Tips and advice bicycle
Whatever your cycling activity, some tyres will be more suitable than others. How do you choose the right bike tyres to get the performance you expect? Find the answers in our complete guide.
1 - Identify the size of your bike tyre
We recommend that you stick close to the size of the tyres already fitted to your bike. Even if it is possible to opt for larger or smaller tyres, be aware that this can involve risks. Fitting bike tyres that are too big could cause interference with your bike's frame, and tyres that are too small could break more easily and are less easy to handle.
How do you identify the size of your bike tyres?
The size of your bike tyres is shown on their sidewall. And if your bike is less than 5 years old, it's also likely that you can find the technical specifications simply by typing in your bike's reference number on the internet. You can also consult your dealer or the technical data sheet for your bike, where the tyre specifications are described.
The important thing is to make sure you stay within the dimensions specified for your bike in order to guarantee safety and the original handling characteristics of your bicycle.
2 - Choose a bike tyre adapted to your use
Once you know your tyre size, you need to choose a bike tyre that is suited to your use.
Are you more of a ROAD, CITY or MTB (mountain bike) rider?
Each of these broad categories has a range of uses, and it's important to identify yours in order to choose wisely.
ROAD
This is your category if you use your bike mainly on the road for racing or training, cyclocross or gravel. If you use your bike for commuting, please refer to our CITY section.
Racing
Is your goal to be the first to cross the finish line? Road racing is a demanding discipline, focused on speed and endurance, requiring a lightweight, aerodynamic bike and high-performance tyres.
For this discipline, we recommend the MICHELIN Power Cup, which will satisfy you in every way.
We discuss this in more detail in our article on "How to choose the best road bike tyres".
Training
If your main focus is on training to improve your fitness, endurance, speed and technique, then consider the MICHELIN Lithion (available in tubetype only) which offers an interesting compromise between rolling efficiency and wear resistance, or the MICHELIN Power All Season.
To find out more, read our article on "How to choose the best road bike tyres".
Cyclocross
If you're a Cyclocross enthusiast, you're looking for good grip on dry and wet terrain to perform on difficult and technical courses. Our bike tyres specifically designed for this use are the MICHELIN Power Cyclocross JET for dry terrain and the MICHELIN Power Cyclocross MUD for soft and muddy terrain.
Find out more in our article on "How to choose your cyclocross tyre?"
Gravel
If you ride on the road, but also on gravel or trails where your bike tyres need to perform just as well without risking punctures, it may be wise to choose a gravel tyre to meet your needs. To do this, it's important to consider the types of terrain you'll primarily be dealing with. Depending on your riding style and your preferred types of riding surfaces, the MICHELIN Power Gravel or the MICHELIN Power Adventure will be relevant options.
To find out more, read our article on "How to choose the best gravel tyres for your bike?"
CITY
This category is for you if you use your bike mainly for urban purposes, for commuting on asphalt roads, or for touring or trekking, sometimes venturing onto paths or roads in poor condition. We'll also look at All Season use and advise you on bike tyres for children.
Commuting
If you use your bike mainly in an urban environment, such as commuting to work, it's essential to opt for tyres that are suitable for asphalt terrain, offering good grip and ensuring optimum comfort during everyday journeys in town.
For this purpose, you can opt for the MICHELIN Protek or the MICHELIN Protek Max. The main difference is that the latter is more resistant to punctures.
Touring
Our Touring bike tyres are designed for cyclists who like to venture slightly off the beaten track. If this sounds like you, you may want to consider the MICHELIN Protek, MICHELIN Protek Max, MICHELIN Protek Cross or MICHELIN Protek Cross Max, depending on the ratio of paths you use. These tyres generally have a little more tread, allowing better control and grip when venturing slightly off-road.
Trekking
If you plan to use your bike more frequently on cycle paths in poor condition or on small off-road tracks, trekking bike tyres are for you. In this case, opt for the MICHELIN Protek Cross or the MICHELIN Protek Cross Max. The tread pattern of the Protek Cross Max has more studs for more versatile off-road use.
Please note that these tyres are suitable for urban/commuting use with a little off-road. For full off-road use, please see the MTB section.
All season
All-season bike tyres are ideal for winter. They offer optimum grip and performance in a variety of weather conditions, including the typically wet and slippery winter roads. So if you are the kind of person who hits the road even in these conditions, we recommend the MICHELIN Power All Season and the MICHELIN StarGrip.
Kids
For younger cyclists, we offer tyres specially designed for children's bikes up to 24 inches. These bike tyres are designed to offer a safe and comfortable ride, adapted to small wheels.
The MICHELIN City J is designed for use mainly on asphalt. The MICHELIN Country J, with its more indented tread pattern, is ideal for greater off-road use.
MTB
This is the right category for you if you're looking for a taste of adventure when you get on your bike. Away from the roads, you like irregular or difficult courses, for leisure or competition. Which discipline suits you best - Cross-Country, Trail, Enduro, Downhill or the simple pleasure of riding your mountain bike off-road?
Let's start with a question:
Do you know your suspension travel?
Suspension travel refers to the ability of the front and/or rear wheel to move vertically to absorb shocks and overcome obstacles. For example, if your bike has 100 millimetres of travel at the front, this means that your front wheel can move vertically by 100 millimetres to overcome an obstacle.
The various mountain bike disciplines are generally categorised according to suspension travel:
- Travel under 120mm
These travel values are typical of cross-country bikes. These bikes are designed for speed and efficiency on relatively smooth terrain. - Travel from 120mm to 140mm
These travels are generally found in the Trail, All Mountain and Down Country categories. In these disciplines, the bikes offer a good balance between crossing capacity and climbing efficiency. - Travel from 140mm to 160mm
These are generally Trail or All Mountain bikes, designed to tackle rougher terrain and steeper descents. - Travel over 160mm and up to approximately 190mm
This is the Enduro category. Bikes in this discipline are designed for technical descents and difficult mountain courses. - Travel over 190mm
It is generally reserved for Downhill, a discipline that favours extreme descents and very uneven terrain.
If you don't know your suspension travel and don't specialise in the disciplines mentioned above, you may be an occasional off-road cyclist looking for a little fun on your mountain bike from time to time. If that's the case, look no further than our 'Access line' mountain bike ranges, which will be perfect for your use.
Otherwise, read on.
Cross-Country
Our Racing Line range includes three effective bike tyres for cross-country use: MICHELIN Jet, MICHELIN Force and MICHELIN Wild.
MICHELIN Jet, designed for hard packed terrain, offers maximum speed without compromising grip and robustness.
MICHELIN Force, our most versatile option, perfectly balances performance and grip on a wide variety of terrains.
MICHELIN Wild is our most extreme tyre for Cross-Country. It's specially designed for soft terrain and offers maximum grip.
There is a difference of 2 watts between the Jet and the Force (in favour of the Jet), as well as between the Force and the Wild (in favour of the Force).
- If you're looking to optimise your performance and improve your times, opt for the MICHELIN Jet.
- If you're looking for a balance between performance and more sensible use, the MICHELIN Force or the MICHELIN Wild tyre would be more appropriate.
Trail / Mountain
In the Trail Mountain segment, our range is called MICHELIN All Mountain 2. It is available in two options: MICHELIN Force AM2 competition line and MICHELIN Wild AM2 competition line.
- The "Force" is faster than the "Wild" on hard to mixed terrain.
- The "Wild" will give you more grip than the "Force" on mixed to soft surfaces.
If you want to optimise speed, put 2 "Force" tyres on your bike.
If you want to optimise grip, fit 2 "Wild" tyres.
By combining these two bike tyres, a Wild at the front and a Force at the rear, you get the preferred choice of high-level riders. This will give you a more playful and responsive bike for your All Mountain use.
Note that some All Mountain 1 ranges are still available in Performance line for the time being, so you can find older sizes.
Enduro
Our enduro range is available in 2 versions: MICHELIN Racing Line and MICHELIN Competition line.
The Racing line is the version ridden by our professional cyclists in the Enduro World Series and Enduro World Cup. It offers you the best grip/solidity compromise so that you can finish a race without falling off while optimising your cornering times.
Let's take a closer look at what these ranges have to offer:
Racing Line Enduro
There are two tyre versions in this range: the MICHELIN Wild Enduro Front Racing Line and the MICHELIN Wild Enduro Rear Racing Line.
The "Front" gives you maximum grip and the "Rear" allows you to optimise performance on the rear wheel. For maximum grip, you can fit two Front tyres at the front and rear. However, Michelin does not recommend fitting a Wild Enduro Rear at the front for Racing Line use.
Racing Line tyres are available in 29 x 2.40 for the front and 29 x 2.40 for the rear.
Competition Line Enduro
If your use is moderate but you're still looking for maximum pleasure and performance, we have a Wild Enduro range available in a competition line version. With its 3 options, this range covers all the uses you'll be looking for on your Enduro bike.
The MICHELIN Wild Enduro Front is available in two tyre compounds, Magi-x and Gum-x.
- The Magi-x will give you maximum grip
- The Gum-x will give you maximum performance.
The MICHELIN Wild Enduro Rear is only available on the Competition Line in Gum-x version.
How do you choose between the Racing Line and the Competition Line?
- If you're looking for better time performance and a trouble-free tyre, opt for the Racing Line.
- If you're looking to slightly optimise your skills with a full-performance tyre, the Competition Line is for you.
Globally, the entire competition line is available in 27.5 x 2.40 and 29 x 2.40.
Downhill
Our Downhill ranges are available in two levels: Racing line and Performance line. They feature the same DNA as our cross-country ranges.
- The Racing Line is specifically designed for people looking for maximum performance in terms of grip and solidity. You can tackle World Cup tracks without any worries, with excellent grip and no fear of punctures.
- The Performance Line is designed to give you a good performance compromise for more moderate Downhill use.
Let's take a closer look at these ranges:
Racing Line Downhill
It is available in three tread versions:
- The MICHELIN DH 34 is the fastest option in the range and allows you to perform on hard terrain (compacted earth/stone/Bike Park),
- The MICHELIN DH 22 is the most versatile option, providing good stud penetration on soft ground and stability on hard ground,
- The MICHELIN DH mud is the perfect option for excelling in mud when you encounter these conditions, or very soft ground
These three bike tyres have been used in World Cup races.
Performance Line Downhill
This range is only available in DH 34 with the MICHELIN DH 34 Bike Park because its objective is to offer you the best performance for Bike Park use.
Its tread pattern, inspired by the DH 34 Racing Line, allows you to optimise your grip on the hard terrain you'll find in Bike Parks. However, the carcass is a little lighter and the rubber a little smoother, so you can optimise your speed between big jumps.
Because Bike Park use causes tyres to wear more quickly, the rubber of the MICHELIN DH 34 Bike Park is specifically designed to last longer in this use.
Down Country
For Down Country bike tyres, we suggest you look at our Cross-country Racing Line ranges in their 29 x 2.35 versions.
The MICHELIN Wild XC Racing Line offers maximum grip and outstanding responsiveness in corners, inspired by the MICHELIN Wild Enduro ranges.
The MICHELIN Wild XC Performance Line gives you maximum grip on soft and mixed terrain and puncture protection thanks to the high-density fibre layer under the tread.
Everyday
If you use your mountain bike occasionally, for example for weekend rides in the forest, Michelin recommends that you consult the Access Line page to equip your bike with suitable tyres.
For 26", 27.5" and 29" sizes, you'll appreciate our Country range, which was designed several years ago for this type of use.
Choose the tread look that suits you. Remember, the more aggressive the bike tyre looks, the more effective it will be off-road!
If you use your mountain bike for a more sporty purpose, even if only occasionally, and are looking for a 27.5" or 29" size, Michelin would recommend our Force Access Line and Wild Access Line ranges, whose treads are inspired by our Performance Line and Racing Line ranges.
These ranges are specifically designed to give you the durability you need. Only the carcass and rubber technologies differ in order to meet your needs in terms of compromise, lightness, strength, grip and performance.
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