With this article I’m going to give you a number of some of the best lightweight road bike tires.
Before I can do so I need to establish a benchmark weight to compare against. I’ve taken a list of 270 tires with a tire width up to 28mm, which is the widest tire that’s generally compatible with any road bike frame, and won’t get you into trouble with respect to frame clearance.
The average weight was 280 grams, so anything reasonably below 280 grams can be considered lightweight. I’ve listed tires up to 225 grams.
The last couple of years there’s been a trend of moving away from very skinny tires. That means that tire manufacturers almost never include sub-23mm tires in their road bike tire lineup anymore. In turn sub-200 gram tires are becoming more rare with wider tires obviously weighing more.
But you will definitely find them on this list, and not all of them are strictly for time trial purposes. I’ve added a table overview at the end of this article for you to gain more insight in weight, puncture protection, and compounds.
With that out of the way, let’s head over to my list of the very best and very lightweight road bike tires.
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.
- Light, lighter, Panaracer Agilest light.
- None
Panaracer Agilest
The Panaracer Agilest is the newest addition to the Japanese tire manufacturer’s road bike tire lineup.
The standard clincher variant is one of the lightest tires available, with the “wide” 28mm version sitting at just 210 grams per tire.
They’ve achieved this weight with the new and much lighter ZSG Agile compound, which is a combination of a single 120 TPI ply with a puncture resistant breaker.
Coming in a variety of color combinations, including a gorgeous amber one, and being a long-time fan of Panaracer, I can do very little but instantly count this road bike tire among my favorites.
- Light as a feather, with multiple colors. Another hit with Japanese build quality.
- None
Panaracer Agilest Duro
The Panaracer Agilest Duro is without a doubt, the most puncture-resistant, yet lightweight road bike tire on the market.
The puncture resistance differs markedly by including the ProTite Belt, a breaker Panaracer also uses in their touring tires. On top of that an extra bead-to-bead breaker covers the entire casing.
By adding the extra breaker, they’ve bumped up the weight just a bit, but the 220 grams for a 25mm version is incredibly impressive.
- The most puncture-resistant, yet lightweight road bike tire on the market
- None
Continental Podium TT
Another Time Trial entry, the Continental Podium TT sits at 195 grams for a 19 mm width version.
It’s extremely similar to the Continental Competition. Same weight, both are tubulars, same TPI of 180, same vectran breaker. Only the tread pattern looks slightly different, almost turning the tire into a slick, which might be the reason Continental puts this tire into the time trial section.
- Extremely light, meant for racing and TT
- Race tire
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.
- Best all-round road bike tire on the market, supple, light, good puncture protection, tan wall option available
- 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.
- Blisteringly fast-rolling tire
- Meant for race day
Schwalbe Pro One Tube Type
The Schwalbe Pro One is a top-tier tire from the German brand, which can also be used for time trials.
It’s very light and has one of the best low rolling-resistance numbers. Like many super-fast tires it’s still a clincher tire.
The 23 mm version weighs 215 grams and the 25 mm version 235 grams. The 25 mm version also comes as a tan wall.
- Super fast, lightweight, tan wall option available, one of the very best race tires on the market
- 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 lightweight road bike tires
Name | Size | ETRTO | Weight (gr) | Tread color | Sidewall color | Compound | Puncture protection | Tire bead | TPI | Buy at Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Continental Grand Prix 5000 | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 200 | Black | Black | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | foldable | 3/330 | |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 225 | Black | Black | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | foldable | 3/330 | |
Continental Podium TT | 700Cx22 | 22-622 | 225 | Black | Black | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | tubular | 3/180 | |
Michelin Power Time Trial | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 180 | Black | Black | Gum-X | foldable | 3/180 | ||
Michelin Power Time Trial | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 190 | Black | Black | Gum-X | foldable | 3/180 | ||
Panaracer Agilest | 700×23 | 23-622 | 180 | Black | Black | ZSG Agile | AX-Alpha / TF Super Belt | foldable | 120 | |
Panaracer Agilest | 700×23 | 23-622 | 180 | Black | Amber | ZSG Agile | AX-Alpha / TF Super Belt | foldable | 120 | |
Panaracer Agilest | 700×25 | 25-622 | 190 | Black | Black | ZSG Agile | AX-Alpha / TF Super Belt | foldable | 120 | |
Panaracer Agilest | 700×25 | 25-622 | 190 | Black | Amber | ZSG Agile | AX-Alpha / TF Super Belt | foldable | 120 | |
Panaracer Agilest | 700×25 | 25-622 | 190 | Black | Blue | ZSG Agile | AX-Alpha / TF Super Belt | foldable | 120 | |
Panaracer Agilest | 700×25 | 25-622 | 190 | Black | Red | ZSG Agile | AX-Alpha / TF Super Belt | foldable | 120 | |
Panaracer Agilest | 700×28 | 28-622 | 210 | Black | Black | ZSG Agile | AX-Alpha / TF Super Belt | foldable | 120 | |
Panaracer Agilest | 700×28 | 28-622 | 210 | Black | Amber | ZSG Agile | AX-Alpha / TF Super Belt | foldable | 120 | |
Panaracer Agilest Duro | 700×23 | 23-622 | 210 | Black | Black | ZSG Agile | TF Super Outer Shield / ProTite belt | foldable | 120 | |
Panaracer Agilest Duro | 700×25 | 25-622 | 220 | Black | Black | ZSG Agile | TF Super Outer Shield / ProTite belt | foldable | 120 | |
Panaracer Agilest Light | 700×23 | 23-622 | 160 | Black | Black | ZSG Agile | AX-Alpha / TF Super Belt | foldable | 120 | |
Panaracer Agilest Light | 700×25 | 25-622 | 170 | Black | Black | ZSG Agile | AX-Alpha / TF Super Belt | foldable | 120 | |
Panaracer Closer Plus | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 220 | Black | Black | ZSG | foldable | 120 | ||
Schwalbe Pro One Tube Type | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 215 | Black | Black | ADDIX Race | V-Guard | foldable | 2/127 | |
Vittoria Corsa Speed | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 200 | Black | Tan | Corespun T | Protection Belt | tubular | 320 | |
Vittoria Corsa Speed | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 205 | Black | Black | Corespun T | Protection Belt | tubular | 320 | |
Vittoria Corsa Speed | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 205 | Black | Tan | Corespun T | Protection Belt | tubular | 320 |
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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