Review: Michelin Power Cup Tube Type Tyre

The Michelin Power Cup Tube Type Tyre is a grippy but fast-rolling and fast-steering option that’s surprisingly robust for its low weight. It’s cheaper than some of the competition too.

These tyres have a very surefooted feel. Push them hard into a corner and the Gum-X compound feels great, with good feedback that really feels like you’re keying right into the tarmac.

The three-ply 120tpi carcass (here in its 28mm guise) is compliant enough to absorb small bumps and keep everything stuck down and tracking, though it’s fine rather than enormously supple. It’s pretty good for a puncture-protected tyre, though, and these have an aramid shield under the tread. The sidewalls are ‘normal’ for, presumably, lower weight and better flex than full armour.

While considerably lighter both in feel and on the scales than a full-on ‘winter’ tyre, the Power Cup does impressively well on bad roads. Michelin says they’re what the Cofidis team uses for the Classics and Grand Tours, and having clattered them down some really terrible Welsh descents, it’s easy to believe.

I like to test things before reading anything about them (to avoid colouring my perceptions), and to be honest having fitted these – easily on my DT Swiss wheels using levers – and admired their easy rolling, acceleration and steering, I slightly feared for them on the back lanes.

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Some of the hilly roads around the farms here could qualify as gravel rides, with potholes, cracks, missing chunks of surface and all manner of animal/vegetable/mineral deposits spicing up some very steep descents. Yet these tyres have coped extremely well, and I’ve yet to suffer a puncture or see any cuts or damage on them.

They also stick well on steep climbs, even when I’ve deliberately stomped the pedals over slippery sections, and I found them just as communicative and confidence-inspiring on fully wet roads. Even hitting some truly awful surfaces – such as some newborn potholes held together by very thick yellow lines at the apex of a tight junction – at speed and leaning didn’t cause any nasty surprises.

Michelin has some pretty big claims to make about the speed of the Power Cup range, but again they’re easy to believe. Personally, I think these offer a really useful blend of strength and performance, and I’ll happily take the reasonable if not outstanding suppleness as a compromise.

For the record, I ran these 5psi lower than my usual 85psi, and they actually measured 30.4mm on my 19.5mm ID rims. I was happy with the slight extra compliance at 80psi, and they didn’t feel any slower rolling either.

Value

At £52.99 the Power Cup might seem expensive against the hordes of tubeless-ready tyres, but it’s actually well priced against its now rare and fancy tube-type competition.

The 259g Vredestein Fortezza Senso Superiore is very supple with great grip, for instance, and was £64.99 when we reviewed it less than a year ago. Now it’s £79.99 (and still heavier than the Michelin’s 232g). The ever-popular Continental Grand Prix 5000 (216g) was £59.99 when we reviewed the Transparent version at around the same time, but has also gone up: now it’s £64.99.

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If you just don’t want to spend this sort of money on tube-type tyres, the Goodyear Eagle Sport is 279g, decently grippy and robust according to Neil’s 2020 review, and only £25.

Conclusion

Overall, these offer an attractive combination of high rolling speed, rapid steering and reassuringly tangible grip, alongside enough protection to survive well in real world, less-than-ideal conditions.

Verdict

Great grip and feedback in all conditions, and tougher than their speed suggests