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The top 5 lowest rolling resistance road bike tires

In this article I’m going to give you my list for the lowest rolling resistance road bike tires.

Every road cyclist worth his or her salt is looking for speed. And probably the single most important aspect when it comes to speed associated with tires is called rolling resistance. Rolling resistance is the amount of energy output absorbed between the tire and the road it’s connected with.

It’s not as simple as having paperthin slick tires inflated to the point of bursting, but this article is not about going into detail about the complexities of rubber compounds and the effects on rolling resistance. I’ll leave that up to the tire manufacturers to figure out. I’m only interested in the end result, not how that was achieved.

For normal road use I would advise a tire with a width of 25 mm, so for one exception that’s the measurement that’s been used to compare the tires. Since I don’t have a device to measure rolling resistance I’ve simply looked at the results as shown on the site bicyclerollingresistance.com. So they should take credit where credit is due.

And now, without further ado, here’s the ist of the lowest rolling resistance road bike tires.

Continental Grand Prix 5000

Continental Grand Prix 5000
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.

Michelin Power Time Trial

Michelin Power Time Trial
fallback

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.

Schwalbe Pro One Tube Type

Schwalbe Pro One Tube Type
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.

Veloflex Record

Veloflex Record
Veloflex Record

The Veloflex Record is a tire from a small Italian Manufacturer. Made by hand, this tire is only meant for time trials and track racing.

Its 350 TPI casing weighing in at an astounding 135 grams doesn’t have any protection to speak of. That means that if you venture out on anything else but the smoothest of tarmac you’re bound to run a flat sooner or later.

Sadly enough they only offer a 23 mm version. But the tire is fast as lightning indeed.

Vittoria Corsa Speed

Vittoria Corsa Speed
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.

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.

Continental Grand Prix 5000
81%
Michelin Power Time Trial
87%
Schwalbe Pro One Tube Type
78%
Veloflex Record
100%
Vittoria Corsa Speed
83%

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.

Continental Grand Prix 5000
42%
Michelin Power Time Trial
29%
Schwalbe Pro One Tube Type
55%
Veloflex Record
22%
Vittoria Corsa Speed
38%

Specifications lowest rolling resistance road bike tires

Name
Size
ETRTO
Weight (gr)
Tread color
Sidewall color
Compound
Puncture protection
Tire bead
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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
Schwalbe Pro One Tube Type
700Cx23
23-622
215
Black
Black
ADDIX Race
V-Guard
foldable
Schwalbe Pro One Tube Type
700Cx25
25-622
235
Black
Black
ADDIX Race
V-Guard
foldable
Schwalbe Pro One Tube Type
700Cx25
25-622
235
Black
Transparent
ADDIX Race
V-Guard
foldable
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
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
bio vanseijen

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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