Your favorite road tubeless tires
#101
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Running the tubeless 28's at 72/75 psi on my older alloy 2.1 Madone (compared to 25c tubed Ultrasports) completely transformed it from a buzz-prone bike that I was looking to get rid of, to a bike I actually really like for everyday riding and training.
#102
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Just to add to my previous post, I've now got some mileage on a pair of Pirelli P-Zero Race TLR in 30mm width. I have to say they are a very nice ride and easy to fit and seat. No flats yet, but still early days. I'm planning to swap back and forth between these and my 32 mm Pirelli Cinturatos over the next year. The 30 mm P-Zero is a better fit on my relatively narrow Giant SLR 1 rims (17 mm internal). The Cinturatos look much wider than the 2 mm difference would suggest. So I would probably get 28 mm Cinturatos next time, but it's not a big deal. I'm really impressed with these new Pirelli TLR tyres so far.
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I bought 6x of the 28c Fusion 5's from Excel because the deal was too good compared to every other road tubeless tire that cost at least $70 each. They seem a little less supple than the Sector 28's, but definitely roll a bit better, and have way more grip. Will be interesting to see how they hold up over time. 2K miles from a rear, and 3-3.5K from a front is kinda my acceptable lower limit.
Running the tubeless 28's at 72/75 psi on my older alloy 2.1 Madone (compared to 25c tubed Ultrasports) completely transformed it from a buzz-prone bike that I was looking to get rid of, to a bike I actually really like for everyday riding and training.
Running the tubeless 28's at 72/75 psi on my older alloy 2.1 Madone (compared to 25c tubed Ultrasports) completely transformed it from a buzz-prone bike that I was looking to get rid of, to a bike I actually really like for everyday riding and training.
I got some Sectors 28 that roll really nice and grip well on both pavement and gravel. The price was right for them from Excel.
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#104
2+1+0=1
A couple of comments deriving from this excellent thread.
1. Making pressure recommendations, or even just reporting what pressures you are riding tubeless tires on makes no sense without telling us how much you weigh (we won't judge) and what road surface you are riding. Someone criticized me for riding 80F/90R on smooth pavement telling me the pressures were way too high. I weigh 200lbs and the "tire pressure guides" tell me my pressures are too low!
2. I have now tried three tubeless tires in 25mm size: Bontrage R3, Veloflex Corsa Evo, and Michelin Power Road. Although they differ in many respects, and I can't say one leads the pack in all areas, so far the Veloflex win out because they just feel easier to climb hills on. I really don't care how well tires go down hills as I ride a fixie and am limited by my max cadence, but I sure do feel how a tire makes me struggle up a hill. The Bontragers feel like lead hoops, and the Michelins, while feeling more lively, still get heavy on a climb. But the Veloflex just seem to fly up hills.
YMMV, of course.
1. Making pressure recommendations, or even just reporting what pressures you are riding tubeless tires on makes no sense without telling us how much you weigh (we won't judge) and what road surface you are riding. Someone criticized me for riding 80F/90R on smooth pavement telling me the pressures were way too high. I weigh 200lbs and the "tire pressure guides" tell me my pressures are too low!
2. I have now tried three tubeless tires in 25mm size: Bontrage R3, Veloflex Corsa Evo, and Michelin Power Road. Although they differ in many respects, and I can't say one leads the pack in all areas, so far the Veloflex win out because they just feel easier to climb hills on. I really don't care how well tires go down hills as I ride a fixie and am limited by my max cadence, but I sure do feel how a tire makes me struggle up a hill. The Bontragers feel like lead hoops, and the Michelins, while feeling more lively, still get heavy on a climb. But the Veloflex just seem to fly up hills.
YMMV, of course.
#105
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So I just passed 10,000km on my front tyre. Veloflex Corsa EVO in 25mm. Of course now that I've posted this I have probably cursed myself...
#107
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A couple of comments deriving from this excellent thread.
1. Making pressure recommendations, or even just reporting what pressures you are riding tubeless tires on makes no sense without telling us how much you weigh (we won't judge) and what road surface you are riding. Someone criticized me for riding 80F/90R on smooth pavement telling me the pressures were way too high. I weigh 200lbs and the "tire pressure guides" tell me my pressures are too low!
2. I have now tried three tubeless tires in 25mm size: Bontrage R3, Veloflex Corsa Evo, and Michelin Power Road. Although they differ in many respects, and I can't say one leads the pack in all areas, so far the Veloflex win out because they just feel easier to climb hills on. I really don't care how well tires go down hills as I ride a fixie and am limited by my max cadence, but I sure do feel how a tire makes me struggle up a hill. The Bontragers feel like lead hoops, and the Michelins, while feeling more lively, still get heavy on a climb. But the Veloflex just seem to fly up hills.
YMMV, of course.
1. Making pressure recommendations, or even just reporting what pressures you are riding tubeless tires on makes no sense without telling us how much you weigh (we won't judge) and what road surface you are riding. Someone criticized me for riding 80F/90R on smooth pavement telling me the pressures were way too high. I weigh 200lbs and the "tire pressure guides" tell me my pressures are too low!
2. I have now tried three tubeless tires in 25mm size: Bontrage R3, Veloflex Corsa Evo, and Michelin Power Road. Although they differ in many respects, and I can't say one leads the pack in all areas, so far the Veloflex win out because they just feel easier to climb hills on. I really don't care how well tires go down hills as I ride a fixie and am limited by my max cadence, but I sure do feel how a tire makes me struggle up a hill. The Bontragers feel like lead hoops, and the Michelins, while feeling more lively, still get heavy on a climb. But the Veloflex just seem to fly up hills.
YMMV, of course.
I am 220lbs - 98-100kg and lean so I am by no means carrying too much useless weight.
I run Enve 4.5 AR Disc wheels
Schwalbe Pro Ones 28
65 PSI
I love my setup and would recommend it to anyone.
#108
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#109
Member
65psi is the exact enve recommended pressure for your weight. It's also about the max that ETRTO implies is safe. You're right on the edge of the 'official' compatibility. OTOH, Silca's tire pressure calculator would put the ideal at about 73psi, but you can't use that with your setup as it would be unsafe.


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And just like that. Boom! Did the front tyre flat? No. But the rear? You bet!. Last time I post on here bragging about the number of K's I have on a particular tyre. That's for sure. Damn you tyre gods!!!
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To be fair those tyres don’t seem to be rated as being very puncture resistant, so you had a good run at 10,000 km
#112
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Quick update on my 28mm Michelin Power Road TLRs - I'll be at 3k miles on them within the week and, while it's starting to square off, the TWI dimples on the rear tire are still visible. I'm expecting at least another 1k out of them, but wouldn't be surprised by another 1.5k. Either way, this is pretty impressive longevity for me, I'm usually playing chicken with the cords starting peek out in the 2.5-3k mile range.
Still rolling nicely/easily. I've found the best comfort for them is a little under the -/+60spi that I had been running with the Pro One Evo Addix, though their comfort still falls a little short of that of the Schwalbe (I'm around 180lbs and am running these on 23mm int width hookless Zipps, for reference).
Oh, and I had taken one big puncture that required a knotted bacon strip plug a while back. I decided to leave that plug in place, rather than patch internally, just out of curiosity. It's still in place, 2,500 miles later. I'm comfortable with saying that it was a permanent fix.
Still rolling nicely/easily. I've found the best comfort for them is a little under the -/+60spi that I had been running with the Pro One Evo Addix, though their comfort still falls a little short of that of the Schwalbe (I'm around 180lbs and am running these on 23mm int width hookless Zipps, for reference).
Oh, and I had taken one big puncture that required a knotted bacon strip plug a while back. I decided to leave that plug in place, rather than patch internally, just out of curiosity. It's still in place, 2,500 miles later. I'm comfortable with saying that it was a permanent fix.
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#113
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Quick update on my 28mm Michelin Power Road TLRs - I'll be at 3k miles on them within the week and, while it's starting to square off, the TWI dimples on the rear tire are still visible. I'm expecting at least another 1k out of them, but wouldn't be surprised by another 1.5k. Either way, this is pretty impressive longevity for me, I'm usually playing chicken with the cords starting peek out in the 2.5-3k mile range.
Still rolling nicely/easily. I've found the best comfort for them is a little under the -/+60spi that I had been running with the Pro One Evo Addix, though their comfort still falls a little short of that of the Schwalbe (I'm around 180lbs and am running these on 23mm int width hookless Zipps, for reference).
Oh, and I had taken one big puncture that required a knotted bacon strip plug a while back. I decided to leave that plug in place, rather than patch internally, just out of curiosity. It's still in place, 2,500 miles later. I'm comfortable with saying that it was a permanent fix.
Still rolling nicely/easily. I've found the best comfort for them is a little under the -/+60spi that I had been running with the Pro One Evo Addix, though their comfort still falls a little short of that of the Schwalbe (I'm around 180lbs and am running these on 23mm int width hookless Zipps, for reference).
Oh, and I had taken one big puncture that required a knotted bacon strip plug a while back. I decided to leave that plug in place, rather than patch internally, just out of curiosity. It's still in place, 2,500 miles later. I'm comfortable with saying that it was a permanent fix.
Good info thanks. Sounds like a good tyre option for sure. Michelin are always a quality product.
Likewise I did a 9 hour climbing slogfest (Seemed like a good idea at the time) on my Pirelli P-Zero Race TLRs without issues, pressure around 70/75 psi F/R. No flats or any visible cuts, good grip and very comfortable (30c). Racking up the mileage quite nicely on these now. I'm planning to keep them on for the rest of my summer Sportive events and training and then go back to my Cinturatos for winter/spring training.
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Good info thanks. Sounds like a good tyre option for sure. Michelin are always a quality product.
Likewise I did a 9 hour climbing slogfest (Seemed like a good idea at the time) on my Pirelli P-Zero Race TLRs without issues, pressure around 70/75 psi F/R. No flats or any visible cuts, good grip and very comfortable (30c). Racking up the mileage quite nicely on these now. I'm planning to keep them on for the rest of my summer Sportive events and training and then go back to my Cinturatos for winter/spring training.
Likewise I did a 9 hour climbing slogfest (Seemed like a good idea at the time) on my Pirelli P-Zero Race TLRs without issues, pressure around 70/75 psi F/R. No flats or any visible cuts, good grip and very comfortable (30c). Racking up the mileage quite nicely on these now. I'm planning to keep them on for the rest of my summer Sportive events and training and then go back to my Cinturatos for winter/spring training.
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I have a set of these, 28mm Michelin Power Road TLR, waiting in the wings. With the riding season here at its zenith, I might not get around to mounting the tyres this season. Good review/update WhyFi . Thanks.
#116
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After two pinch flats in a week, I had to re-up a four pack of the Hutchinson F5 Storm11, which remain on sale at excel sports (but are out of stock almost everywhere else). Looks like these are going to be replaced/updated so act quickly.
As for the pinch flats, it’s clear that my fat ass needs to up the pressures, so at 210 lbs, I’m trying 62/67 fr/rr with 30mm tires on Mavic Aksum Elite UST wheels. Not as nice a ride at these pressures, (they feel more like GP4k all seasons vs the regular GP4ks,) but I’m happy enough that I will stick with these until supply runs out.
As for the pinch flats, it’s clear that my fat ass needs to up the pressures, so at 210 lbs, I’m trying 62/67 fr/rr with 30mm tires on Mavic Aksum Elite UST wheels. Not as nice a ride at these pressures, (they feel more like GP4k all seasons vs the regular GP4ks,) but I’m happy enough that I will stick with these until supply runs out.
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After two pinch flats in a week, I had to re-up a four pack of the Hutchinson F5 Storm11, which remain on sale at excel sports (but are out of stock almost everywhere else). Looks like these are going to be replaced/updated so act quickly.
As for the pinch flats, it’s clear that my fat ass needs to up the pressures, so at 210 lbs, I’m trying 62/67 fr/rr with 30mm tires on Mavic Aksum Elite UST wheels. Not as nice a ride at these pressures, (they feel more like GP4k all seasons vs the regular GP4ks,) but I’m happy enough that I will stick with these until supply runs out.
As for the pinch flats, it’s clear that my fat ass needs to up the pressures, so at 210 lbs, I’m trying 62/67 fr/rr with 30mm tires on Mavic Aksum Elite UST wheels. Not as nice a ride at these pressures, (they feel more like GP4k all seasons vs the regular GP4ks,) but I’m happy enough that I will stick with these until supply runs out.
#118
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Yup, and the classic snake bite puncture to prove it. In fact, I’ve pinch flatted four tubeless tires, these and the Schwalbe Pro Ones I previously used (although those punctures occurred eight months apart). This usually occurs after sharp impacts (like road construction where they just carve out the top layer of asphalt) and curbs (which caused this most recent one). I became comfortable running low pressures (~52/56 fr/rr,) but that’s not the way forward I suppose.
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Yup, and the classic snake bite puncture to prove it. In fact, I’ve pinch flatted four tubeless tires, these and the Schwalbe Pro Ones I previously used (although those punctures occurred eight months apart). This usually occurs after sharp impacts (like road construction where they just carve out the top layer of asphalt) and curbs (which caused this most recent one). I became comfortable running low pressures (~52/56 fr/rr,) but that’s not the way forward I suppose.
62/67 is also still pretty marginal at your weight, but probably won't pinch flat. I run 70/75 on 30 mm tyres at 175 lbs on rough crappy roads. Never had a pinch flat ever.
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Yup, and the classic snake bite puncture to prove it. In fact, I’ve pinch flatted four tubeless tires, these and the Schwalbe Pro Ones I previously used (although those punctures occurred eight months apart). This usually occurs after sharp impacts (like road construction where they just carve out the top layer of asphalt) and curbs (which caused this most recent one). I became comfortable running low pressures (~52/56 fr/rr,) but that’s not the way forward I suppose.
#121
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#122
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Well, that snuck up on me! I guess that I didn't have as much tread left on the Michelin Power Road TLR as I'd thought - finally tally on the rear tire was a little over 3k miles.

The front is still in great shape, as expected. I have another to replace the rear, but I also have some Pirelli P-Zero Race sitting on the shelf. I should probably stick with the Michelin and save the Pirelli for next year, but new toys are always fun and tempting.

The front is still in great shape, as expected. I have another to replace the rear, but I also have some Pirelli P-Zero Race sitting on the shelf. I should probably stick with the Michelin and save the Pirelli for next year, but new toys are always fun and tempting.
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Well, that snuck up on me! I guess that I didn't have as much tread left on the Michelin Power Road TLR as I'd thought - finally tally on the rear tire was a little over 3k miles.
The front is still in great shape, as expected. I have another to replace the rear, but I also have some Pirelli P-Zero Race sitting on the shelf. I should probably stick with the Michelin and save the Pirelli for next year, but new toys are always fun and tempting.
The front is still in great shape, as expected. I have another to replace the rear, but I also have some Pirelli P-Zero Race sitting on the shelf. I should probably stick with the Michelin and save the Pirelli for next year, but new toys are always fun and tempting.
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#124
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I decided to go with the path of least resistance and mount up another Michelin. I'll probably be ready to switch out to the Pirelli come Spring.
Oh, and just for gits and shiggles, I decided to try seating the new tire with just a floor pump, something I've never done before. Some tentative pumping encouraged me to up the pace and, 10 seconds later, SNAP-SNAP!
Oh, and just for gits and shiggles, I decided to try seating the new tire with just a floor pump, something I've never done before. Some tentative pumping encouraged me to up the pace and, 10 seconds later, SNAP-SNAP!

#125
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I decided to go with the path of least resistance and mount up another Michelin. I'll probably be ready to switch out to the Pirelli come Spring.
Oh, and just for gits and shiggles, I decided to try seating the new tire with just a floor pump, something I've never done before. Some tentative pumping encouraged me to up the pace and, 10 seconds later, SNAP-SNAP!
Oh, and just for gits and shiggles, I decided to try seating the new tire with just a floor pump, something I've never done before. Some tentative pumping encouraged me to up the pace and, 10 seconds later, SNAP-SNAP!
