Pavement,gravel and dirt roads no problem.
I ride 22 miles per day on the street for exercise. Rarely miss a day. Protek tires last me about a year, maybe even a little longer. I like the reflective belt on the sidewall. Rarely get a flat and usually it's because I'm using the tire past it's replacement point ( I tend to run them kinda bald...)
I have not had a chance to test the durability but the tire looks good and I really like the reflective stripe on the side. Excellent price!
Really nice tires. Whitewalls remind me of a old car with whitewalls lol.
I use this tire to bike daily on asphalt roads (12 miles). I like the reflective sidewall stripe. Excellent price. Easy to put on. Will see how they hold up, mileage and flat wise, versus the Continentals I have been using.
I ride about 2000 miles a year on the paved rail trail. I was a bit wooried about ordering on line. Took the plunge and I am glad I did. Great tires, better price!
I'm a big fan of these. I replaced the stock tires that came on by bike that were more of a hybrid tire with a small knobby tread pattern for running on loose gravel and loose dirt and such. They were okay for pavement but not ideal.
The Proteks are pretty amazing on pavement and don't immediately loose grip if you get into the sandy grit on the side of the road. I use them on my daily commuter, which I also take to a rail trail paved with crushed stone. The Proteks have a good balance for both surfaces.
They have good low rolling resistance and are nice and quiet (after break in...more on that later) For street use and commuting with the occasional cut across a grass area or loose gravel in the street, these are perfect. Same for hard packed crushed stone trails. I wouldn't want to go too far on loose gravel with these, but that's not what they are made for.
The reflective strip is nice. It's very visible in the dark when standing behind a bright light source (like a driver in a car). With a camera flash it's easily as bright as the professional grade 3M reflective tape I have on my wheels.
The tread is fine on wet pavement. My first ride on these was in the rain and they held fine and cornered well.
They are a little on the heavy side, but I found that's offset by the slicker tread pattern. They are heavier because they are durable. The tread is thick and unlikely to puncture easily. And the sidewalls are thick too, making them less likely to cut or tear. The thick sidewall also reduces the shock absorption, so it's a slightly rougher ride on any kind of rough terrain. But if you're riding on pavement like these are meant for that's a non issue.
These do come with a coating on them from the factory that has to wear off before you really get a true feel for the tire. It's a grease that they coat the rubber mold with so the finished tire pops out easily. The grease layer on these is thicker than most other tires. I've heard that Michelin leaves a thicker grease coating on than other brands. So for the first few miles they might squeak a little, especially when turning. At least until that grease layer wears off. It's not gooey to the touch or anything. It's dry. It just has to wear off before you get a better feel for the tire. I found it was gone within about 10 miles.
Sizes 35mm and up run bigger than advertised. I got the 35mm tires and they run about 37 mm wide when mounted and inflated. The chart on this listing shows sizes 32mm and smaller run true. Sizes 35mm and up add 2mm to the total width over the stated width. I replaced a pair of 38mm tires with 35mm Proteks and they were very similar sizing. Keep that in mind when choosing your size and trust the chart.
I bought these tires for my Trek 720 that I use for commuting to work and riding on a crushed gravel trail. They're very good compromise tire that works well on both surfaces.
I bought these tires for my Trek 720 that I use for commuting to work and riding on a crushed gravel trail. It's a very good compromise tire that works well on both surfaces. The price is nice too.
I have a town bike with big folding panniers and a large rack bag that I use to get groceries (just fits two large bags of groceries and a six-pack in the rack bag) - about 40 lb with no load. These tires carry the load easily yet are lighter and have much lower rolling resistance than the others I have tried on this bike. I absolutely recommend them!
I haven't actually mounted these tires yet and I'll update my review once I've had a chance to put some miles on them. However, out of the box they look great and the price is hard to beat!
GOOD TIRE FOR A GRAVEL BIKE , HAS SOME TREAD ON FOR DIRT BUT SMOOTH ENOUGH FOR THE ROAD. AWESOME PRICE
I'm a big fan of these. I replaced the stock tires that came on by bike that were more of a hybrid tire with a small knobby tread pattern for running on loose gravel and such. They were fine for pavement but not ideal.
The Proteks are pretty amazing on pavement and don't immediately loose grip if you get into the sandy grit on the side of the road. They have good low rolling resistance and are nice and quiet (after break in...more on that later) I probably wouldn't want to do a gravel trail for more than 10-15 miles in these, but that's not what they are made for. For street use and commuting with the occasional cut across a grass area or loose gravel in the street, these are perfect. So 100% street use I'd go with a more slick tread than these. These are great for knowing you'll do the occasional non pavement)
For an occasional rail trail or other compact stonedirt ride under 20 miles they are fine. There's just enough tread pattern to give you some bite. If you want to go soft dirt or loose gravel a lot these probably don't have the tread you'd need.
The reflective strip is nice. It's very visible in the dark when standing behind a bright light source (like a driver in a car).
The tread is fine on wet pavement. My first ride on these was in the rain and they held fine and cornered well even with the mold grease still on them.
They are a little on the heavy side, but I found that's offset by the slicker tread pattern. They are heavier because they are durable. The tread is thick and unlikely to puncture easily. And the sidewalls are thick too, making them less likely to cut or tear. The thick sidewall also reduces the shock absorption, so it's a slightly rougher ride on any kind of rough terrain. But if you're riding on pavement like these are meant for that's a non issue.
These do some with a coating on them from the factory that has to wear off before you really get a true feel for the tire. It's a grease that they coat the rubber mold with so the finished tire pops out easily. The grease layer on these is thicker than most other tires. I've heard that Michelin leaves a thicker grease coating on than other brands. So for the first few miles they might squeak a little, especially when turning, at least until that grease layer wears off. It's not gooey to the touch or anything. It's dry. It just has to wear off before you get a better feel for the tire. I found it was gone within about 10 miles.
Sizes 35mm and up run bigger than the size shown. I got the 35mm tires and they run about 37 mm wide when mounted and inflated. That's EXACTLY as stated on BireTiresDirect's listing. See the chart that shows sizes 32mm and smaller run true. Sizes 35mm and up add 2mm to the total width over the stated width
I only have had them on my bike for a couple hundred miles, but Ive put them through the wringer. They have great traction in wet and sloppy weather and provide an ultra-smooth ride over chuckhole-covered streets. These were a perfect investment to allow me to ride my cross bike year round.
This is a wider tire than I had on my fairdale weekender and I notice a smoother ride and no more rolling resistence than the thinner tire. Happy with it so far.
Put these on the knock around town ride. No issues at all. Easy to mount, nice ride and the reflective strip really stands out in the dark.
Have not had the tires long but put a couple hundred miles on them with no wear to speak of and no other issues. To soon to see the overall performance but cant see any issues. Hold air well go puncture resistance so far. Will see this fall when our Goat head thorns start dropping. These do have a slight howl to them no matter the air pressure but not bad. Very smooth rolling. Would highly recommend.
A good inexpensive commuter tire
First pinhole in tube at 50 mile mark. For the price and casual rider this is a decent tire. It rides well and seats easily when mounting. I would buy this tire again for a casual ride but roadgraveler bike I would go with a higher quality. No regrets.
Got the tires for my commuter, folding bike (Montague). Originals were 700-26's a little too narrow for B'hams gravel bike paths. The wider 700-32's have solved the problem, much more stable and can run lower pressures. Much better on the rough patches. Several hundred miles and no discernible wear showing, remarkably tough rubber, no cuts or flats so far. I like them!
