In The Know Cycling

The Michelin Power Cup TLR competes well against the top-performing everyday training and racing tubeless tires we’ve tested.

A GRIPPING PERFORMANCE

The Power Cup’s grip is its best feature. On smooth and rough roads, both on dry and wet days, its grip gives me the confidence to ride as hard and fast as I want to.

My fellow tester Miles especially likes how the grip feels in corners, and being a P/1/2 racer, he typically rides through corners very fast.

Compared to other tires, the Power Cup TLR’s grip seems somewhat tacky, as if it is sticking to the road surface. Am I paying a rolling resistance price for that grip?

Apparently not. Bicycle Rolling Resistance’s drum roller tests show the 28mm Michelin Power Cup offers as little tire-loss rolling resistance as the Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR, both a couple of watts or so better than other high-performance tubeless tires I’ve reviewed in BRR’s medium to high air pressure test range.

Aerocoach’s tests show similarly competitive results for the 25mm sizes of those two tires and the 26mm wide Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR.

At the pressure that Miles and I ride the Power Cup, it is also about as comfortable as the Contis, a feeling that neither adds to or takes away from the ride.

The tubeless “installation experience” – getting the tires on the rim, inflating them, getting them to seal initially and hold air between rides, and removing a tire if needed – is also average, not as good as the easiest or as challenging as the hardest.

The Power Cup TLR is more bulbous than others in this category. At 80 psi, the 28mm model measures about the same width as a hookless rim with a 32mm outside and 25mm inside width. At 60 psi, that rim is about a millimeter wider than the tire. Compared to other 28mm labeled tires in this review, the Power Cup TLR gives you marginal aero benefit and less performance than tire-rim combinations on other 28mm labeled which measure 1-2mm narrower.

On rims in the range of 28mm outside and 21mm inside width, the 28mm Power Cup measures wider than the rim, creating a disadvantageous aero profile until you get well below 60psi. While I didn’t measure it, using a 25mm tire with that size rim would likely give you better aero performance while giving up some comfort.

For more comfort, Michelin also makes the Power Cup in a 30mm width. But that tire sets up wider than even the 32mm outside, 25mm inside width rim at the lower tire pressure that you’d want to ride the wider tire.

INFLATION PRESSURE CONFLICT

Miles and I initially rode the Power Cup TLRs using the pressure suggested for our weight, the tire and rim sizes, and the other variables input into the SRAM tire pressure guide. As we both weigh about 150lbs/68kg, the guide suggests 65psi for a 28mm tire on a rear wheel with a 21mm internal width hooked rim and 56psi on a 25mm internal width hookless rim.

As we typically do, we adjusted the pressure of the 28mm Power Cup TLRs below the suggested level to find the best grip, handling, and comfort combination that still feels fast. I noticed big performance and comfort differences when I changed the inflation level by 3-4 psi when riding these tires, as with almost any tubeless tire I’ve tested.

However, Michelin labels the Power Cup TLR with a minimum pressure of 73 psi or 5 bar for their 28mm and 25mm tire sizes. That’s 8 to 17 psi higher than the level suggested by the SRAM guide and about 10 to 20 psi above where I ultimately found the most performance and comfort from the Michelin Power Cup TLR, depending on the width and presence of hooks on the wheels I used to test the tires.

And it’s not just because I’m a lighter rider. Using the same guide, any cyclist weighing less than about 225lbs/102kg riding a hooked rim with a 21mm or wider internal rim width will be guided to a pressure below the labeled minimum 73psi by most pressure calculators for a 28mm labeled tire. On wider rims, you’ll need to weigh even more.

And when I say “most tire pressure calculators,” I mean all but the Silca one. That calculator suggests much higher pressure levels that, for me, make for less comfortable, bumpier rides.

As an example of the difference, you only need to weigh about 105lbs/48kg to get a pressure recommendation from the Silca calculator that clears the Michelin’s 73psi labeled minimum mounted on the same 28mm size tire and 21mm internal width rim.

However, the effective width of that 28mm tire on a 23mm internal width rim will need you to weigh at least 170lbs/77kg to get a Silca calculator inflation recommendation above 73psi min. And, if you ride a wheelset with a 25mm internal, you’ll need to be more than 235lbs/107kg to get a recommendation above 73psi.

In his article about Tire Pressure Calculator Wars, Dan Empfield at Slowtwitch details the roughly 10psi high levels recommended by the Silca calculator compared to others and the potential reasons why. The biggest tell for me? Silca’s calculator is based on 2014 data from pro racers data when most used 17mm tubular rims. We live in a different world of wheels now.

I also found it curious that Michelin labels their 25mm and 28mm Powercup TLR tires with the same minimum pressure as the maximum pressure recommended for hookless rims by the ETRTO and ISO standards organizations and that you’ll see labeled on some hookless rims.

When I asked the Michelin representative who provided these tires to me whether the Power Cup TLRs were hookless compatible, he said they were, but only if I rode them within the min tire and max rim labeled pressures.

That would mean I should only ride them at 73psi. Practically, this makes these size tires incompatible with hookless rims, at least if I follow these labels and recommendations.

The 30mm Power Cup TLR tires have a 58mm minimum recommended tire pressure. That means you’re good to go with the tire label and hookless standard between 58psi and 73psi.

The SRAM tire pressure guide suggests a 58psi or higher pressure for riders at least 150lbs/68kg on a hooked rim with a 21mm internal width, at least 165lbs/75kg on a 23mm one, and at least 180lbs/80kg on a 25mm one.

If you ride hookless rims with the same internal widths, the guide will suggest 58psi or higher pressures for riders who weigh 30-40lbs/14-18kg more than those I listed above. So most of us are out of luck if we follow the 30mm Power Cup TLR label on hookless rims.

And to repeat what I wrote above, the 30mm Power Cup tires won’t be aero on even the widest rims.

OOPS, DID I DO IT AGAIN?

Full disclosure: Miles and I rode the Michelin Power Cup TLR tires below their 73psi/5 bar minimum pressure labeled on the tire. And we lived to file this review. (Or at least I did. Miles keeps injuring himself during cyclocross season.)

That isn’t because we are irresponsible adults or rule breakers, though I’ve been called worse. No, it’s just because I don’t look for minimum pressure labels and, at my weight, never have to worry about max pressure limits either.

I only noticed the pressure labels when I switched the Power Cup to a different wheelset. No shade on Michelin; the label is large enough and easy to see if you look beyond the blue and yellow logo. But with no directional tread on the tire, I wasn’t looking for an arrow to see which way to mount the tire and, therefore, didn’t see the pressure label right in front of my eyes.

That got me wondering, had I missed min pressure labels on other tires? Digging through my tested tires, I found that only a few top-performing, everyday training and racing tubeless tires have minimum pressure labels.

Of the tires I recommend, only the 26mm Specialized S-Works Turbo RapidAir and 25mm Veloflex Corsa Race TLR have a similarly high minimum pressure label. (Neither make wider sizes of these models.

The Specialized tire is designed for, though not limited to, the Roval Rapide CLX II wheelset, one with a 21mm, hooked internal rim width.

For a 165lb/77kg rider or heavier rider, the SRAM pressure guide suggests a pressure of at least the 70mm minimum pressure shown on the label on that combination. Similar to what I laid out for the Michelin Power Cup TLR, wider hooked and all hookless rims will have the same weight and compatibility issues.

However, the SRAM hookless tire compatibility guide shows that “according to each tire manufacture by make and model” the S-Works Turbo RapidAir and Veloflex Corsa Race TLR are compatible with SRAM’s Zipp brand 23mm hookless rims on the 303S, 404 and 808 Firecrest, and 454 and 858 NSW wheelsets.

So there appears to be a bit of disagreement between these tires’ minimum pressure and hookless compatibility for these two tires from the suppliers themselves.

Notably, all tires show maximum pressure levels. But, except for the heaviest riders, you will ride faster, more comfortably, and with better handling at pressures far lower than what is labeled on all those tires.

TIRE PRESSURE LIMITS (according to tire suppliers)

WHAT IF?

So what happens if you ride the Power Cup TLR below 73psi/5bar? While neither Miles nor I experienced any issues riding them in the pressure range I reported above, I can’t conclusively answer that question.

I’ve asked Michelin what test parameters they used to determine the minimum pressure and what happens if you ride below it. They would only share that, in general, and not specific to this tire, going below the minimum recommended tire/rim pressure can lead to the tire burping air pressure.

I and my fellow testers have been riding tubeless road tires from the leading brands on hooked and hookless rims at pressures from 50 to 60 psi for several years with no issues. I ride tubeless gravel tires on hookless rims on dirt, gravel, and paved roads down around 30-35 psi. MTBers ride even lower pressures on wider hookless rims.

In my experience, riding modern tubeless tires and rims at these pressures has never led to burping.

Lower pressure gives you greater comfort, better handling, and lower vibration-loss rolling resistance. But, below a certain pressure, the tire will no longer adequately support the forces from the weight of the cyclist and bike, rolling speed, turning vectors, interaction with the rim, and other factors. This will make handling worse and potentially unsafe.

True, if you lower the pressure far enough, the tire burp or come off the rim, but not in the range I’ve ridden them or suggested by the tire pressure calculators.

Higher pressure reduces comfort, handling, and the rolling resistance within the tire (hysteresis or tire-loss rolling resistance) but increases the rolling resistance from the interaction of the tire and the road surface (vibration-loss rolling resistance). Above a certain inflation level (or “breakpoint”) unique to the combination of the tire, surface, and other factors, increasing the tire pressure further will result in a net increase in the overall rolling resistance when the increased vibration-loss rolling resistance exceeds the reduction in tire-loss rolling resistance.

And if you raise the pressure far enough, the tire will fail and come off the rim, or the rim will fail and release the tire, but not in the range I’ve ridden them or suggested by the tire pressure calculators.

So I’m left with several open questions:

a. Is there something about the Power Cup TLR tires that makes them less stable or more likely to separate from the rim than others with much lower or no minimum tire pressure label?

b. Does Michelin’s safety testing show the same risks with tires from other brands that have lower or no minimum tire pressure labels?

c. Is the company interpreting the ETRTO and ISO standards differently than other companies?

d. Is Michelin testing and interpreting the standards similarly but being more conservative than others with their labeled minimum pressure level?

My money is on d.

SO, WHAT TO DO?

I see four options:

1. Adhere to the Power Cup TLR’s minimum pressure label on the 25mm and 28mm tires. In that case, all but the heaviest riders will miss out on the advantages tubeless tires can bring over clinchers – lower rolling resistance, greater comfort, better handling, and fewer pinch flats – and the specific benefits I described earlier that this tire brings.

And you won’t be able to use them on hookless rims made by some of the leading wheelset brands currently and likely a growing number in the future.

2. Ride and adhere to the 58mm tire pressure label on the 30mm Power Cup TLR tires. This will make you less aerodynamic at higher speeds but allow more riders and those with narrower rims to gain the advantages of riding these tires at lower pressures more suited to your weight, rim size, and other inputs to most tire pressure calculators.

3. Ignore the Michelin Power Cup TLR’s minimum pressure labels and inflate the tires at a pressure you feel gives you all the performance benefits I described earlier that the tire offers.

4. Ride another one of the best tubeless tires I’ve reviewed with no minimum pressure label or one with a pressure low enough to give you all its benefits for your weight and rim size.

Experience and my independent streak tell me I’m okay riding the Power Cup TLR at the pressures I ride other high-performance tubeless tires on hooked and hookless rims at today’s typical rim widths.

If you value grip and low tire-loss rolling resistance with decent comfort and acceptable installation hassle, these Michelin tires offer a good option.

You can order it in a black or gum wall for US$80, €50 using these links to BTD (BikeTiresDirect), Performance Bike and Amazon.

See how these tires compare to others in my review of the Best Tubeless Tires.

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Thanks, and enjoy your rides safely! Cheers, Steve