Home > Bike Types > Road Bike

MIchelin Unveils New PRO4 Road Bike Tire Range

2012 Micheline PRO4 Service Course road bike tire
11 Comments
Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

2012 Micheline PRO4 Service Course road bike tire

In celebration of its 120th anniversary making bicycle tires, Michelin has unveiled their new PRO4 road tire lineup.

With the new PRO4, Micheline wanted to improve both performance and longevity. The new PRO4 Service Course claims to improve wet surface cornering speed by 16% over the PRO3 but provides better cut resistance with a new dual compound tread. The Comp Service Course touts a 7% improvement in rolling resistance over its predecessor, a 150tpi casing and minimal 180g weight. The Endurance has a bead-to-bead breaker for improved puncture resistance, a firmer compound in the middle for long life and three levels of grippier rubber in on the sides. The top of the line Comp Limited Service Course comes in at just 165g with a dual compound tread. In summary:

  • MICHELIN PRO4 Endurance (longer tire life, enhanced protection)
  • MICHELIN PRO4 Service Course (all-around performance)
  • MICHELIN PRO4 Comp Service Course (rolling efficiency emphasis)
  • MICHELIN PRO4 Comp Limited Service Course (unprecedented rolling efficiency / maximized for speed)

More pics, including their cornering test rig, after the break…

Some models are available in one or more of the following: light blue, dark blue, black, red, pink, ivory, white and yellow.

As seen on the AG2R La Mondiale pro team at the Tour de France this year.

Michelin 3-wheeled bicycle tire test bike

Michelin developed this three-wheeled bike to test lateral grip in the wet, through corners. The third wheel, added for safety purposes, can be set at an angle of between 20 and 40 degrees, and lets them measure the maximum possible lean angle on wet roads. A patent has been registered for this apparatus.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

11 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
James
James
12 years ago

Tubs as well, or just clinchers?

Neil M
Neil M
12 years ago

Nice test rig! Overdue to have a means to “safely” test real world wet cornering.

Mick
Mick
12 years ago

@James…Michelin doesn’t offer tubs…albeit they commission (from another manufacturer) a swack of Look alikes for their Pro Teams

Eric Popiel
12 years ago

The tire patch should be lined up with the value hole. Hard to focus on the (incredibly awesome preview) info given the style issue.

Nanci Drew
Nanci Drew
12 years ago

ALL that armor AND a lil’ training wheel? HTFU

JK… but do you think the weight of the side-wheel would throw off the center of gravity and make the bike tip/lose traction sooner?

dgaddis
12 years ago

@Nanci – the ultimate slip angle doesn’t matter. how it compares to other tires is what does matter.

h2ofuel
12 years ago

@Eric Popiel
I align the tire model decal 180° from the valve stem. How it “should” be positioned is a matter of preference.

Bogey
Bogey
12 years ago

It increases cornering speed by 16%?! I have no doubt that it does but only at one speed and on a particular surface with a given air pressure on a given rim. Nice marketing numbers to throw around but this is only one point on a curve for that given combination.

Fat Banny
Fat Banny
12 years ago

@Popiel – It’s Euro and 180* opposite. Dude, your clincher mounting skills are so on point.

Chipollini
12 years ago

I see two problems with the photo of the tire and wheel, the wheel looks like it’s on backward, Reynolds ‘should’ be facing the other way (on the other side of the bike), and the tubes valve ‘should’ be centered with the tires main logo on the right side of the bike. The wheel decals are typically congruent with the tire decals or symmetrically opposing. Really its not wrong, just not clean in appearance. Its like showing up to a party with your shirt on backwards and not knowing it.

BRoadie
BRoadie
12 years ago

So they have a patent for adjustable stabilizers? Not likely.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.