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?
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00We've brought nine of the most popular budget road tyres to here, Silverstone, to put them
00:08to the test to find out which one's best.
00:19So we've just jumped inside to one of their workshops and as you can see behind me we
00:22have their rolling resistance rig.
00:24Now there are a few key variables which we're going to keep our eye on to make sure our
00:28testing is consistent from tyre to tyre.
00:30Now those include pressure.
00:32So first up we're going to be keeping all tyres at 90 psi and we have a digital gauge
00:37to make sure that it perfectly matches.
00:39Next up we're also going to be measuring the width of all the tyres so again we can see
00:43how they differentiate when they're on the same wheel.
00:46Now to generate load on the wheel we are weighing it down by 40 kilos which when you consider
00:51it to be kind of 40 kilos on each wheel that is around an 80 kilo rider plus bike weight.
00:58Now another key variable which we're going to be monitoring is actually the temperature
01:01of the tyre as well because that can differ and it's actually a good reflection on how
01:05hard the tyre is working.
01:07So we can measure the ambient temperature of the room itself and see how that changes.
01:11Now we also have a laser thermometer which measures the sidewall temperature so we can
01:15see how hard that tyre is working in real time.
01:19Now lastly and potentially most crucially we've got the testing speeds.
01:22Now each tyre goes through a 10 minute warm up phase at 40 kilometres an hour.
01:27We then enter the first testing phase where we start off at 24 kilometres an hour.
01:32We then move on to a faster speed of 40 kilometres an hour and then we repeat that process again
01:37to make sure that the numbers balance out.
01:39So let's not waste any more time, let's get into the first tyre.
01:45Let me tell you a little bit about the tyres we're actually testing.
01:48All of them are 25c tyres to keep things nice and equal and they all cost around about £20
01:53and that is their recommended retail price.
01:56One of them actually comes in at £9.99 which is pretty good.
01:59I've actually left links to all the tyres below in the description so you can find them
02:03for yourself.
02:04So first up we've got this, this is the Goodyear Eagle Sport tyre.
02:08Now they're not a massive bicycle tyre manufacturer but they do make some pretty good ones and
02:13this is their entry level one and it does share some qualities of their higher end offerings.
02:17Most notably the tread pattern and I'm actually a big fan of it because it doesn't have any
02:21weird nooks or crannies that can attract stones or little bits of glass which does aid a puncture
02:26protection.
02:27Now further to that on the puncture protection they've actually built in a lot of silica
02:29and some strengthening additives as well so it's a fairly robust tyre.
02:33I think this is going to work fairly well for your all round summer riding.
02:36The sidewalls do feel pretty supple and thin but that could mean that they're slightly
02:40prone to slashes on the side but then again if you're on the road how often does that
02:44actually happen.
02:45Onto the TPI or threads per inch, this one actually sits middle of the ground amongst
02:49the other tyres we're going to be testing today.
02:51This one comes in at 60 which I think is a fairly good balance between puncture protection
02:56and ride feel.
02:57A lower TPI tends to mean you're going to have a stronger tyre at the expense of ride
03:01feel whereas at the other end it's very much the opposite.
03:04You'll have a great feeling tyre but they will be more prone to punctures.
03:08So onto the results of how this one performed on the rig, this one at 40 kilometres an hour
03:12came in at 21.28 watts of resistance so that gives us a baseline for the rest of the tests.
03:20Next up we've got a tyre from Michelin.
03:21This is their Dynamic Sport which is very much their entry level into the cycling tyre
03:26world.
03:27I wasn't actually the biggest fan of this when I rode it, it didn't have the greatest
03:31ride feel.
03:32It did feel a little bit dead and I did have to drop the pressure ever so slightly because
03:35I was breaking traction.
03:37The good thing that is going for them though is that they only weigh 250 grams so it's
03:42a fairly respectable weight.
03:43Now onto the TPI of these and they are at 30 so in theory they should be fairly robust
03:49but again that is at the cost of the ride feel.
03:52So onto the results and at 40 kilometres an hour these ones came out at 22.99 watts so
03:58not massively slower than the Goodyears.
04:02So third up on the menu we've got these, the Specialized Road Sport tyres.
04:05Now these are made by the bike manufacturer and they often use them on their own stock
04:09bikes as you'd expect.
04:11Now they have actually gone through a few changes as of recently and we've got B2B protection
04:16in the form of their Endurance casing and they've also updated the compound that they've
04:20used on the rubber to try and make them a bit grippier.
04:23Now if you're familiar with Specialized tyres you'll know that they don't actually make
04:26a 25c tyre but they do make a 26c tyre.
04:30Now the surprise for me was that when we put these on the rim and we blew them up they
04:35didn't actually measure at 26, they measured at 24 which for me was quite surprising especially
04:40when the other tyres that we had on test, some of them were a lot wider than that.
04:45Now coming to the ride feel and I found that these didn't actually ride particularly well.
04:49I think because you've got that Endurance casing from bead to bead it means that the
04:53sidewalls themselves aren't too supple and it means that they don't feel too great but
04:58that is the trade-off you get for strong puncture protection.
05:02So numbers off the rolling resistance rig for these, at 40kmh came in at 27.64 watts
05:09so we have now seen a dramatic drop in performance from the two previous tyres.
05:15So I think that really does stack up against why these ones would be a winter tyre.
05:19So next up we've got these, the Schwalbe Lugano 2 with the K-Guard.
05:24Now I've actually been a big fan of these tyres for a really long time and I've used
05:28them for many many winters so I might be slightly biased here.
05:32However I think there's a few key things to know about these ones.
05:35First up you've got the K-Guard which means that you've got a layer of rubber within the
05:39tread of the tyre which is reinforced with Kevlar so it does make them pretty strong.
05:44However it's not bead to bead, it is just across the tread of the tyre itself and it
05:49does mean you've got a fairly soft and squishy sidewall there which I think will help with
05:55the rolling resistance.
05:57Now while this does have Schwalbe's K-Guard lining, Schwalbe themselves actually only
06:01rate it as a 3 out of 7 on their own puncture protection scale.
06:05So while I've never suffered a puncture over the hundreds of winter miles I've done on
06:08these tyres, I feel like that might actually be more down to luck rather than top tier
06:13tyre technology.
06:14That being said I can definitely vouch for their durability and actually their grip as
06:18well because these ones, although they're a 25c tyre, they do actually measure up on
06:23my rims at 26.5 so you are left with a very good contact patch with the road.
06:29So numbers off the machine, what are we looking at?
06:31Well at 40kmh these have stacked up at 22.64 watts which actually I think is fairly respectable
06:38especially when you consider that specialised tyre was over 27.
06:43And actually I think you can thank that squishy sidewall.
06:45You might be sacrificing on puncture protection on the sidewalls there but you are left with
06:50a much faster tyre.
06:52Now at £9.99 this is by far the cheapest tyre on the list.
06:56It's the Lifeline Essential Road Tyre.
06:59Now it is very cheap but is it too good to be true?
07:03It's got a folding bead, 60 TPI and weighs about 280g so not terrible.
07:08The surface itself actually does have some tread.
07:11It is directional and it does feel quite grippy so you should be left with a fair amount of
07:17grip out on the road.
07:18The ride feel itself wasn't great and actually I think you can probably blame that on the
07:2260 TPI casing.
07:23I don't think you can expect too much though from a tyre that costs the same as a coffee
07:27and a couple of muffins.
07:28What it does have though is a high density nylon layer which is there to aid in puncture
07:33protection.
07:34I never got a puncture so I can't really speak for whether it was good or bad or if actually
07:37I just wasn't lucky.
07:38But I think my biggest takeaway from riding these ones was that the ride feel just wasn't
07:42quite that good and they did feel quite draggy.
07:46But how do the numbers stack up?
07:47When these ones went on at 40kmh they tested at 30.84w so these have by far become our
07:55slowest tyre which to be honest I don't think you can be too surprised that, especially
07:59when you're only paying £9.99 for a tyre.
08:03Now onto a tyre from one of the titans of the industry, Continental.
08:06It's fair to say they know how to make a tyre and here we go, this is their third iteration
08:11of the Ultra Sport so we should see some decent improvements.
08:15We'll start off with the TPI and this one is the highest out of any of the tyres that
08:18we're testing today.
08:19It comes in at 180 which for a tyre of this price is not bad at all.
08:24And I think that perfectly represents why this tyre feels so good.
08:28When I was out riding on it, I was in the wet, I was also in the dry and it did just
08:32feel incredible and I think you've got that casing to thank.
08:35My only reservation about this tyre is that it doesn't have any built in puncture protection.
08:40Now as a summer tyre and what is clearly a summer tyre I don't think you can hold that
08:44against it.
08:45However, I think it would have been nice to see some sort of durability brought in because
08:49I think for a tyre of this price I think the consumer would demand something with a bit
08:54more of an all round capability.
08:56Onto the numbers and ladies and gents we have a brand new leader.
09:00This one here at 40kmh tested at 20.5 watts.
09:04Now I don't think you can be too surprised at those numbers given the fact you've got
09:08such a high TPI compared to the others in the category and you've also got very little
09:13puncture protection so it is a much, much suppler tyre.
09:17So we've seen a couple of watts increase in efficiency over and above our previous leader.
09:22Let's see if we can find something faster.
09:24Next up we've got the Vittoria Zuffero which comes in as Vittoria's entry level road tyre.
09:30Now I probably shouldn't be too surprised at the spec sheet on this one.
09:34They don't really claim too much about it and the TPI on this is a pretty dismal 26.
09:41Now while that isn't great and I can vouch for the fact that the ride feel is not amazing
09:45by any stretch of the imagination it has made for a fairly robust tyre and actually the
09:50tread itself and the casing is pretty thick as well so I think it would stand up pretty
09:55well to the daily bump and grind of say city riding, commuting and even those winter miles.
10:02So what are the scores on the boards for this bad boy?
10:04Well actually for me it was quite a surprise.
10:06I thought this was going to test a lot lower than it has.
10:08At 40kmh this has come out at 23.46 watts which actually is fairly respectable when
10:15you look at what it's up against.
10:17I think what they've managed to do here is make a pretty robust tyre which actually
10:21rolls fairly quickly.
10:23Now we've got another tyre from Lifeline here and it's got a pretty impressive spec
10:27sheet too.
10:28This one's called the Prime Race and you've got a 120 TPI casing which is pretty respectable.
10:33You've got a Kevlar belt that runs all the way around the middle for puncture protection
10:37and you've also got a fairly soft compound as well so they are pretty grippy.
10:42Now when I took these ones out riding I think I was expecting a little bit more than they
10:45might have delivered because of that impressive spec sheet which could hold a match to tyres
10:49which are double the price.
10:51I think I was expecting them to perform a whole lot better.
10:54I mean they felt ok but they didn't feel amazing.
10:57But what can you expect from a tyre that costs £14?
11:00Now through the corners I was able to lean on them fairly well and they never broke traction
11:04which was great.
11:05I think however though I would probably opt for the 28C versions of these tyres and try
11:10and run them at a lower pressure even still just to improve that ride feel slightly more.
11:16But onto the numbers.
11:17How did they perform?
11:18Well it's not great news for these.
11:21These came out at 30.85 so they are now essentially joint last which isn't great.
11:27I was actually really surprised because I thought these ones were going to do a lot
11:30better given the spec sheet and even after riding them I wouldn't say they felt like
11:35that draggier of a tyre but clearly the numbers aren't lying here.
11:40Next up we have got this, the Lifeline Prime Armour tyre and it's a pretty beefy boy.
11:44We've got a pretty impressive spec sheet.
11:46This one has 120 TPI casing, it's a folding tyre and you've got the Kevlar that spans
11:51from B to B all the way around.
11:53So it is made for those harshest of conditions.
11:57Now with a spec sheet like that you would expect it to perform fairly well but I think
12:01what Lifeline have done here they've really prioritised making sure that you're not going
12:05to get any punctures when the weather is at its worst.
12:09It is still fairly heavy, this one weighs at 306g on our scales, about 20g more than
12:15the claimed weight.
12:16Ride feel from this one was much as you'd expect it, it was pretty jarring, you didn't
12:21really get too much ride feel through the tyre.
12:24Again I would opt for the 28c if clearance allows just so you can drop that pressure
12:29down a little bit more, expand your contact patch with the road for extra grip and hopefully
12:33just try and soften off some of that ride because I'll be honest, it was pretty harsh.
12:38Onto the numbers and I'll be honest, these didn't do great.
12:41These ones came in at 40kmh at 34.85 watts of drag.
12:48Really not great at all but what can you expect from a tyre with so much Kevlar in it.
12:52I think it's safe to say though, although you might not be going quickly, you won't
12:56be getting any punctures.
12:58So that brings our testing phase to a close and as you can see from the table it's fair
13:02to see that the Continentals have tested as the out-and-out winners.
13:06But those other tyres do have qualities which mean they're actually very good in different
13:11scenarios.
13:12So what I've done is I've categorised them into three groups.
13:15We've got winter, all-round and summer and these are my recommendations.
13:20First up I'll start with that winter category and in third place for me I think it's got
13:23to be that Lifeline Prime Armour tyre.
13:26Because it felt so bad, I think I just want more ride feel from my tyres.
13:30I think if you're in the city or you're commuting and a puncture is the last thing that you
13:34want, then I think they'll be great, however I think out on the road I do just want a little
13:39bit more ride feel.
13:40In second place for me then it's got to be those Vittoria Zufferos.
13:44They tested 10 watts faster than the Lifeline tyres but the reason why they've landed in
13:48that second spot is because they don't make any claims about their puncture protection
13:52unlike my winner, which are the Specialized Road Sports.
13:56Because they've got that endurance casing from bead to bead, I think it means that you
14:00can rely on them a little bit more and because they improve their compound of the rubber,
14:04they are still nice and grippy.
14:06Now I think for me, those road sports, they offer the blend of puncture protection while
14:10still being a fairly fast rolling tyre and for winter, I think that's exactly what you
14:14want.
14:15Now onto that all-round category and I've put the Lifeline Essentials in third place
14:19and that's because quite frankly they cost a tenner, they were very draggy and I just
14:24don't think they were that amazing to ride and there's definitely better options out
14:27there.
14:28However, if you need something just to get you going, I think they'll be absolutely fine.
14:31Just don't expect too much in terms of speed or ride feel.
14:35Onto second place and I've put the Lifeline Prime Race tyre.
14:38Now despite its impressive spec sheet, when it came to testing it, it didn't actually
14:42perform too well and the rolling resistance actually matched that of the Essential tyre,
14:46which for me was a massive surprise.
14:49So then that brings me on to our winner, the Schwalbe Lugano 2 with the K-Guard lining.
14:54Now I think they've got a lot of stuff going for it.
14:56First up, they sit nice and wide on the rim at 26.5 millimetres for the 25C, it does mean
15:02you get a great contact patch with the road, which makes them super grippy.
15:06Now they were eight watts faster than the Lifeline Prime Race tyre, so you've got a
15:10significant improvement there in rolling resistance.
15:13I think for me, I can definitely attest to the durability of those tyres because I've
15:17used them for years upon years.
15:19So I think durability is there good, their grip is good and actually now I know that
15:23they're a pretty fast tyre too.
15:26Now onto summer tyres, I think you won't be too surprised when I put the Michelin Dynamic
15:30Sports in third place.
15:32While they didn't perform too badly in terms of rolling resistance, out in the real world,
15:37the ride feel wasn't amazing and actually they did break traction, as I said, a couple
15:41of times.
15:42So that's why they've landed themselves in that spot.
15:44They weren't necessarily too bad, but I think there's definitely better options out there
15:48for exactly the same money, which brings us on to second place, or does it?
15:53For me, actually, we've got a joint first winner here.
15:57So on one hand, we've got the Goodyears and on the other hand, we've got the Continentals.
16:00And I'll start with those Goodyears.
16:02They were one watt slower than the Continentals, but they do have more puncture protection
16:07built within them due to that silica and the strengthening additives.
16:11On the other hand, we've got the Continentals, one watt faster, which is great and they feel
16:16amazing to ride, but obviously they are going to be more susceptible to punctures.
16:21So I think that's when it comes down to you guys.
16:23What do you prefer?
16:24Do you want that little bit more peace of mind with puncture protection or do you want
16:28out and out speed on a budget?
16:30I think that would then allow you to prioritise and work out which one's going to be best
16:34for you.
16:35I think for me, if I had to choose between the two, I think I'd probably opt for those
16:39Goodyears and maybe put in a nice fancy inner tube to make them nice and quick.
16:44So there we have it.
16:45I hope you enjoyed the video.
16:46Like I say, if you do want to have a look at any of these tyres and maybe get some for
16:50yourself, I have linked them all in the video description below.
16:53If you think we missed any out and you've got a favourite budget tyre that you love
16:56riding, let us know about it in the comments below.
16:58If you enjoyed the video, drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for more content
17:02and I'll see you again very soon.