How Do The Cheaper Tyres Compare To The Higher End Ones?
It's not uncommon to see top tyres costing over £100 or $100 for a pair. However, there are plenty of tyres which cost around the £20/$20 mark. The question is, how good are they and out of all the options available on the market, which should you choose?
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 We've brought nine of the most popular
00:05 budget road tires to here, Silverstone,
00:08 to put them to the test to find out which one's best.
00:10 (upbeat music)
00:13 So we've just jumped inside to one of their workshops
00:21 and as you can see behind me,
00:22 we have their rolling resistance rig.
00:24 Now, there are a few key variables
00:26 which we're gonna keep our eye on
00:27 to make sure our testing is consistent from tire to tire.
00:30 Now, those include pressure.
00:32 So first up, we're gonna be keeping all tires at 90 PSI
00:35 and we have a digital gauge to make sure
00:37 that it perfectly matches.
00:39 Next up, we're also gonna be measuring
00:41 the width of all the tires,
00:42 so again, we can see how they differentiate
00:45 when they're on the same wheel.
00:46 Now, to generate load on the wheel,
00:48 we are weighing it down by 40 kilos,
00:50 which when you consider it to be
00:52 kind of 40 kilos on each wheel,
00:54 that is around an 80 kilo rider plus bike weight.
00:57 Now, another key variable which we're gonna be monitoring
01:00 is actually the temperature of the tire as well
01:02 because that can differ
01:03 and it's actually a good reflection
01:05 on how hard the tire is working.
01:07 So we can measure the ambient temperature of the room itself
01:10 and see how that changes.
01:11 Now, we also have a laser thermometer
01:13 which measures the sidewall temperature
01:15 so we can see how hard that tire is working in real time.
01:18 Now, lastly and potentially most crucially,
01:21 we've got the testing speeds.
01:22 Now, each tire goes through a 10-minute warm-up phase
01:25 at 40 kilometres an hour.
01:27 We then enter the first testing phase
01:29 where we start off at 24 kilometres an hour.
01:32 We then move on to a faster speed of 40 kilometres an hour
01:35 and then we repeat that process again
01:37 to make sure that the numbers balance out.
01:39 So let's not waste any more time.
01:41 Let's get into the first tire.
01:42 Let me tell you a little bit
01:46 about the tires we're actually testing.
01:48 All of them are 25C tires to keep things nice and equal
01:51 and they all cost around about 20 pounds
01:53 and that is their recommended retail price.
01:55 One of them actually comes in at 9.99, which is pretty good.
01:59 I've actually left links to all the tires below
02:01 in the description so you can find them for yourself.
02:04 So first up, we've got this.
02:06 This is the Goodyear Eagle Sport tire.
02:08 Now, they're not a massive bicycle tire manufacturer
02:11 but they do make some pretty good ones
02:13 and this is their entry-level one
02:14 and it does share some qualities
02:15 of their higher-end offerings.
02:17 Most notably, the tread pattern
02:19 and I'm actually a big fan of it
02:20 because it doesn't have any weird nooks or crannies
02:22 that can attract stones or little bits of glass,
02:24 which does aid in puncture protection.
02:26 Now, further to that on the puncture protection,
02:28 they've actually built in a lot of silica
02:29 and some strengthening additives as well.
02:32 So it's a fairly robust tire.
02:33 I think this is gonna work fairly well
02:34 for your all-round summer riding.
02:36 The sidewalls do feel pretty supple and thin
02:39 but that could mean that they're slightly prone
02:41 to slashes on the side, but then again,
02:43 if you're on the road, how often does that actually happen?
02:45 Onto the TPI, or threads per inch.
02:47 This one actually sits middle of the ground
02:49 amongst the other tires we're gonna be testing today.
02:51 This one comes in at 60, which I think is a fairly good
02:54 balance between puncture protection and ride feel.
02:57 A lower TPI tends to mean you're gonna have a stronger tire
02:59 at the expense of ride feel, whereas at the other end,
03:02 it's very much the opposite.
03:03 You'll have a great-feeling tire,
03:05 but they will be more prone to punctures.
03:08 So, onto the results of how this one performed on the rig.
03:10 This one, at 40 kilometres an hour,
03:12 came in at 21.28 watts of resistance.
03:15 So, that gives us a baseline for the rest of the tests.
03:20 Next up, we've got a tire from Michelin.
03:21 This is their Dynamic Sport, which is very much
03:23 their entry level into the cycling tire world.
03:26 I wasn't actually the biggest fan of this when I rode it.
03:29 It didn't have the greatest ride feel.
03:31 It did feel a little bit dead, and I did have to drop
03:34 the pressure ever so slightly because I was breaking
03:36 traction.
03:37 The good thing that is going for them, though,
03:39 is that they only weigh 250 grammes,
03:41 so it's a fairly respectable weight.
03:43 Now, onto the TPI of these, and they are at 30,
03:46 so in theory, they should be fairly robust,
03:49 but again, that is at the cost of the ride feel.
03:52 So, onto the results, and at 40 kilometres an hour,
03:55 these ones came out at 22.99 watts.
03:58 So, not massively slower than the Goodyears.
04:01 So, third up on the menu, we've got these,
04:03 the Specialized Road Sport tires.
04:05 Now, these are made by the bike manufacturer,
04:08 and they often use them on their own stock bikes,
04:10 as you'd expect.
04:11 Now, they have actually gone through a few changes
04:13 as of recently, and we've got B2B protection
04:16 in the form of their Endurance casing,
04:18 and they've also updated the compound that they've used
04:20 on the rubber to try and make them a bit grippier.
04:23 Now, if you're familiar with Specialized tires,
04:25 you'll know that they don't actually make a 25c tire,
04:27 but they do make a 26c tire.
04:30 Now, the surprise for me was that when we put these
04:33 on the rim and we blew them up,
04:34 they didn't actually measure at 26,
04:37 they measured at 24, which for me was quite surprising,
04:40 especially when the other tires that we had on test,
04:42 some of them were a lot wider than that.
04:45 Onto the ride feel, and I found that these
04:47 didn't actually ride particularly well.
04:49 I think because you've got that Endurance casing
04:51 from B2B, it means that the sidewalls themselves
04:54 aren't too supple, and it means that they don't feel
04:57 too great, but that is the trade-off you get
05:00 for strong puncture protection.
05:02 So, numbers off the rolling resistance rig for these,
05:04 at 40 kilometers an hour, came in at 27.64 watts,
05:09 so we have now seen a dramatic drop in performance
05:13 from the two previous tires.
05:15 So, I think that really does stack up against
05:17 why these ones would be a winter tire.
05:19 So, next up we've got these,
05:21 the Schwalbe Lugano 2 with the K-Guard.
05:24 Now, I've actually been a big fan of these tires
05:26 for a really long time, and I've used them
05:28 for many, many winters, so I might be slightly biased here.
05:31 However, I think there's a few key things
05:33 to know about these ones.
05:35 First up, you've got the K-Guard,
05:37 which means that you've got a layer of rubber
05:39 within the tread of the tire,
05:40 which is reinforced with Kevlar,
05:42 so it does make them pretty strong.
05:43 However, it's not bead-to-bead,
05:46 it is just across the tread of the tire itself,
05:48 and it does mean you've got a fairly soft
05:51 and squishy sidewall there, which I think will help
05:55 with the rolling resistance.
05:57 Now, while this does have Schwalbe's K-Guard lining,
05:59 Schwalbe themselves actually only rate it
06:01 as a three out of seven
06:02 on their own puncture protection scale.
06:05 So, while I've never suffered a puncture
06:06 over the hundreds of winter miles I've done on these tires,
06:09 I feel like that might actually be more down to luck
06:12 rather than top-tier tire technology.
06:14 That being said, I can definitely vouch
06:16 for their durability and actually their grip as well,
06:18 because these ones, although they're a 25C tire,
06:22 they do actually measure up on my rims at 26.5,
06:25 so you are left with a very good contact patch
06:28 with the road.
06:29 So, numbers off the machine, what are we looking at?
06:31 Well, at 40 kilometers an hour,
06:33 these have stacked up at 22.64 watts,
06:36 which actually I think is fairly respectable,
06:39 especially when you consider that specialized tire
06:41 was over 27.
06:42 And actually, I think you can thank that squishy sidewall.
06:45 You might be sacrificing on puncture protection
06:47 on the sidewalls there,
06:49 but you are left with a much faster tire.
06:52 Now, at 9.99, this is by far the cheapest tire on the list.
06:56 It's the Lifeline Essential Road tire.
06:59 Now, it is very cheap, but is it too good to be true?
07:02 It's got a folding bead, 60 TPI,
07:04 and weighs about 280 grams, so not terrible.
07:08 The surface itself actually does have some tread.
07:11 It is directional, and it does feel quite grippy,
07:15 so you should be left with a fair amount
07:17 of grip out on the road.
07:18 The ride feel itself wasn't great,
07:20 and actually I think you can probably blame that
07:22 on the 60 TPI casing.
07:24 I don't think you can expect too much, though,
07:25 from a tire that costs the same as a coffee
07:27 and a couple of muffins.
07:28 What it does have, though, is a high-density nylon layer,
07:31 which is there to aid in puncture protection.
07:34 I never got a puncture, so I can't really speak
07:36 for whether it was good or bad,
07:37 or if actually I just wasn't lucky,
07:38 but I think my biggest takeaway from riding these ones
07:40 was that the ride feel just wasn't quite that good,
07:43 and they did feel quite draggy.
07:46 But how do the numbers stack up?
07:47 When these ones went on at 40 kilometers an hour,
07:50 they tested at 30.84 watts,
07:53 so these have by far become our slowest tire,
07:56 which, to be honest, I don't think you can be
07:58 too surprised that, especially when you're only paying
08:00 9.99 for a tire.
08:03 Now, onto a tire from one of the titans of the industry,
08:05 Continental.
08:06 It's fair to say they know how to make a tire,
08:08 and here we go.
08:10 This is their third iteration of the Ultra Sport,
08:12 so we should see some decent improvements.
08:15 We'll start off with the TPI,
08:16 and this one is the highest out of any of the tires
08:18 that we're testing today.
08:19 It comes in at 180, which, for a tire of this price,
08:23 is not bad at all, and I think that perfectly represents
08:26 why this tire feels so good.
08:28 When I was out riding on it, I was in the wet,
08:30 I was also in the dry, and it did just feel incredible,
08:33 and I think you've got that casing to thank.
08:35 My only reservation about this tire is that it doesn't have
08:38 any built-in puncture protection.
08:40 Now, as a summer tire, and what is clearly a summer tire,
08:43 I don't think you can hold that against it.
08:45 However, I think it would have been nice to see
08:47 some sort of durability brought in,
08:49 because I think, for a tire of this price,
08:51 I think the consumer would demand something
08:53 with a bit more of an all-round capability.
08:56 Onto the numbers, and ladies and gents,
08:58 we have a brand new leader.
08:59 This one here, at 40 kilometres an hour,
09:02 tested at 20.5 watts.
09:04 Now, I don't think you can be too surprised
09:06 at those numbers, given the fact you've got such a high TPI
09:09 compared to the others in the category,
09:11 and you've also got very little puncture protection,
09:14 so it is a much, much suppler tire.
09:17 So, we've seen a couple of watts increase in efficiency
09:19 over and above our previous leader.
09:21 Let's see if we can find something faster.
09:23 Next up, we've got the Vittoria Zuffero,
09:26 which comes in as Vittoria's entry-level road tire.
09:30 Now, I probably shouldn't be too surprised
09:32 at the spec sheet on this one.
09:34 They don't really claim too much about it,
09:36 and the TPI on this is a pretty dismal 26.
09:41 Now, while that isn't great, and I can vouch for the fact
09:43 that the ride feel is not amazing
09:45 by any stretch of the imagination,
09:47 it has made for a fairly robust tire,
09:49 and actually, the tread itself and the casing
09:52 is pretty thick as well, so I think it would stand up
09:55 pretty well to the daily bump and grind
09:57 of, say, city riding, commuting,
09:59 and even those winter miles.
10:01 So, what are the scores on the boards for this bad boy?
10:04 Well, actually, for me, it was quite a surprise.
10:06 I thought this was gonna test a lot lower than it has.
10:08 At 40 kilometers an hour, this has come out at 23.46 watts,
10:13 which, actually, is fairly respectable
10:15 when you look at what it's up against.
10:17 I think what they've managed to do here
10:18 is make a pretty robust tire,
10:20 which actually rolls fairly quickly.
10:23 Now, we've got another tire from Lifeline here,
10:26 and it's got a pretty impressive spec sheet, too.
10:28 This one's called the Prime Race,
10:30 and you've got 120 TPI casing, which is pretty respectable.
10:33 You've got a Kevlar belt that runs all the way
10:35 around the middle for puncture protection,
10:37 and you've also got a fairly soft compound as well,
10:39 so they are pretty grippy.
10:42 Now, when I took these ones out riding,
10:43 I think I was expecting a little bit more
10:45 than they might have delivered.
10:46 Because of that impressive spec sheet,
10:48 which could hold a match to tires
10:50 which are, you know, double the price,
10:51 I think I was expecting them to perform a whole lot better.
10:54 I mean, they felt okay, but they didn't feel amazing.
10:57 But what can you expect from a tire that costs 14 pounds?
11:00 Now, through the corners,
11:01 I was able to lean on them fairly well,
11:03 and they never broke traction, which was great.
11:05 I think, however, though,
11:06 I would probably opt for the 28C versions of these tires
11:10 and try and run them at a lower pressure even still,
11:13 just to improve that ride feel slightly more.
11:16 But, onto the numbers, how did they perform?
11:18 Well, it's not great news for these.
11:20 These came out at 30.85,
11:23 so they are now essentially joint last, which isn't great.
11:27 I was actually really surprised
11:28 because I thought these ones were gonna do a lot better
11:31 given the spec sheet.
11:32 And even after riding them,
11:33 I wouldn't say they felt like that draggy of a tire,
11:36 but clearly, the numbers aren't lying here.
11:39 Last up, we have got this, the Lifeline Prime Armor tire,
11:42 and it's a pretty beefy boy.
11:44 We've got a pretty impressive spec sheet.
11:46 This one has 120 TPI casing, it's a folding tire,
11:50 and you've got the Kevlar that spans from B to B
11:52 all the way around.
11:53 So, it is made for those harshest of conditions.
11:57 Now, with a spec sheet like that,
11:58 you would expect it to perform fairly well,
12:01 but I think what Lifeline have done here,
12:03 they've really prioritized making sure
12:04 that you're not gonna get any punctures
12:06 when the weather is at its worst.
12:09 It is still fairly heavy.
12:10 This one weighs at 306 grams on our scales,
12:13 about 20 grams more than the claimed weight.
12:16 Ride feel from this one was much as you'd expect it.
12:19 It was pretty jarring.
12:20 You didn't really get too much ride feel through the tire.
12:23 Again, I would opt for the 28C if clearance allows,
12:27 just so you can drop that pressure down a little bit more,
12:29 expand your contact patch with the road for extra grip,
12:32 and hopefully just try and soften off some of that ride,
12:34 because I'll be honest, it was pretty harsh.
12:38 Onto the numbers, and I'll be honest,
12:40 these didn't do great.
12:41 These ones came in at 40 kilometers an hour
12:44 at 34.85 watts of drag.
12:47 Really not great at all, but what can you expect
12:50 from a tire with so much Kevlar in it?
12:52 I think it's safe to say, though,
12:54 although you might not be going quickly,
12:56 you won't be getting any punctures.
12:58 So that brings our testing phase to a close,
13:00 and as you can see from the table,
13:01 it's fair to say that the Continentals have tested
13:04 as the out-and-out winners,
13:06 but those other tires do have qualities
13:09 which mean they're actually very good in different scenarios.
13:11 So what I've done is I've categorized them
13:13 into three groups.
13:14 We've got winter, all-round, and summer,
13:17 and these are my recommendations.
13:19 First up, I'll start with that winter category,
13:21 and in third place for me, I think it's gotta be
13:23 that Lifeline Prime Armor tire.
13:26 Because it felt so bad, I think I just want
13:28 more ride feel from my tires.
13:30 I think if you're in the city or you're commuting
13:33 and a puncture is the last thing that you want,
13:35 then I think they'll be great.
13:36 However, I think out on the road,
13:38 I do just want a little bit more ride feel.
13:40 In second place for me, then,
13:42 it's gotta be those Vittoria Soferos.
13:44 They tested 10 watts faster than the Lifeline tires,
13:47 but the reason why they've landed in that second spot
13:49 is because they don't make any claims
13:50 about their puncture protection,
13:52 unlike my winner, which are the Specialized Road Sports.
13:56 Because they've got that endurance casing from bead to bead,
13:59 I think it means that you can rely on them
14:01 a little bit more, and because they improve
14:02 their compound of the rubber, they are still nice and grippy.
14:06 Now, I think for me, those road sports,
14:08 they offer the blend of puncture protection
14:10 while still being a fairly fast-rolling tire,
14:12 and for winter, I think that's exactly what you want.
14:15 Now, onto that all-round category,
14:17 and I've put the Lifeline Essentials in third place,
14:20 and that's because, quite frankly,
14:21 they cost a tenner, they were very draggy,
14:23 and I just don't think they were that amazing to ride,
14:25 and there's definitely better options out there.
14:27 However, if you need something just to get you going,
14:30 I think they'll be absolutely fine.
14:31 Just don't expect too much in terms of speed or ride feel.
14:35 Onto second place,
14:35 and I've put the Lifeline Prime Race tire.
14:38 Now, despite its impressive spec sheet,
14:40 when it came to testing it,
14:42 it didn't actually perform too well,
14:43 and the rolling resistance actually matched
14:45 that of the Essential tire,
14:46 which, for me, was a massive surprise.
14:49 So then, that brings me onto our winner,
14:51 the Schwalbe Lugano 2 with the K-Guard lining.
14:54 Now, I think they've got a lot of stuff going for it.
14:56 First up, they sit nice and wide on the rim.
14:58 At 26.5 millimetres for the 25C,
15:02 it does mean you get a great contact patch with the road,
15:04 which makes them super grippy.
15:06 Now, they were eight watts faster
15:08 than the Lifeline Prime Race tire,
15:10 so you've got a significant improvement there
15:12 in rolling resistance.
15:13 I think, for me, I can definitely attest
15:15 to the durability of those tires,
15:17 'cause I've used them for years upon years.
15:19 So I think durability's there good,
15:21 their grip is good, and actually, now,
15:23 I know that they're a pretty fast tire, too.
15:26 Now, onto summer tires,
15:27 I think you won't be too surprised
15:28 when I put the Michelin Dynamic Sports in third place.
15:32 While they didn't perform too badly
15:33 in terms of rolling resistance,
15:35 out in the real world, the ride feel wasn't amazing,
15:38 and actually, they did break traction,
15:40 as I said, a couple of times,
15:41 so that's why they've landed themselves in that spot.
15:44 They weren't necessarily too bad,
15:46 but I think there's definitely better options out there
15:48 for exactly the same money,
15:50 which brings us onto second place, or does it?
15:53 For me, actually, we've got a joint first winner here.
15:57 So, on one hand, we've got the Goodyears,
15:58 and on the other hand, we've got the Continentals,
16:00 and I'll start with those Goodyears.
16:02 They were one watt slower than the Continentals,
16:04 but they do have more puncture protection built within them
16:08 due to that silica and the strengthening additives.
16:11 On the other hand, we've got the Continentals,
16:13 one watt faster, which is great,
16:15 and they feel amazing to ride,
16:17 but obviously, they are gonna be
16:19 more susceptible to puncture,
16:21 so I think that's when it comes down to you guys.
16:23 What do you prefer?
16:24 Do you want that little bit more peace of mind
16:26 with puncture protection,
16:27 or do you want out-and-out speed on a budget?
16:30 I think that would then allow you to prioritise
16:33 and work out which one's gonna be best for you.
16:35 I think for me, if I had to choose between the two,
16:38 I think I'd probably opt for those Goodyears,
16:40 and maybe put in a nice, fancy inner tube
16:42 to make them nice and quick.
16:44 So, there we have it.
16:45 I hope you enjoyed the video.
16:46 Like I say, if you do wanna have a look
16:48 at any of these tyres and maybe get some for yourself,
16:50 I have linked them all in the video description below.
16:53 If you think we missed any out,
16:54 and you've got a favourite budget tyre that you love riding,
16:57 let us know about it in the comments below.
16:58 If you enjoyed the video, drop it a like,
17:00 subscribe to the channel for more content,
17:02 and I'll see you again very soon.
17:03 [MUSIC PLAYING]