Michelin Transworld Sprint

Price Paid:  $18.00 at universalcycles.com

Favorite Ride:
Lost in Oregon

Bike Setup:
Surly Karate Monkey, SRAM DualDrive Disc 3-speed hub, On-One Mungo bars, 40W homebuilt light system w/strobe & running lights. That's why they call me GlowBoy.

Summary:
I picked this tire up for the 29"er I use for commuting in Portland's wet winters. As is typical for Michelin, it's even bigger than the stated 700x40 would suggest, bigger than some 700x42s. I also sometimes detour through Forest Park on the way home, which means I need a tire that can handle occasional mud and gravel.

I've only ridden it 3-4 months so it's too early to judge puncture resistance except that I've had no flats yet. Grip off-pavement is about as good as any semislick I've tried, even on surfaces not deep enough to engage the side knobs. Grip is not very good on wet pavement, probably due to the center diamond tread. Rolling resistance is better than most full knobbies but definitely on the high side for a semislick.

Strengths:
For a semislick, very good grip on dirt, mud, snow and ice. Puncture proof. Reflective sidewalls. Faster-rolling than a full knobby. Cheap! I paid $18 at universalcycles.com, which for me is an LBS, and they actually had it in stock.

Weaknesses:
Disappointing wet-pavement grip. Heavy (650g). Fairly slow-rolling for a semislick.

Similar Products Used:
Maxxis WormDrive 700x42 (narrower, 445g, extremely fast rolling, very good wet-pavement grip, weak offroad grip). IRC Mythos CX Slick 700x42 (520g, reasonably fast rolling, weak wet-pavement grip, decent offroad grip). Schwalbe BlackJack 700x45 (650g, quite fast rolling, scary-bad wet-pavement grip, outstanding grip in all other conditions). Nokian Hakkapeliitta W106 700x45 (studded, 1050g, similar rolling to the Michelin, excellent grip in all conditions from wet pavement to mud to dry or wet snow to dry or wet ice). Hand-shaved Kenda Klaw 29x2.0 (580g, very fast rolling with center knobs removed, decent grip on mud and wet pavement, puncture prone without tire liner due to thin casing, modify tires yourself at your own risk).

Price Paid:  $10.00 at Ebay

Favorite Ride:
Black Mo

Bike Setup:
Trek hybrid frame, cantis, 50cm drop bars, XTR/Delgado wheels, old-school drivetrain.

Summary:
I picked these up, lightly used, from that boon to cheap cyclists, Ebay.
I've used these for the past 5 months or so on my commuter. No damage to the tread or casing, even rolling through potholes and over broken glass. I've taken them off-road for shortcuts, and never felt out of control. The tread compound is pretty soft, for really good traction, but doesn't seem to wear that quickly. I still have most of the diamond center tread on the rear, and the side knobs look new.
The reflective sidewall stripe is a nice touch, too.
I recently picked up a set of Conti Top Touring 32s, which make the Michelins seem really slow by comparison. Once it snows, though, I'll be mounting the Transworlds back up.

Strengths:
Very grippy tread pattern and compound, excellent durability.

Weaknesses:
Fairly wide for the marked size.
Slow rolling - but that's the tradeoff for the tread.

Similar Products Used:
Vittoria Courier 32s
Continental Top Touring 2000 32s