Michelin Cyclocross Sprint

Price Paid:  $55.00 at Local Bike shop

Favorite Ride:
None Specific

Bike Setup:
02 Bianchi Axis. I saved another 1/3lb by replacing the boat anchor XT rear cassette with a 02 XTR cassette (12-34). Raceface 170mm 36/44 front. Seatpost was replaced with a Tommy Thompson and the seat is a Sella Italia Flight TI.

Summary:
I bought these tires to replace the stock Kenda Kwik's that came on my 02 Bianchi Axis. Not only are these tires about 300 grams per tire less weight they also grip probably 50% better also. I mounted the front tire opposite of the arrow on purpose for additional traction. I have to hit the brake's in corner's now. I rode the same cyclocross course yesterday as I did today and in spots I slipped all over the place like I was riding on grease I didn't even have to slow down today let alone slip. It's ashame they quit making these tires. The replacements for these are the "Jet" series.

Strengths:
Well the green they come in match my bike paint perfectly. What was Bianchi thinking in putting Blue tires on? I dropped 1 lb in rotational weight on my bike with just these tires alone.

Weaknesses:
None yet, I'll post a follow up review in another month.

Similar Products Used:
None.

Price Paid:  $35.00 at online

Favorite Ride:
Croton Aquaduct

Bike Setup:
Surly Cross-Check frame, Mavic CXP21 rims on Shimano 105 hubs, 42 x 12-27 gearing, Tekro "shorty" ve

Summary:
Great all-around tire for rough raods, light-to-moderate off road, yet reasonable rolling resistance, even for long raod rides. Superb "urban assault" tire. I have done a lot of urban riding on these, and they excel on really trashed streets like those in downtown NYC now with a lot of patches, potholes, metal plates and cobblestones. These tires handle whatever is dished out. I've also ridden a lot of off-road trails on Long Island (Hither Hills, Rocky Point, as well as Croton Aqueduct in Westchester County, and they do surprisingly well, especially on hard pack (like Croton Aquaduct and Rocky Point). They don't do very well on those occasional sections of deep loose sand, but what do you expect, though they can get through moderate sandy stuff OK. In the country, you can ride long sections of road and then hop off road if you see an interesting looking trail, On-road they're not as fast as 700-23s (again, what do you expect), but they're still reasonably speedy. I run them at 70 psi, except I lower the front to 50 when I know I'm going to be on soft stuff. The main issue is whether they'll fit on your bike - most road bikes have a rear brake bridge that's too low to clear these tires, and the fork might be too narrow at the top. I have a cross-specific frame with brake bosses, though these tires would probably fit on old frames made for 27 inch tires (on 700c wheels of course). These tires wore out after about 6 months use like described above (they got hard and the rear tread wore down), but I like them so much I bought another pair. In light of wha I experienced, I would recommend rotating them front-rear every couple of months.

Strengths:
Good traction and stability on loose, uneven, crappy surfaces, not bad in the wet, very fast tire on-road for its size

Weaknesses:
Wears out

Similar Products Used:
Various road tires