Michelin Axial Select Kevlar

Price Paid:  $25.00 at Performance

Favorite Ride:
Across L.A. at 2:00 AM

Summary:
Bought these under the new name, Erilium Pretty tough, bit heavy at 350g or so, bought a pair to replace the constantly flat panaracers that came on my bike, on my second pair of tires on my first real road bike, so i don't have a whole lot to compare to, but after maybe 1000 miles the rear has had it, probably got 7 or 800 miles trouble free, got first puncture from something really sharp and pointy, then a ways later a tread cut that attracted two more more punctures over the next few hundred miles, eventually got squared off, the front has yet to be punctured or cut, and shows very little sign of wear. not sure on handling and ride quality, seemed fine to me

Strengths:
Pretty tough, had quite a few trouble free miles despite my habit of riding home across los angles in the wee hours of the morning, though california redemption values keep the bottles of the streets, there is still some glass, and far more bad pavement than a city with so little rainfall should have, also took a while to square off despite many quick stops in traffic, fishtail skids to avoid certain death and all such lovely things that come with urban riding

Weaknesses:
A little heavy but not entirely bombproof, tread could be a little thicker, not a great deal at 25 bucks

Similar Products Used:
panaracers that were teh suck, great avocet cross touring tires and some super cheap 27"s on and old bike, this is my first first quality skinny road tire

Price Paid:  $35.00 at Hammer N Cycle

Favorite Ride:
Canberra to Jindabyne

Summary:
Bought these in October 2003 after i found that i was getting a lot of puntures even though i was using Continental Ultra Gator skins. These tyres were recommened by the LBS and until this week have been excellent in terms of puncture resistance, with probably 3 punctures in the last 4000KM. Having said that, i have had to replace the rear tyre this week after receiving a puncture by an unknown object which left the tyre with a gapping slit of about 6 cm in length right through.

Strengths:
Puncture Resistance

Weaknesses:
Tyres are a bit heavy and not as smooth a ride compared to the continentals that i used to use

Similar Products Used:
Continental Ultra Gator Skins??

Price Paid:  $28.00 at Bill's Bikes

Favorite Ride:
Hill country of Texas

Bike Setup:
Giant Kronos steel bike, Kinesis Carbon Fiber fork, TIME Equipe pro pedals, Shimano RSX full groupo, Selle Italia Prolink gel saddle, Mavic CXP 10 rims

Summary:
I bought these tires to satisfy my curiosity about the Michelin brand. I wanted a good training tire that I could use on charity rides in a pinch. I had previously had some Vittoria Integra tires that seemed puncture-proof but wore in the tread too easily. These Eriliums seem to do the trick. They look cool and seem to roll okay vs the vittorias. I have to get these in the 500 mile range at least to gauge their wearing characteristics vs. previous brands. So far, so good

Strengths:
Looks and good rolling resistance. Smooth ride in good weather.

Weaknesses:
Even though the rear tire is inflated to its safety limit, it still feels "mushy" in the handling. I am 5'11" and 185lbs, and I am still not totally confident to blast though the turns in a pack, let alone by myself.

Similar Products Used:
Vittoria, Continental Ultrasport 2000, Vredstein Ricorsos

Price Paid:  $25.00 at LBS

Favorite Ride:
Anytime it's not raining; sometimes even when it is.

Bike Setup:
'83 Trek 531C frame and fork, 180mm crank, Mavic hubs, Fir rims, 7sp Sachs freewheel, Shimano dual-pivots, dt shifters.

Summary:
Note: Michelin changed the name on these tires -- they're now Eriliums. AFAIK, everything else about them is the same.
Very decent training/commuting tire. Kevlar belt stands up to bad pavement and most road debris. Not as all-out tough as Conti Ultra Gatorskins, but I think they corner a little better, and they're a whole lot less expensive. Black tread, red stripe and tan sidewall add up to classic good looks. If you commute on a road bike, these are a great choice.

Strengths:
Reasonable compromise of performance and flat protection. Classic good looks.

Weaknesses:
Glass on wet roads will cut them. The rear squares off more quickly than one might like. Not as tough a tread as Conti Ultra Gatorskins.

Similar Products Used:
Continental Ultra Gatorskins. Kevlar-less Hutchinsons and Michelins that didn't stand up to NYC roads.

Price Paid:  $12.00 at Bike Gallery spring

Favorite Ride:
Crater Lake

Bike Setup:
2001 Bianchi Volpe, running gears for road rides and singlespeed for commuting and cyclocross

Summary:
Tire came recommended by my LBS as bulletproof and indestructible - perfect for the mix of commuting and weekend road rides I do. Having had it less than a month, I had to do a panic stop from 25 mph on the way home from work, and afterwards I found 3 separate 2-inch-long cuts in the tread that went all the way through down to the Kevlar belt. There was no glass on the road, only a bit of sand. I can't trust this tire in back - swapped out Turbo Armadillos for me, despite the weight. Still running one in front, though, and it's holding up fine.

Strengths:
Soft rubber compound provides excellent grip. Nice ride. Good handling. Very light (just over 300g for 700x23) for a Kevlar-belted tire with wire bead. Didn't cost me much.

Weaknesses:
Rubber compound is so soft I can't trust it to hold up - tire seems entirely dependent on the Kevlar belt to hold it together. Unacceptable as a rear tire.

Similar Products Used:
Spec Nimbus EX, Turbo Armadillo, numerous cyclocross tires