In this article I’m going to give you a list of the absolute lightest road bike tires money can buy.
But before we go in first we need to establish a benchmark of tire weight, so we can get a perspective on what exactly constitutes light. To do so I’ve added the weight of all the road bike tires I had and divided them by the number which were part of the equation. There were 196 entries and the average weight turned out to be 291 grams. All had 700C diameters and the tire widths ran from an ultra-thin 19 mm up to 28 mm. I’ve chosen the 28 mm as the upper bound, since there seems to be a consensus that tires with that width still can be called road bike tires.
The tires on this list all have weights of 200 grams or lower, and apart from the single Rene Herse entry are all from either the Continental or Vittoria tire brand. Now I already knew Continental made some of the lightest mountain bike tires on the market, but as it seems, they also dominate the road bike market when it comes to the lightest road bike tires.
A sub-200 gram tire is indeed extremely light, but do keep in mind that moving up to the average weight doesn’t even add 200 grams to the overall weight of your bike. And with that added weight do come benefits of added durability, puncture protection and comfort.
But as far as race day is concerned, these lightest road bike tires will help you shave off those couple of watts you’re looking for.
Continental Grand Prix 5000
The Continental Grand Prix 5000 is a clincher tire and dubbed as the best allrounder in the field.
And on paper at least the numbers are very impressive. A 330 TPI tire (very supple) at a claimed weight of 200 grams for a 23 mm width version. It has the exact same Vectran breaker as the other ones on this list, so as far as puncture protection is concerned, this tire performs equally impressively.
And this tire comes in a tan wall version or transparent as Continental calls it. But if you want the lightest version of this tire, you’ll have to stick to black.
Stu Kerton | Senior Product Reviewer – March 26, 2021
Riding them in the winter has shown how durable they are for such a high-performance tyre. With a short test period it’s difficult to judge wear levels, but the GP5000s are looking good. There are a couple of little marks here and there from the hedge cutting season, but they haven’t punctured yet.
They have a supple feel, too. Even at the pressures I ride, they bring a noticeable cushioning effect to proceedings. The only real issue I can see is that if you want tubeless and a tan wall, you’re out of luck. If that doesn’t bother you, you’re going to have to go some to find another tyre that delivers the same levels of performance and durability. The GP5000 Transparent is excellent. As long as you’re willing to pay for it.
- Best all-round road bike tire on the market, supple, light, good puncture protection, tan wall option available
- None
Continental Competition
The Continental Competition is a very different tire than the Grand Prix TT. More of an allround race tire, only the extremely narrow 19 mm get’s below the 200 grams at 195. Should you move up to either 22 or 25 mm the weight increases as well to 230 and 245 respectively, which is still very respectable for an all-round road bike tire.
With a TPI of 180 it does pack far more rubber making this tire far more durable. Furthermore it does have the same vectran breaker and just the tiniest of tread to maximize rolling resistance.
The Continental Competition is a tubular tire, which means that these tires may very well be lighter than the Grand Prix TT which needs tubes.
- Light, allround race-oriented tire, durable
- None
Panaracer Agilest Light
What do you get when you take one of the lightest road bike tires available, and decide you want to make it even lighter? You get the Panaracer Agilest Light.
I know of only one tire which is lighter than the 160 grams 23mm version (or 170 grams 25mm). That tire specifically states it’s meant for either the track or a time trial.
This one does not. And, on the other hand, still offers the same 120 TPI casing, and breaker as the clincher version. It only comes with less rubber, but obviously something had to go to get into the weight class this tire sits in, which is quite frankly, anorexic. And I don’t mean that in a derogatory way.
Sure, it might be less durable, but who cares? This tire is a weight weenies’ dream come true.
#REF!
- Light, lighter, Panaracer Agilest light.
- None
Michelin Power Time Trial
The Michelin Power Time Trial is, as the name suggests, another time trial entry to this list. It sacrifices durability and puncture resistance for pure speed.
The two sizes of 23 and 25 mm tip the scales at 180 and 190 grams respectively, so considering their widths, this is truly one of the lightest tires on the planet.
You’d expect from a time trial tire that it performs well in the rolling resistance department, and the Michelin Power Time Trial does indeed. Together with the Continental Grand Prix 5000, the tire has one of the lowest ones.
Jarno Bierman | Tire tester – April 10, 2022
I tested the Power Time Trial with a latex tube to see if it could come close to the fastest tubeless tires. The Power Time Trial with a latex tube shows us rolling resistance is the same as the ultra-fast tubeless Vittoria Corsa Speed G+ 2.0 at high air pressures. Only at very low air pressures, the tubeless Corsa Speed is a bit faster. If you’re still using inner tubes and looking for the fastest tires, the Power Time Trial with latex inner tubes is what you should be looking for.
- Blisteringly fast-rolling tire
- Meant for race day
Vittoria Corsa N.EXT
Brands use all kinds of marketing slang to spice up their sales efforts. So does Vittoria’s Corsa N.EXT acronym live up to the expectation of being more than just an incredibly light tire?
If we stay at that weight for a moment; 200 grams for a 24 mm width tire is nothing to scoff at. That is indeed very light sitting next to the Vittoria Corsa Speed. But why would you want to pick this one over the Corsa Speed?
Well, it’s not a race tire, the Corsa Speed is. This tire has a nylon casing with a 100 TPI. If you’d ask me up front if you’d be able to make a lightweight road tire with those two components in them, I’d say no. I have no idea how they did it but that doesn’t really matter, because this is not an engineering class.
Nylon doesn’t offer the same level of rolling-resistance as a much more pliant cotton casing would, or some of the other premium compounds out there.
My guess is that this is a first experiment with nylon and vulcanized rubber, and that Vittoria might be forced into this direction because bigger brands, like Continental and Schwalbe, have been doing it for years with exceptional results.
They definitely hit it out of the ballpark as far as weight is concerned. And it’s Vittoria, so why not?
Aaron Borrill | Editor – September 29, 2022
The Schwalbe Pro One(link is external), which has become the benchmark for tubeless-ready road tyres over the past couple of years, is super-fast and easy to fit, but in my experience can’t quite match the Vittoria when it comes to puncture protection and peace of mind riding.
Overall, the Vittoria Corsa N.Ext tyres are just as fast as their chief rivals and possess one of the best puncture-resistant casings on the market. If you’re looking for a tyre that can double up for use as both a training and racing option, you can’t go wrong here.
- First durable nylon offering from the Italian brand
- 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.
Liam Cahill | Contributor – January 5, 2019
That brings us on to the competition. If the rolling stats are to believed, these are a class above the rest for pure speed. For racing, I’d recommend these over pretty much every other tubeless tyre. Yes, they’re a little delicate, but you get a really nice ride feel, great grip (in the dry) and the fastest ride. And though they’re not cheap, you can still spend more on tubeless tyres.
- Very fast, lots of grip
- Meant for race day, very pricey
Specifications lightest road bike tires
Name | Size | ETRTO | Weight (gr) | Tread color | Sidewall color | Compound | Puncture protection | Tire bead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Continental Competition | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 245 | Black | Black | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | tubular |
Continental Competition | 700Cx22 | 22-622 | 230 | Black | Black | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | tubular |
Continental Competition | 700Cx19 | 19-622 | 195 | Black | Black | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | tubular |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 | 700Cx32 | 32-622 | 285 | Black | Black | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | foldable |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 | 700Cx30 | 30-622 | 255 | Black | Black | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | foldable |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 275 | Black | Cream | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | foldable |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 245 | Black | Transparent | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | foldable |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 240 | Black | Black | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | foldable |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 230 | Black | Transparent | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | foldable |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 255 | Black | Cream | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | foldable |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 225 | Black | Black | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | foldable |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 200 | Black | Black | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | foldable |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 | 650x28B | 28-584 | 230 | Black | Black | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | tlr |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 | 650x25B | 25-584 | 210 | Black | Black | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | tlr |
Michelin Power Time Trial | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 180 | Black | Black | Gum-X | foldable | |
Michelin Power Time Trial | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 190 | Black | Black | Gum-X | foldable | |
Panaracer Agilest Light | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 160 | Black | Black | ZSG Agile | AX-Alpha / TF Super Belt | foldable |
Panaracer Agilest Light | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 170 | Black | Black | ZSG Agile | AX-Alpha / TF Super Belt | foldable |
Vittoria Corsa N.EXT | 700Cx24 | 24-622 | 260 | Black | Black | Nylon | Nylon | tlr |
Vittoria Corsa N.EXT | 700Cx26 | 26-622 | 285 | Black | Black | Nylon | Nylon | tlr |
Vittoria Corsa N.EXT | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 330 | Black | Black | Nylon | Nylon | tlr |
Vittoria Corsa N.EXT | 700Cx30 | 30-622 | 355 | Black | Black | Nylon | Nylon | tlr |
Vittoria Corsa N.EXT | 700Cx32 | 32-622 | 356 | Black | Black | Nylon | Nylon | tlr |
Vittoria Corsa N.EXT | 700Cx34 | 34-622 | 395 | Black | Black | Nylon | Nylon | tlr |
Vittoria Corsa N.EXT | 700Cx24 | 24-622 | 200 | Black | Black | Nylon | Nylon | foldable |
Vittoria Corsa N.EXT | 700Cx26 | 26-622 | 210 | Black | Black | Nylon | Nylon | foldable |
Vittoria Corsa N.EXT | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 250 | Black | Black | Nylon | Nylon | foldable |
Vittoria Corsa N.EXT | 700Cx30 | 30-622 | 275 | Black | Black | Nylon | Nylon | foldable |
Vittoria Corsa N.EXT | 700Cx32 | 32-622 | 285 | Black | Black | Nylon | Nylon | foldable |
Vittoria Corsa N.EXT | 700Cx34 | 34-622 | 315 | Black | Black | Nylon | Nylon | foldable |
Vittoria Corsa Speed | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 200 | Black | Black | Corespun T | Protection Belt | tubular |
Vittoria Corsa Speed | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 200 | Black | Tan | Corespun T | Protection Belt | tubular |
Vittoria Corsa Speed | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 205 | Black | Black | Corespun T | Protection Belt | tubular |
Vittoria Corsa Speed | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 205 | Black | Tan | Corespun T | Protection Belt | tubular |
Vittoria Corsa Speed | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 225 | Black | Black | Corespun T | Protection Belt | tlr |
Vittoria Corsa Speed | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 240 | Black | Black | Corespun T | Protection Belt | tlr |
Sources
Founder Restoration.bike
Johan van Seijen is the founder of restoration.bike. His cycling career has seen him at the starting line of classics such as the Amstel Gold Race and Liege Bastogne Liege. Realizing his racing capacity would fall short of what was needed he obtained a MS from the University of Amsterdam in engineering. His love for cycling changed into riding in an amateur capacity with his local cycling club TFC Weesp as a roadie and supporting MTB Noordwest as a mountain biker. He repairs, restores, and builds bicycles and shares his knowledge on YouTube, Facebook and this website.
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