MICHELIN POWER COMPETITION

Tyres to make you go faster

Tubeless on the road is definitely becoming a thing, but if you don’t want to spend thousands upgrading your rims, this top-quality clincher will also make you go faster.

It’s true: Michelin has an annual R&D budget for car tyres of hundreds of millions of euros, so they know a thing or two about rolling resistance. They’ve taken all that intel and applied it to the rubber compound of this tyre, which they claim saves you 10W of power. In practical terms, this equates to over a minute off the time to climb Alpe d’Huez, a weight saving of 1.5kg, or 2.8m in a 30-second sprint.

All sorts of tests have been done to prove this, but we didn’t have the machinery to replicate them. Plus, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is how the Power Comps feel, and they feel great.

We mounted a set of 25s to Campagnolo Zonda wheels, and they were zippy and grippy on all sorts of surfaces, from slick tar to rough pavement. They were supple, too, thanks in part to each tyre weighing a meagre 215g.

The ‘tread’ is simply a sandpaper feel to the rubber, which might prejudice grip in wet weather, although we rode through a rain shower and they held firm. Likewise, we didn’t get any punctures, but this might have been down to luck.

Ultimately, this is a pro tyre at a weekender price. Not all of us will care too much about saving 10W of power, but they do feel fast, and maybe that’s all you need to get to the top of Northcliff Hill quicker than the rest of your group…