rumrunn6

saw these at REI for approx $25 yesterday. looks like a decent option for a hybrid bike. shallow tread so might be fine on pavement. slight texture & wide footprint so might be good on hard packed dirt & stone dust. there is a "cross" model but I don't think that's what I was looking at

Biketires Direct has them for $20.49 and up to 700c x 40mm! EDIT: just bought 2 for my Trek FX for rides w family & Wifey. time to take the studded tires off!

Replacing Michelin's popular City Tire, the Protek takes up right where this venerable tire left off.

With a tread that is optimized to roll smoothly and still provide grip on both pavement and dirt roads, this tire proves its worth commuting and touring. Its 1mm thick reinforcement also helps keep road debris at bay, so if all goes to plan, commutes will go without a hitch (or at least without a flat). A reflective strip on the sidewall also lends some extra visibility for added safety during low light conditions.

The Michelin Protek 700c Tire is available in 700c x 28, 32, 35, 38, and 40mm sizes (ISO 28-622, 32-622, 37-622, 40-622, 42-622). Please note that in the larger sizes the ISO measurement is 2mm larger than the common (700c) size printed on the sidewall.

sjfoote081

I have put many miles on the Protek Cross 700x35 on my Cannondale Quick and have found them to be a really nice tire. Great traction on asphalt & concrete, work well in gravel too. I ran mine at about 35-40 psi on 16mm internal rims and they measured out at 35mm. Only thing I did not like is the reflective stripe ;-)

cycling705

This may be a dumb question, but I'll ask anyway...

I've been looking at these exact tires for my Specialized Sirrus Sport. My current Alex s500 rims have a 14mm internal width.

Specialized suggested that I not go above 700x35 on tire size. Other threads that I've read suggest that the charts (similar to the one attached) are overly conservative.

Does anyone have an opinion as to whether or not I can safely put the Michelin Protek Cross 35's (or possibly 38's) on my rims? I think both sizes would be OK from a chainstay width standpoint. I'm just not sure about the rims.

Thanks, everyone.

Wanderer

The general rule of thumb is 2.5 times the internal width of the rim is fine. My Crosstrail came OEM with 45s, on an 18mm wide rim. Many bikes with 14mm rims come standard with 32s.

If it was me, and I was going to keep them at max pressure, I wouldn't be afraid of up to 40s........ MHO

speshelite

I would gladly pay extra for this feature.

Keep in mind the 35's weigh an astonishing 740 grams apiece.

hokiefyd 

Yes, I think you're very safe to put 35mm tires on 14mm IW wheels. My bike has 16mm IW wheels, and I'm running 42mm tires on them.

sjfoote081

While they are fairly heavy (wire bead & extra protection under the tread) I did not notice any additional effort required to spin them up to speed. I also ran them at low psi which one might think would also make them feel slow but I did not notice that. They replaced the stock 700x32 Kenda Kwik Trax and I found the Michelins much more confidence inspiring - especially on pavement. I took a chance with them since Bike Tires Direct had them on sale for $13 each - so nothing to lose. Rode with them for about 1 year. Now riding with 60 tpi Clement X'Plor USH 700x35 which only measure out to about 33mm on the 16mm rims, but these are super nice tires and I am glad I made the switch, as I am always seeking out more gravel/soft surface places to ride and the USH tires work great for those places.

rumrunn6

what the heck does this mean? "Please note that in the larger sizes the ISO measurement is 2mm larger than the common (700c) size printed on the sidewall"

cycling705

Thank you, both.

It sounds like my 14mm rims may be able to handle 700x38 tires. This brings me back to what I thought was accounted for, but maybe not...the chainstay width.

As best I could, I tried to measure the chainstay width on my Sirrus Sport. The current 32 tires obviously have enough clearance. However, right at the top of the tire (height-wise), the chainstays start to angle inward (headed toward the bottom bracket area).

How do I measure the chain-stay width for a potential tire where I don't know the tire height?

IOW, is it possible that the larger 38s may be too tall, and thus rub at the point where the inward angle starts on the chainstays, or, are the differences so minimal between 32s and 38s that it's not a big deal?

Being a novice in this area, is there any way to effectively measure prior to buying online?

Thanks as always for everyone's help.

canklecat

I've had a set of Michelin Protek Cross Max 700x40 tires on my Globe Carmel since the fall of 2015. Great all around tires -- tough, grippy on dry gravel and grass, smooth rolling on pavement, bulletproof on sharp pokey stuff that flatted my other tires.

The 700x40 Michelins fit fine on my 622x19 rims (front is single wall Alex Z-1000, rear is double wall Weinmann Zac-19). Technically those rims are for up to 38c, and the Michelin Proteks run wider than spec. But no problems with proper fit and ride quality.

The thick tread has been slashed by glass, metal and construction debris down to the yellow fabric Aramid shield, but nothing has penetrated to flatten the tires. I've pulled out bits of broken glass and metal. Grass burrs usually don't even stick. All this same stuff flatted my previous tires on this bike -- Specialized Hemispheres (old design, before they went to chevron tread) and Innovas with chevron tread. I filled the slashes (ranging from 1/8" to 1/4" long) with Shoe Goo. Works fine.

I like the chevron tread pattern for mixed terrain use and the Michelins are very good. Smooth and quiet rolling on dry and wet pavement, grippy on dry gravel and grass, and they don't pick up and trap pebbles or debris in the sipes between the tread blocks.

Michelin Proteks do seem to run wider than spec. The nominal 700x40 fit more like 700x45. They're noticeable larger than my Continental Speed Ride 700x42 nominal (but as most users note the Speed Rides run narrower than spec, closer to 38).

I've been so satisfied with the Protek Cross Max that I'd consider the regular Protek or Protek Urban for a faster rolling hybrid primarily for city and suburban pavement.

A few quirks of the Protek Cross and Cross Max:

• The Cross Max are heavy, at 1,100 g for 700x40. The tread is thick and there's a 5mm puncture shield. But they don't feel that heavy while riding. I tried lighter tires but didn't notice any difference on my Globe Carmel, which is a rather heavy bike with massive aluminum frame and decent but basic components -- mostly Shimano.
• The Cross and Cross Max have sharp edged tread shoulders. This will feel a bit squirmy on fast tight cornering on pavement. But it seems to help grip better on gravel and grass and open fields.
• While the Protek Cross Max is rated up to 85 psi maximum, and Michelin recommends 75 psi for my weight (160 lbs) the ride is harsh and jittery. The tires rebounded like a superball off minor pavement ledges, making the ride feel twitchy. I experimented and found 50-60 psi was my sweet spot. Higher pressure didn't translate to faster rolling, but this is a heavy bike and good for 12 mph cruising whether short grocery errands or 20-50 mile all day rides. It's never going to be a speedy bike. I like it for comfort on days when my back and neck are aching too much to enjoy my lighter rigid frame mountain bike.

hokiefyd 

It can be tricky. Depending on the tread design and style of the tire, the greatest section width will occur in the "top" half of the sidewall, meaning in the area furthest from the rim. If your tires are fairly smooth, without knobbies near the edge of the tread (like the Proteks), the thickest section of the tire is probably at 50-75% of the height.



Using this photo as a reference, this tire's height is about 38mm from the top lip of the rim to the highest point of the center of the tire's tread. Its thickest section is about halfway up, or about 19mm from the lip of the rim.

If you're going to fit a 38mm nominal tire, its actual height could be anywhere from about 34mm to around 42mm, depending on inflation pressure and how physically large that tire actually is. Despite the size designation, tires can be non-trivially larger or smaller than nominal. You just have to guess, or ask others who have the same tire. For instance, @canklecat reports that a 700x40 Protek is actually closer to 45mm tall. I can tell you from experience that a 700x42 Continental Speed Ride (pictured above) is actually about 38mm wide and tall. You can probably figure that the widest point will be about 18-22mm from the lip of the rim...and then you can measure laterally from there.

You may fashion a block of wood or something to act as an analog for the tire. Or, inflate a tube on the wheel with no tire. You can adjust the air pressure to get the tube to measure pretty much exactly what you want. You could mock that up as a tire and see what your clearance will be.

canklecat

Check front derailer clearance as well when considering a larger tire.

I liked the Conti Speed Rides (shown above by @hokiefyd in that photo) so well that I considered even larger tires for my Univega Via Carisma. There was enough clearance in the frame, fork and cantilever brakes for up to 45c.

But the front derailer cable clamp bolt would interfere. It barely clears the Conti Speed Rides now, with 1/4" clearance when in the big chain ring. I could try another front derailer, or perhaps a bolt that protruded less. And I'd probably need wider rims too. But I'm satisfied enough with the Speed Rides after more than six months that I'm not looking for a larger tire for that bike.

However I'm impressed by the Schwalbe Big Ones and might choose another bike based on fitting similarly fat tires.

Wanderer

Measuring, how much space do you have between the chainstays, seatstays, and/or brake bridge. or bottom of front fork?

cycling705

Thank you, both.

cycling705

Good questions. I'll see what I can uncover.

rumrunn6

oops the 700x40mm measure 43mm at 90 psi. the max pressure is 87psi. on my old but new to me Trek FX 7.0 Alpha, after some cutting of the fender w a dremel & tab? near kickstand chainstay bridge & airing down to 50 psi rear 40 psi front I think I'm ok, not great but ok. maybe tomorrow I can loosen the rear QR & fudge one side of the axle forward to move the left side away some more. the front had no trouble with the tires at 90. still scratching my head tho cuz the 40mm studded winter tires that I took off were fine at max pressure (even tho I did run them a little lower)

40/50 might be OK. when I squeeze them with my fingers they're still hard, not squishy at all. it's dark out now so I can't really tell how much they deflect when I sit on the bike, but in the basement they didn't look bad at all. took a test ride around my condo complex & they seem ok. but definitely could have just got the 700x35 size so I could run a higher pressure for pavement

back view of the front tire


43mm at 90psi


rear chainstay no like 90psi


much happier at 60psi


also there was contact with the bottom front edge of the fender & this tab on the frame so I cut them both

rumrunn6

tried to give the rear a little nudge rotating right but doesn't seem to be too much play in that regard. shud try to ride them as-is. surprised these don't have a model name differentiating them from the brand & flat protection strip, (in this case 1mm)





almost took the fenders off but they aren't an issue with fit (except for that little tab situation)

hokiefyd 

Those look nice! How wide are they at 50 psi?

My Verve has that tab on the chainstay bridge, also. I think it's a fender stop tab. Ostensibly, not needed in any case, since the mounting hole is still there. Just there for ease of aligning a fender, I guess.

rumrunn6

I'll measure the widths, rear at 50 front at 40

rumrunn6

1.5 inches
or
38.1 mm

just not sure if this is the front at 40 or the rear at 50. there was imperceptible deflection so I can ride even lower. maybe 40 rear 30 front

sorry about the poor photo, meaning left edge not lined up w tape. holding tape w left hand & camera w right hand was too much to ask of me I think


no bulge w all my weight on the bike


lots of tread width unused, can totally ride them lower

hokiefyd 

Thanks -- that's actually not that far off from the Continental Speed Rides. Their nominal size is 42-622, but I run mine at 30-40 psi front and 50-60 psi rear and they're about 36-37 mm and about 38-39mm, respectively. In general, I'm getting 30 psi/36mm, 40/37, 50/38, 60/39, or thereabouts. That's on Bontrager AT-750 rims with 16mm internal width. I think your 550s are a little wider, so your mounted tire widths will also be a little wider than mine would be.

If I understand your post correctly, you have the "regular" Proteks (with just the "normal" flat guard) and not the "Protek Max" or whatever it's called, with the super thick protection, right?

hokiefyd 

Also, from the Biketiresdirect.com website:

Note that in 28 and 32, the ISO measurement (nn-622) is the same as the common (700xnn) size. 700x28 is a 28-622 and 700x32 is a 32-622. I guess Michelin say that 35mm counts as a "larger size", because the common size is 700x35 while its ISO size is 37-622. Same with 700x38/40-622 and same with 700x40/42-622.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of consistency in this area, and it doesn't appear that any one sizing standard is a better indicator of actual size.

rumrunn6

correct

rumrunn6

maddening isn't it?