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TECH NEWS
michelin pro4 endurance 28mm.pngMichelin releases 28mm Pro4 Endurance tyre
Michelin has launched a 28mm version of the Pro4 Endurance tyre, joining the existing 25 and 23mm versions. The new tyre weighs a claimed 285g and uses a dual compound tread to provide improved cornering grip in the wet and higher resistance to wear. No price has been announced yet.
Michelin says “the 28mm variant provides greater versatility for use on all types of ground (smooth or granular asphalt, light gravel covering, paving stones), while also improving ride comfort.
“At the same time, the 28mm version’s flatter profile reduces rolling resistance at equivalent speeds and pressures, with less energy required to move forward than is the case with the 23mm tyre.”
Wider tyres are very much in fashion at the moment, with many cyclists being converted by their benefits, which include increased comfort, better grip and greater puncture resistance - due to the greater air volume. Some studies have shown that the wider tyre provides lower rolling resistance than narrower tyres.
Why is this? At the same pressures a narrow tyre will have the same contact patch size as a wide tyre, but while the narrow tyre has a long and thin contact patch, the wide tyre has a wider and shorter contact patch. This difference in the contact patch shape creates less carcass deflection, reducing rolling resistance.
Michelin also adds that the new has a minimum recommended inflation pressure of 58psi, compared to 72-87psi for the narrower versions. The tyre is made with a 3x110 TPI casing with a bead-to-bead breaker providing 40% greater puncture resistance than its nearest rival in Michelin’s own tests, but doesn’t state what tyre it was compared to.
Unlike the 23mm tyre which is available in five colours and the 25mm tyre in two colours, the new 28mm Pro4 Endurance is only available in black.
road.cc tested the 23mm Pro4 Endurance tyre and found it to offer the durability and puncture resistance that makes it a natirla choice for winter cycling, with a rolling resistance that ensures it rolls quickly.
There’s quite a lot of good choice if you’re in the market for a 28mm tyre. Continental, Schwalbe, Panaracer, Challenge, Bontrager, Specialized, Hutchinson, all produce 27/28mm tyres. We'll get a pair of the new Michelin tyres in for review and put them through the grinder.
No price has been comfirmed yet. More info at bike.michelin.co.uk
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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17 comments
Looks like they'll soon be available from Wiggle. More expensive than the 25s...
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/michelin-pro4-endurance-v2-folding-tyre-700-x-28/
25mm pro 4 endurances on Open Pro come out as 26.4mm as do 25mm SC's. Both , on that rim, are fingers only fitment. Same on narrower Mavic rims. Older versions of the open pro I suspect.
Not available in any shops yet it seems. Been waiting for these for a while now after this article on bikerumor.
http://www.bikerumor.com/2014/09/29/ib14-michelin-sizes-up-with-28mm-pro...
Using the 25s at the moment and great value at £20 a pop from online stores.
I use the 25mm version of these and do really like them but yeah a real pain to fit which isn't what I want in a winter tyre when I get a puncture.
Just use levers and be careful about pinching the inner tube. A quick once over with your fingers after fitting will quickly find any bad spots. I do this and have never had a problem, and I use latex tubes, which supposedly are easier to damage.
Been there, done that! When I got the SC's, on fitting the first tyre, I pinched the inner and ripped it (and it was on the last inch or so!) so I had to lever off the tyre and start again. Not so bad when sat in the garage, but stood at the side of the road and quickly losing feeling in your fingers to the cold, being delicate with the tyre levers is a frustrating chore. Still chuffed to bits with the Service Course (and to think, I only got them because they were cheaper than the continentals), will definitely be getting them again next time.
Being Mr. Impatient, I tried Service Course once and gave in. Switched to Ultremos, which I essentially just throw at the rim and they glide neatly into place. No doubt experience varies on different rims.
I wonder if these are as much of a PIA to fit as the regular service course. always makes me wonder how people fit and remove tyres without levers and whether they'd manage it with pro4's.
ha this is so true. they are hard to put on but worth the effort
I did 80 miles at the weekend on a new set of 23mm Pro4 Endurance over all sorts of horrible wet winter muck and there's barely a mark on them. Very impressed with the toughness. I expected such a lightweight tyre to suffer but after a wipe down they still look new. The 28mm version will be high on the shopping list next time I put new rubber on my commuter bike for sure.
Are they specifically thinking about longitudinal carcass deflection? And why is that more important than lateral?
Much of the reason for the wider tyres than advertised, that you both mention, is down to rim width. Stick a 23mm tyre on a 25mm rim, and the tyre will balloon to 25mm.
Wide rims are as important, if not more important, than wide tyres if you do want to go wider
Yes, but my rims, Mavic Open Pro, are narrow. Almost all the other tyres I've measured have been narrower than specified. Continental in particular have all been a size smaller.
25mm Pro 2 Race: meassure 26.8mm on a narrow Mavic Open pro. IN MY HUMBLE OPINION the the best clincher tire yet produced. leightweight, punture resistant (exept flint in rain), very complient sidewalls for low rolling resistance, great grip, high milage - they even rode nice with a yellow ciclolinea tire liner. sort of mix between a CP4000 and a Veloflex.
I never did like the Pro 3, they where too skinny and the 25mm was a true 25mm. The Pro 4 has skimped on the skinny part but i dont like the V profile - they change ride charastaristcs once the v top is worn.
I always thought this was Michelin's little secret.
My summer bike had 23mm Pro3's which were as wide as the 25mm Durano's on my winter bike! (yes, I did use calipers to compare).
Sounds great. I hope they're like their old 25 mm Krylion Carbon tyres which I had, and actually measured 27 mm wide.
I'm still using Krylions on one bike! They do need replacing now but not one puncture with them and they still grip pretty well.