Michelin Power Protection Tyre

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

The Michelin Power Protection TLR Tyres are for riders who want to 'Overcome tough road conditions all year round', boasting 'Puncture & pinch protection, grip, and durability'.

In my testing I found the tyres to tick all of these boxes, and I've been impressed with their performance.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

From Michelin:

Puncture Protection

Designed to withstand obstacles on all types of roads thanks to its MICHELIN Bead to Bead technology reinforcement that offers puncture and pinch protection

Grip

Designed for safe riding with a tyre optimized for wet grip thanks to the MICHELIN Magi-X compound and a tread pattern that improves stability

Durability

The most durable MICHELIN Tubeless Ready road tire thanks to a new tread pattern combined with the MICHELIN Bead to Bead technology

Straight out of the box, the tyres had something about them that felt reassuring. Running my thumb across the tread, I could feel the grippy, almost tacky, rubber waiting to grip onto the tarmac – which I found very confidence inspiring. When I unfolded the tyres they held their shape well, which made fitting them to rims and setting them up tubeless a breeze.

Throughout my nearly 1,000km of testing, I didn't have any punctures, or any loose moments where I felt the tyres lost their purchase on the road, and, despite a broad variety of road surfaces being tackled, the tyres are showing virtually no wear. Being a tyre that prioritises puncture protection and durability over pure outright performance, they did feel ever so slightly slow to pick up speed when accelerating, but nowhere near as much as other proper winter tyres.

After 1,000km of British roads, light gravel, and some cobbles around my home town of Bristol, the tyres are showing virtually no sign of wear. The thin moulding line that runs around the centre of the tyre tread has been worn down on the rear but is still visible on the front, the Michelin branding on the sidewalls is still looking fresh, and there are basically no visible cuts or holes.

At 370g, the 30mm Power Protection tyres are definitely heavier than a racier tyre, but come in a good 10g under comparable all-season tyres like the Vittoria Ridearmor (13g heavier for a 28mm version), the Hutchinson Challenger (15g heavier for a 25mm version), or the Pirelli PZero 4s (10g heavier in a 30mm version). Having said that, I did feel the tyres felt a little draggy on steeper climbs, so I can't say I felt the 10-15g lighter weight – but, on paper, that's an impressive weight for an all-season tyre.

With their 30mm width, and set up tubeless, these are very comfortable tyres. The sidewall is a little stiffer than some because of the bead-to-bead puncture protection, but it's not something I noticed when riding. After a few rides experimenting with tyre pressures and getting the setup dialled in, I was very comfortable on the tyres.

It's a good £25 more than the Hutchinson Challenger and £20 more than the Vittoria Ridearmor, but exactly the same price as the Pirelli PZero 4s, which is a touch heavier even in a narrower width, and a tenner cheaper than a Continental GP5000 AS TR.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

The tyres performed really well. They do exactly what they're designed to and offer bags of grip, plenty of puncture protection (jinx!), and enough durability to get you through a good few thousand km before they'd need to be replaced. They don't feel like the raciest tyres I've ever used, but they're not designed to be.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Setting them up tubeless was really straightforward. I put the tyres on a pair of Reynolds wheels with a 21mm internal rim width, and could install them easily without tyre levers and inflate with a regular track pump.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing really, though I would love to see a tan wall option to match up with the Power Cup line of racing tyres and add a touch of flair to a more everyday tyre. I imagine the lack of tan wall is to do with the bead-to-bead protection.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

The tyres are at a premium price point, and sit in line with something like a Pirelli PZero 4s. They are about £10 less than a Continental GP5000 AS TR tyre, though, another comparable model.

Use this box to explain your overall score

They're excellent, doing exactly what they are designed to. I'd be very happy to ride these most of the year day-to-day, just swapping to something lighter for race day.