In this article I’m going to give you my list for the fastest tubeless road bike tires of today.
When you think of fast a lot of people immediately think of weight, believing that a reduction in weight increases speed. And that would indeed be true. However there’s also another distinction that needs to be taken into consideration, which is rolling resistance.
The tires which are lightest are almost without exception time trial tires. And none of those tires aren’t tubeless. An argument could also be made that you wouldn’t want to fit those tires on a bike for your everyday ride, because they’re definitely not the most comfortable ones as well.
So for this list of the fastest tubeless road bike tires, I looked for tires that are light and have a very low rolling resistance as well. If they also offer a plush ride and are somewhat durable, I would consider that to be a bonus.
So without further ado, here’s the list of the fastest tubeless road bike tires.
Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR
Continental is known for their light-weight tire offerings and the Continental Grand Prix 500 S TR is no exception. It’s the tubeless ready version of the standard Grand Prix 5000, which is a clincher tire.
The tubeless ready Grand Prix 5000 has the same excellent stats. A 220 TPI moderately supple tire, that comes in your standard 25 and 28 mm width versions. At 250 grams for the 25 mm and 280 for the 28 mm version, these tires are pretty light. And on top of that, this tire scores extremely high markers in the rolling resistance department. That means you can check both light and fast of your list of requirements, when you go for this tire.
A tan wall version is included among the sizes for those who want to mount them.
- Light, very fast-rolling race tire, tan wall option available
- None
Michelin Power Road
The Michelin Power Road is the first tubeless offering from this French company. The Michelin Power Road has more allround characteristics than other tires mentioned here.
That means that it’s slightly heavier, but in return you get a thin extra layer of rubber on the center tread for more durability and puncture protection. And truth be told, 305 grams for a 28 version is about average.
Every company obviously claims that they have the most robust and fastest rolling tires money can buy, and Michelin is no exception. Whether you believe them or not, the Michelin Power road is a perfect fit-and-forget tire for the average rider.
- More durable than other race tires, solid allrounder
- None
Vittoria Corsa
The Vittoria Corsa tops many lists as one of the best road bike tires in general. And lucky for us, they also offer a tan-wall version of this beauty of a tire.
The Vittoria Corsa is a tire for the current generation of road bikes. At 290 grams for a 25 mm width it’s not lightweight. But the combination of that weight and an extremely high 320 TPI carcass means this is one of the most comfortable road tires on the market today, and an obvious choice for many road cyclists.
Not only is this an extremely comfortable tire, grip, handling, and cornering confidence is also at a maximum with this tire. And for years the Vittoria Corsa has set the benchmark of being the tire with the lowest rolling resistance. All of these characteristics combined make the Vittoria Corsa a failsafe option for sure.
- Stunning tire, very comfortable, great grip and handling
- None
Vittoria Corsa Speed
The Vittoria Corsa Speed is basically Vittoria’s time trial version of its regular Corsa. A tubular tire where a considerable amount of rubber has been shaved off to create a 23 mm width 200 gram tire in either black or tan.
All that reduction in weight does of course come with a penalty, so this tire is best reserved when you really want to go really fast. Or else the 140 dollar price tag for a tire that isn’t all that durable might not be the best option for the average rider.
But if you do decide to go for this tire, just to experience what it feels like, you can rest assured that the 320 TPI count will provide both a very smooth and very fast ride, which will hopefully make you forget how much money you spent for that ride.
- Very fast, lots of grip
- Meant for race day, very pricey
Road Bike Tires Weight Rating
I’ve always been fascinated by bicycle tires, and road bike tires offer some of the most premium pieces of rubber you can put on your rims. It’s a good place to save quite a bit of weight without paying a really large amount of money. It’s not like there are titanium or carbon tires, which are traditionally materials to make bicycle products lighter that are very expensive.
The lightest 700C tire I’ve looked at is the Veloflex Record, which is a track tire sitting at 135 grams for a 23 mm version. The heaviest tire I’ve taken into account is the Schwalbe Lugano II Endurance weighing 490 grams for the same 25 mm tire width.
In the following graph you can find the weight ratings for each tire. The weight ratings represent a relative percentage irrespective of tire width and only looking at 700C versions of the respective tire. The numbers are compared against each other resulting in a percentage of 0 for the relative heaviest tire and 100 for the relative lightest tire.
Road Bike Tires Puncture Protection Rating
Nobody likes a flat tire. It’s one of the most jarring things to break the flow of a ride. That’s why puncture protection is an important factor when considering a certain bicycle tire.
Puncture protection sits at the other end of the tire weight, suppleness and possibly grip. The more rubber you add to a tire, and the more layers of protection sit underneath it, the more weight you add, and the stiffer your tire gets. That’s why racing tires have the most minimal protection, and touring or 4-season tires the most.
The puncture protection ratings you see here are a function of TPI, in combination with tire weight, and puncture protection technology added to the tire. From sidewall protection, multiple breakers and tire belts.
Specifications fastest tubeless road bike tires
Name | Size | ETRTO | Weight (gr) | Tread color | Sidewall color | Compound | Puncture protection | Tire bead | TPI | Buy at Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pirelli P Zero Race | 700Cx26 | 26-622 | 270 | Black | Tan | SmartEVO | TechBelt Road | tlr | 120 | |
Pirelli P Zero Race | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 295 | Black | Tan | SmartEVO | TechBelt Road | tlr | 120 | |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 280 | Black | Black | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | tlr | 2/220 | |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 280 | Black | Transparent | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | tlr | 2/220 | |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 250 | Black | Black | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | tlr | 2/220 | |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 250 | Black | Transparent | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | tlr | 2/220 | |
Pirelli P Zero Race | 700Cx26 | 26-622 | 270 | Black | Black | SmartEVO | TechBelt Road | tlr | 120 | |
Pirelli P Zero Race | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 295 | Black | Black | SmartEVO | TechBelt Road | tlr | 120 | |
Vittoria Corsa | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 290 | Black | Black | Corespun K | Protection Belt | tlr | 320 | |
Michelin Power Road | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 275 | Black | Black | X-Race | tlr | 4/120 | ||
Michelin Power Road | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 305 | Black | Black | X-Race | tlr | 4/120 |
Johan van Seijen
FoundeR Restoration.bike
Johan van Seijen is the founder of restoration.bike. His passion for cycling in general, and restoring older bikes turned into a website to share his knowledge with a broader audience. Starting out on his father’s road bike and riding classics as the Amstel Gold Race and Liege Bastogne Liege he has shifted his attention to trail, XC, and gravel riding since. No matter how much he loves writing about everything related to cycling, nothing beats actually using his ever-expanding bicycle collection.
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