Michelin Protek Cross Tire (Black) (700c) (32mm) (Wire)

I have put around 300 miles on a set of 32c size and I really like these. After 100 or so miles of breaking in I can easily maintain 16-18 mph on the road on my hybrid bike or take it on rail trails and feel confident. Highly recommended.

This review is for a pair of 47-559 (26X1.85) Michelin Protek Cross tires on a Gen-1 Montague Paratrooper bike. These tires are designed in France and manufactured in Thailand. They replaced a pair of Chinese "knobbies" OEM tires. The Protek Cross tires have noticeably low rolling resistance and excellent traction on dry or damp asphalt and concrete surfaces. They use a relatively soft rubber compound so have good traction at high lean angles, and they ride very "smooth". They are designed for use at higher pressures than most 1.85 or 1.95 width tires and maintaining those higher pressures is important to maintain sidewall life. Some users have reported sidewall failures, but those seem to be related to those tires being operated at pressures much lower than Michelin recommends for heavier riders. At correct pressure, these are fairly "hard" riding tires and feel more like a slick racing tire than the typical soft tires usually offered in these sizes. They have a directional tread pattern that must be observed when mounting. Steering effort is very light, and cornering response is very quick. Road feel is good and ride is on the "hard" side. Weight is fairly low for tires that include a puncture resting layer.

Michelin supplies a chart of recommended minimum tire pressures for various rider weights, and for good sidewall life this must be observed. Rider weight vs. Pressure listing: 50kg or less (110 lb.) = 2.5 bar/36 psi; 60kg (132 lb.) = 3.5 bar (50 psi); 70kg (154 lb.) = 5.0 bar (73 lb.); 80 kg or more (176 lb or more) = 6.0 bar 87 psi (max pressure allowed).

What, exactly, makes an e-bike tire?

I bought these Michelin Proteks (700c x 35) for a gravel bike based on good luck with other Michelin road bike tires. I didn't appreciate, however, they are "e-bike ready" until I got them. They went on the rims with only a bit of extra struggle - nothing to really write home about. Once mounted, however, they proved to be quite a bit larger in cross section than the 700x35's they were replacing. The Proteks ended up with uncomfortably little fork clearance (note the gravel bike was a modified general purpose frame, not a gravel bike specific design). Anyway, I rationalized as an unexpectedly e-bike tire and built for much heavier loads, they were likely to be all but bullet proof. They actually rolled pretty well for their ~750 gram weight. Sometime later I decided I wanted to swap them to a different bike (one with more fork clearance). This is where things got interesting. The Proteks did not want to come off the rim - I've never seen tire levers bend so much. I eventually got them off but I'm eternally thankful I was doing this at home and not repairing a flat on the side of a road somewhere, sweaty and crushing black flies. My assumption is the "e-bike ready" Proteks are intended for much heavier e-bikes where side loads can roll traditional tire designs off rims (there have been, I believe, lawsuits based on this and other instances of traditional bicycle equipment not being up to handling the much greater mass of e-bikes).

So in the end, despite adequate performance I've set these Proteks aside from an on-the-road serviceability perspective. Please keep this in mind in your tire decision making (in the meantime, I'll make you a great deal on a pair of slightly used Proteks....).

When I had my knee replaced I decided to go with a wider tire for stability for a year or so. The performance is good as long as one keeps the tire pressure up, as has been noted. As we travel extensively in our rv I decided to keep them on my hybrid as I consider them to be a good general use tire. With several thousand miles on them I will say tread wear is excellent. However……..I have been riding for about 50 years. During that time I have had about 3-4 bead separations. With these tires I have had 2 in the past 1 1/2 years. Maybe just coincidence but it is something to be aware of.