MICHELIN POWER ROAD CLINCHER

£42.99 Another fine tyre from the French manufacturer

WEIGHT 238g per tyre

Michelin has updated its top-tier road bike range with the new Power Road, a clincher or tubeless tyre designed for racing, training and all-round use. It’s a very fast-rolling tyre that grips well in the dry and wet, has good durability and puncture protection is up there with the best. It maintains the good track record the French company has for performance tyres.

The Power clincher is constructed using a triple 120 TPI layer casing topped with an Aramid Protek+ punctureprotection strip and a high-density cross-laid material, and covered with an X-Race rubber compound. Like many tyres, there are shallow grooves along the shoulder to improve grip and Specialized has beefed up the sidewalls for added durability. Initial installation was a little tricky as they’re a tight fit.

Once on, they provide a tangible sense of low rolling resistance, zipping along at a nice speed. The tyres really deliver on the claims to be a good competition and training tyre. Through the corners and along damp roads, they enjoy high levels of traction and the casing has a supportive feel that keeps the tyre stable through corners. Casing and sidewall suppleness is a notch below the best but these are tough tyres – they coped with potholes and even gravel deviations. If you treat your rubber mean, these will cope adequately. With good speed and composure on rough roads and impressive puncture protection, these are good fit-and-forget tyres that work for racing to steady riding – and for a competitive price, too.

They provide a tangible sense of low rolling resistance, zipping along at a nice speed