A good pair of road bike tyres can transform the ride quality of your bike – nothing makes a bike feel alive better than supple, comfortable and fast tyres. However, factors such as puncture protection, available widths, tubeless setup and even looks are important.
With so many options to choose from, it can be hard to know which are worth your cash.
Fortunately for you, BikeRadar has tested hundreds of road bike tyres over the years – from paper-thin TT specials to turgidly stiff touring treads, we’ve covered them all.
The best road bike tyres make their way into our in-depth buyer’s guide – our ultimate resource for picking the right road bike tyres for you.
But where would our testers spend their cash?
Tanwalls, tubeless setups and brand allegiances all played a role in the choices – as did cold, hard experience of what works and what doesn’t. Here are our picks – with one tyre, and its closely related sibling, the clear winner.
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Still not sure what to buy? Check out our full buyer's guide to the best road bike tyres
Simon von Bromley – Continental GP5000 S TR (with tanwalls)
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I am a tyre fanatic – mid-range or all-season tyres simply won’t do for my bikes.
My ideal road bike tyres are fast, reliable and easy to fit, and Continental’s GP5000 S TR ticks all of those boxes – especially now you can get it with beautiful biscuity brown sidewalls.
Having been heavily involved in our rolling resistance group test at the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub a few years ago, though, I’ve definitely solidified my view that efficiency isn’t the final word when it comes to tyres.
A marginally faster tyre that’s a pain to set up tubeless is a non-starter (sorry Challenge).
Likewise, the faster GP5000 TT TRs may save a few final watts, but their reputation for low mileage won’t do either.
Yet while the Continental tyres just edge the competition for me, it’s also fair to say there are a number of fantastic options available.
Specialized’s S-Works Turbo 2BR and Michelin’s Power Cup TLR are excellent, as is Schwalbe’s Pro One TLE. Pirelli’s new P Zero Race TLR RS also looks great, if the test data gathered by bicyclerollingresistance.com is to be believed (and it is generally considered to be reliable).
If I saw any of those with tan sidewalls and a cheaper price, my allegiance to Conti would be sorely tested.
- Read more: Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR tyre review
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Warren Rossiter – Goodyear Eagle F1 R 32mm
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I honestly don’t pay a huge amount of attention to rolling resistance figures quoted in tests on rolling roads – I’m much more interested in the ride tyres offer, and how they feel, wear and – especially – grip.
I also care about how they look. On my current favourite bike, the Mosaic RT 1TR, that has to mean tanwalls.
When I had the bike built, it came running all-black tyres and they just didn’t suit the titanium loveliness of the Mosaic.
Since swapping out the wheels (for something cheaper) and experimenting with a few tyre options, I’ve settled on Goodyear F1 Eagle Rs in 32mm.
The tanwalls look great, the tyre volume adds heaps of comfort and grip, and it makes the bike ride just so.
- Read more: Goodyear Eagle F1 R tyre review
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Oscar Huckle – Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR
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I’m a proper fusspot when it comes to road tyres and, in my view, nothing tops Continental’s Grand Prix 5000 S TR.
I reckon I first pledged allegiance to Continental’s premium tyre line around 2015, with the Grand Prix 4000 S II, and in the decade since, nothing has shaken them off the podium.
That’s because nothing grips like a Conti – they stick like glue to tarmac and glide around corners with pinpoint precision.
This superlative grip is balanced with good durability and light weight. Once you add in their low rolling resistance and commendable puncture protection (but remember this is a speedy summer tyre), the GP5000 S TR is a brilliant all-rounder.
They’re not cheap at £84.95 / €89.95 a tyre, but it’s a price worth paying – I assure you, you won’t find anything better.
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Ashley Quinlan – Continental Grand Prix 5000 AS TR
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I completely agree with Simon and Oscar – the Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR is a great tyre – but it’s not the best tyre the German brand makes.
For me, that honour goes to the slightly slower Grand Prix 5000 AS TR.
Technically, it’s an all-season tyre, but its only real difference compared to the S TR is that it carries an extra layer in its carcass (the AS TR has four plies, versus the S TR’s three).
This relatively small design change means on paper it doesn’t roll as efficiently, and it’s a little heavier, but you get far more peace of mind when the roads are bad and you don’t want to hear the telltale hiss of air making a break for it.
The S TR is by no means a fragile tyre – go for the TT TR or Archetype if you like to live on the edge of air retention – but when I use my bike for fun summer rides and dank, dark winter commutes, I want one tyre that can do it all.
My only quibble? The outer tread seems to wear a little quicker than I’ve seen from the excellent alternative, the Pirelli P Zero Race TLR 4S.
But, because optimal tyre choice can also be as much down to what you have confidence in as other factors, the GP5000 AS TR is my pick.
- Read more: Continental Grand Prix 5000 AS TR review
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Jack Luke – Vittoria N.EXT TLR
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I’ve long been a fan of road tubeless setups and, as one of the first genuinely good options on the market, I was, for a very long time, a Schwalbe Pro One guy.
They offered easy tubeless setup, decent durability and – while I’m no Rolling Resistance Bromley – decent performance.
I’d still be happy riding Pro Ones today but, for no other reason than pure curiosity, I decided to switch things up and try Vittoria’s Corsa N.EXT TLR tyres last year – first in 32mm on my brown bike, followed by 28mm tyres on my TCR.
I was quickly won over by their classic looks, supple ride and good durability.
Ground conditions, mood and weather make it hard to provide an objective measure of grip. Regardless, my overall impression is they offer slightly more reliable, tacky confidence in a broader range of conditions than the Pro Ones – a feeling backed up by independent lab testing from Bicycle Rolling Resistance.
To boot, they’re available in a wide range of sizes – if not a tanwall option, much to the disappointment of the aforementioned Bromley.
At £60 RRP, but typically available for around £40, they're not exactly cheap, but relatively good value in the generally expensive world of road tyres.
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