Michelin City 700×32
Michelin sent us a set of 700×32 City tires. Perfectly sized for a cyclocross or touring bike, the City tires are Michelin’s mid-priced urban tire. With wire beads and a puncture protection layer, these aren’t any svelte little racing slicks—they’re big, fat, bombproof commuter tires. In addition to puncture protection, the tires help keep you safe with a reflective sidewall.
These tires soak up road vibrations even at their recommended max pressure of 70psi. They’ve got enough volume to go off road, as long as you’re not riding in loose conditions. If your commute takes you through a lot of dirt, you may want to consider some cross tires with some tread above the sidewall. Otherwise, it’s kind of hard to beat these tires for commuting. While even bigger tires might add some comfort and versatility, the 32’s are still smooth and fast enough to keep up with traffic.
Michelin’s City tires feature a 1mm thick protective layer that seems to be working perfectly after more than a month of commuting. Only time will tell how they hold up in the long run, but it’s good to see no visible signs of wear at this point. Even after riding a lot of rough concrete.
On smooth roads the tires still hold their own as a reasonably fast-rolling tire. The lack of side knobs make them corner nicely, and while plenty fast, the rubber is grippy enough to inspire confidence, rain or shine.
We still had a few questions for Michelin, so we asked…
1. In reading your literature I was surprised to learn about antioxidants in the rubber compounds. I’ve reviewed lots of Michelin mountain bike tires in the past, but never heard that term thrown around. Are antioxidants only applied to city tires, or are they used in your high-performance road and mountain tires?
Yes, antioxidants are applied to ALL Michelin bicycle tires.
2. Can you give me more information on the puncture resistant Protek Shield? What exactly is it made out of?
The puncture protection in the Protek Shield is made of a dense foam rubber compound. This innovative material ensures the ride is not ‘deadened’ and makes it more comfortable.
3. What TPI are the sidewalls?
33 tpi
4. What is the MSRP for the 700 x 32 (w/ reflective sidewall) tires?
City Trekking Range: Protek Plus is just under $30 MSRP, and the Protek Max runs under $40.
5. What durometer is the rubber?
Durometer is 60.
For more information, visit www.michelinbicycletire.com.
June 27th, 2008 at 2:23 am
I do believe that 700 x 32 is about perfect.
June 27th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
reflective sidewall = awesome.
June 27th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
I have been using these tires for nearly a month, and they are awesome. However, they are a little taller than I expected and they just *barely* clear the rear of the frame on my cyclocross bike. I am hesitant to take them off..because they have been great… but I may have to remove them, or at least the back one, since it’s SO close. Too bad! Otherwise they are perfect, and the reflective sidewalls are pretty bling at night.
June 27th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Mm, if & when I get my 60’s S/S or fixie up and running these could be the puppies especially as I’ll probably run 700c in a 272 adjusted frame. They look really nice.
June 27th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
I meant 27 inch. Sorry getting over excited abour tyres…again.
July 21st, 2008 at 10:46 pm
I’m interested in learning how these tires compare to the Michelin Pilot City, and if anyone using either the City or the Pilot City has an update? I’m interested in either set of tires. I did try the Michelin Tracker but wasn’t impressed with it.
July 22nd, 2008 at 7:10 am
The Pilot City are very similar looking, but have more puncture protection. They cost an additional $10/tire, and weigh 850g (considerably more than the 680g City version).
July 25th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
I purchased a set of these tires (Michelin City) in 700×32. I’ve had them for about a week. My first two days of riding were in the pouring rain. They handle extremely well in rainy conditions. Even on a section of trail - hard packed dirt and gravel - they did ok. I could feel the resistance going through the mud - but they made it ok. But, they’re city tires, so I don’t expect them to function like an off-road mountain bike tire.
On dry pavement they’re just as good. They corner nicely and hug the road. The lack of any real tread makes for a smooth ride. I’m told that these are heavy tires (I’m not able to tell the difference riding with light or heavy tires) but they roll nicely and certainly take a lot less effort to ride than a tire with more tread. Overall, in my limited time with them, I’m quite pleased. They are smooth, roll easily, handle extremely well and give a nice ride.
August 15th, 2008 at 4:46 am
Will 700 x 32 tires such as these fit on my alex DA-22 road rims (i think the rim’s inner width is 13 or maybe 14 mm). I currently have 700 x 25 tires, but the ride is too rough. No problem with tire clearance as I have horizontal rear dropouts.
September 15th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
26X1.85 (47-559) ALL BLACK (sans reflective sidewalls), NICE, they’ll go superb in my singlespeed with my all black velocity Disc Specific rims mounted on rear coaster and Sram front drum brakes, lol
October 5th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
i bought one of these for the front of my pedicab. the sidewall blew out after a month or so. i was kinda bummed the rear tires take most of the weight so the front should have been fine,maybe it was just a fluke. it made three girls feel real fat when they got on and my tire went flat…ooops
November 5th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
I like my City tires: 600 mi so far without incident. They seem to handle pretty much anything I throw at it, except–as mentioned–muddy/loose surfaces, due to lack of knobby tread (not a biggie for me).
One feature is a series of “nubs” right next to the reflective sidewall. These seem to be there so that a bottle generator gets better grip on the tire (or at least they have that effect). Something to think about for anyone running a gen.