Road bike tyre test 2018 - The best tyres for road bikes: Clincher and tubeless
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Because the tyre shapes the riding and comfort impression more than almost any other part, it can be used to control the character of any road bike. By changing to a 28-millimetre tyre, a rock-hard bike can suddenly smooth out rough tarmac as if it had just been tarmacked. We tested five tubeless and eight clincher tyres with a width of 28 millimetres in the laboratory and on the road.
The tubeless model RT28 is the heaviest tyre in the test field at a good 340 grams, but at the same time the fastest on smooth asphalt. The extremely light Mavic Yksion Clincher, on the other hand, rolls only mediocre.
In the rolling resistance test, which we are the only magazine to measure independently on two different rough surfaces, we filter out the differences. This also shows that, especially on the rough test surface, which has the characteristics of a roughly asphalted road, most of the test candidates outperform their five millimetre narrower counterparts by a narrow margin despite the lower air pressure (measured pressure 28 millimetres: 5.5 bar; 23 millimetres: 7.5 bar). The fastest clincher tyres in the field include Continental, Schwalbe, Pirelli and Specialized; with the exception of Hutchinson, all tubeless tyres are at a similar, very high level.
In terms of puncture protection, Conti and Schwalbe are ahead, with the protective layers on the tread being the most effective. The tubeless tyre from Specialized is also good; in the case of the less well performing tubeless tyres, the fact that the puncture sealant seals small punctures by itself must be put into perspective.
We tested the grip of the tyres on wet roads, where Pirelli, Schwalbe and Vittoria offer the best compound, as does the tubeless tyre from Mavic. As a result, it is no surprise that even in the 28 millimetre class, the Continental, which has been tried and tested for years, offers one of the best overall packages among the clinchers. Here, however, Schwalbe One can catch up with the classic, and the newcomer Pirelli is also on a par.
However, they are all overtaken by a tubeless tyre: The Schwalbe Pro One's compound cannot be beaten in terms of overall properties, and the tubeless system also shows its weight advantage here. It therefore emerges from the comparison as the test winner.
Test ranking clincher tyres:
Grand Prix 4000 S II Grade 1.4 Test winner
Very fast, puncture-proof and durable: the all-rounder is also a contender for victory in wide. The sidewall is somewhat susceptible to cuts.
Schwalbe One Grade 1.4 Test winner
Very balanced in terms of speed, grip and safety, and also very comfortable. Together with Conti, winner in the clincher category. Easy to fit >> e.g. available here.
Pirelli P Zero Velo Grade 1.6
Right away among the best, fast and with good grip. Top in the puncture test, but relatively thin, sensitive sidewall. Easy to fit >> e.g. available here.
Vittoria Corsa Note 2.4
Rolling resistance quite high on rough surfaces, but very grippy in the wet. Relatively expensive >> e.g. available here.
Panaracer Race A Evo 3 Grade 2.5
All-round puncture protection up to the sides, therefore relatively safe even on gravel. Comparatively difficult to fit.
Specialised S-Works Turbo Cotton Grade 2.7
Very manoeuvrable Fast, very comfortable tyre, weaknesses in wet conditions. No puncture protection, but surprisingly robust tread and sidewall >> e.g. available here.
Zipp Tangente Speed R28 Grade 2.8
Very thick rubberised, therefore resistant to cuts. Rolls tough on all surfaces, but has the best road holding in the test.
Mavic Yksion Pro Grade 3.5
The lightest clincher tyre, but with weaknesses in the other disciplines. Rolls particularly tough on rough roads.
Test ranking tubeless tyres:
Schwalbe Pro One Grade 1.2 Test winner
Makes full use of its tubeless strengths, fast rubber with plenty of grip. Rather wide cut, but seals well. Narrow test winner >> e.g. available here.
Specialised S-Works Turbo 2Bliss Ready Grade 1.6
Strong in terms of rolling resistance and puncture protection, also easy to fit. One of the surprises in the test for the favourable price
Mavic Yksion Pro UST Grade 2.0
Very fast, relatively comfortable tyre with good grip. Susceptible to larger cuts. Takes a little longer to seal.
Hutchinson Sector Grade 2.2
Good puncture resistance and grip, but no advantages in rolling resistance. In contrast to earlier models, fitting is easy >> e.g. available here.
Zipp Tangente RT28 Grade 2.2
Quite heavy, but extremely fast. Average puncture protection, which can be relativised by the sealant. Relatively sensitive sidewall
We award our test marks according to weight (10%), rolling resistance (30%), puncture resistance (30%) and wet grip (30%).
Fastest tyre: ZIPP Tangente RT28
Best wet grip: Mavic Yksion UST
The complete test was published in TOUR 06/2018. The PDF below contains all the detailed test results, information on tubeless and background knowledge on tyre comfort.
Downloads:
PDF: Tyre test 2018
