Ridden & Reviewed: Michelin Pro4 Service Course Tires

Kelly, our parts and accessories buyer took pity on me. I was bugging him mercilessly about swag from Frostbike and he relented, loaning me a bran new pair of Michelin Pro4 Service Course tires to ride and review—but not to keep. Needing every ounce of help I could get for this past weekend’s races, I decided “no time like the present” and quickly mounted the new tires.

Michelin’s Pro 4 is actually not a single tire model, rather an umbrella name for a family of tires. The Pro4 Endurance replaces what was know as the Krylion and is designed for longevity and puncture resistance—a true training tire. The Pro4 Service Course that I’m riding is most directly comparable to the Pro3, which it replaces. Billed as somewhat of an “all arounder,” the Pro4 Service Course improves on its predecessor by relying on Michelin’s Moto GP experience and technology. A new profile increases the size of the sidewalls for improved cornering grip, and a new “pointed” tread pattern improves wear and decreases rolling resistance. The rest of the Pro4 line-up, the Pro4 Service Course Comp and the Pro4 Service Course Comp Limited, decrease the weight and puncture resistance in favor of faster rolling rubber. Given the roads around Central Texas, I’m happy to try to the Pro4 Service Course. Bicycle tires, like life, are about balance.

Out of the box I noticed three things. First, the box itself and the accompanying packaging was quite small and was comprised of simply cardboard and paper. Nice and easy to recycle. I’m not sure Michelin was thinking of eco-friendliness in their product packaging design, but it was still nice to see.

The Pro4 fresh out of the box and sitting on Tim's bench.

Second, I noticed the Pro4’s weight. It’s not “silly” light, but at a claimed 200 grams, it’s certainly light enough to notice. Compared to the tires I’ve been riding—which I love—this was a light tire. And that gave me pause three days before a weekend of racing; were these tires going to give me grief in the form of punctures? I read about the flat prevention layers, but still asked Tim at the Lamar store service department his thoughts: “No worries.  They’re going to feel fast and grippy.”

And mounting the Pro4 was the third thing I noticed. The Pro4 is tight, making it tough to mount. It was odd because I thought the sidewalls felt pretty supple and I thought that would make it easier to roll on to the rim using just thumb strength. Not that I have the world’s strongest thumbs, but I had to reach for a tire lever—thanks again, Tim! I also followed Michelin’s advice and used their ultralight butyl A1 Aircomp tube, a pairing designed to get the best performance in terms of decreased rolling resistance.

I did some short end of the week training rides and didn’t notice one thing or another about the tires, aside from their nice all-black looks. New tires, like new bar tape or new grips on a mountain bike, always look good.  Maybe I was just thinking about the weekend’s events, but I never gave the tires much thought. Then it was Saturday.

Saturday at 11:30 am was the two loop, 48 mile the Walburg Classic masters 35+ cat 4/5 race that I had entered some weeks ago. Being a novice and really just liking the excitement and camaraderie of racing, I was looking to ride safe and see how long I could hang on. But that morning, for whatever reason, all I could think about were these new tires. I knew exactly what air pressure I needed for my old tires for the country roads North of Georgetown (i.e. chip seal and surface changes as county an town limits are crossed).  But for the Pro4, what was the “right” number? I skulked about the Bicycle Sport Shop service tent and fiddled with a pump deciding on approximately 95 psi.  Thank you Al and John for the psi recommendation, the pump, and the water bottle!

While my race didn’t quite go according to plan, the tires were worry free and very confidence inspiring. Twice during the race I had to put avoidance tactics to use (to miss felled riders and road debris) and the tires never once gave the sensation of letting loose or being unpredictable. And, after coming unhitched from the group late in the day I had a chance to focus some on the ride quality over the rougher roads and thought, Tim was right, these tires feel fast.

Sunday’s race was different in two regards. First, I rode much better. Second, there was more turning. The Pace Bend Road Race consisted of a shorter 24 mile race, but on a much shorter 6 mile loop. The road surface was much better as well and seemed almost like it was laid fresh for the 8:00 am “baby masters” group I was again in. The Pro4 tires held there own very well. On a solo break off the front for a couple of miles I was cutting the apex of each bend trying to get far enough out of sight that the group might forget about me. While I was caught, it was no fault of the tires. They performed perfectly to Tim’s second prediction–nice an grippy–especially around the final 90 degree bend heading for the finish—a turn some racers had worried publicly about the safety of. No worries on the Pro4s though.

The Pro4 on course at the 2012 Pace Bend Road Race. Picture courtesy of Robert via TXBRA.org.

Overall with a little over 150 miles n these tires I’d recommend them to anyone who is sticking to paved roads—I’ll run different rubber for Reveille Roubaix for example, but mostly because I’ll likely want a wider tire than the available 25 mm I could get the Pro4 in. The Pro4 seems to have captured the magic of the original green Michelin Pro Race tires I rode years ago. I really doubt that Kelly is getting these back.