimenting with pressure--- today it is 70psi front and 85 rear, I'm a heavier rider, and bike for my fitness routine now. I generally put in a 30 mile Saturday and Sunday morning ride on my usual route, some concrete, some asphalt, and some chip seal, I walk the bike over gravel road crossings, and a few 5 to 10 mile around town rides during the week when I can fit them in. I commute to work on a different bike, With at least 400 miles, so far without a flat, I can say the tires are way better than the Chinesium wire bead that got me by... (which I may put back on for the trainer/roller over the winter if we get much snow). They roll well, are lite but sturdy, and seem to perform about like the Conti Ultra Sports (on my CAAD 5 retired race bike) and seem to be holding up well. They did just fine in limited rain/wet riding (drought!), and no winter yet, but it's here now--- cold, windy, but no snow yet. I run mostly Conti tires on the motorcycle fleet, a Ducati 900SS, an Aprilia RSV, Yamaha MT 07 and older UJM's. The price point and biketiresdirect service have swung me towards Michelin, at least for pedal power.

The Michelin tread patterns suit the style of cruising and hard cornering I'm used to as an old school rider. They're tight and round for positive contact. Coming down a hill into a fast turn without scrubbing off speed makes the next rise that much quicker. A center ridge has always seemed to have low rolling resistance and a quick response for dodging whatever. I've got this tire on the front. The 25-622 really is a 25mm width. Paired with a Continental Grand Prix 5000 on the rear (a 30-622 that's 28mm wide), the Michelin looks sleek and substantial. The foldable bead seated solidly, worth the effort to get the visible line to rise into place. A black marker pared down the big logos that came on both tires.

I use this quality tire on a road bike. They can last 2k+ miles. The only downside is that they are a little tough to put on.

I was having trouble with flat tires riding as much as I do from May to November. Small glass shards were getting through and puncturing the tube until I found the Michelin Lithion 3 Road Tire. I put in 4000 outside miles and had 8 flats this year which 7 more than I have been averaging over the years. This tire has not had a flat since I put them on in early August! A little heavier but worth it for the protection!

Easy ordering and it arrived in just a few days.

Great tires for the price.

I have been a long time rider, and my tire of choice is Michelin. I have a lot of experience with the Michelin Lithion 2 road tires, and this is the replacement version of the Lithion series. It seems to be at least as good as the Lithion 2, and I really like the look of the red sidewall. I have about 300 miles on this new tire, and it seems to be very durable, and so far no punctures. Future problems withstanding, this will be my new go-to tire for daily training and club riding.

This is the third set I've bought. These tires are lightweight (I'm an endurance rider), ready to mount, they corner well, and I've only had 1 flat with them. You won't be disappointed.