Submitted by
Steve Marshall
a Cross Country Rider
from Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Date Reviewed: August 7, 2005
Strengths: Traction and hook-up - unbelievable - thick sidewall, no flex in sharp turns, knobs mounted way over on each side of the tire.
Weaknesses: Rolling resistance is very high - heavy tires - weighed in on a digital scale at 3.1 lb. each - advertised as 1300 grams.
Soft rubber - I see a difference between center knobs and side knobs already after one 35 mile ride.
Bottom Line:
This review is for the 2005 Michelin DH16 All Terrain 2.5.
Mounted them up for a Monarch Crest Trail adventure last weekend and, while the climb up was brutal with the extra weight/rolling resistance, I have never gone so fast on the 9 mile Silver Creek downhill - I was a DH god - freaking fantastic traction and they just ploughed through loose rocks, sand, and over obstacles with amazing confidence.
Lay them over in a turn and hang on because they hook up fast and you are going in a new direction when your head is still going the other way.
Watch the wear - noticeable wear after just one ride - probably the price you pay for performance.
Bike Setup: 18" Moots Cinco, PUSH'ed Fox shocks front and rear, Mavic 819 disc rims, laced to DT 14 straight gauge spokes and XTR hubs, XT disc brake calipers with Galfer carbon/composite pads, XT 203 mm rotors, XTR/XT drive train components, FSA K-Force Mega-Exo carbon cranks, Maxm high rise bars, King Headset, WTB Lazer V saddle, Salsa Skewers, Moots seat post, Thomson stem, Crank Brothers Candy SL pedals.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Chris
a Downhiller
from Edinburgh, Scotland
Date Reviewed: August 1, 2004
Strengths: Grippy to extremes. Thick, tough sidewall. Good in almost all conditions.
Weaknesses: Wears quickly. Expensive.
Bottom Line:
Amazing tyres. They grip to everything all of the time. They have never ever broken out on me!!! Excellent puncture protection as well. Good for DH and Freeriding. Alright for jumping and 4X etc. Not to good for Cross country - too heavy.
Submitted by
Nick S
a Weekend Warrior
from Adelaide
Date Reviewed: April 8, 2003
Strengths: Great tyre for all conditions, wet and dry, loose hard track. Sticks to anything and sticks well. Great grip on the corners, holds well with the bike leaned right over. Strong high performance tyre. Never had any problems with the tyres.
Weaknesses: Bit of rolling resistance, not a problem when doing DH runs, a bit noticeable when riding around on trails. A bit hard to remove from the rim. A bit on the pricy. Soft compound tyre so expect to notice the wear on the tyre.
Bottom Line:
A great tyre for any type of condition, well worth putting on the bike if you dont mind paying a few extra dollars.
Similar Products Used: Almost every tire on the market.
Bike Setup: Cracked supereight with leaking monster t
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Bill Haq
a Weekend Warrior
from Coquitlam, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 2, 2002
Strengths: Tenacious grip and traction in every conceivable direction. Carves turns like a hot knife in butter. Slow rebound rubber. Turn the tire around for low rolling resistance and excellent braking.
Weaknesses: Heavy (1150g). Not an issue for the intended use. Expensive. A friend of mine who used these said the soft rubber wears out in record time.
Bottom Line:
If you want to go downhill or get traction in any direction, and you don't mind the weight, then look no further. This tire is expensive and will probably not last long, but is worth it if you want a sweet downhill run. If your VISA is burning a hole through trousers and you haven't tried a tire with slow rebound rubber then go out and give it a try. You might just develop a rubber fetish.
Bike Setup: 2001 Specialized Enduro Sport with a fair number of aftermarket upgrades.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Rich Steels
a Downhiller
from Derby, UK
Date Reviewed: June 9, 2002
Strengths: The most noticeable thing is definately their cornering ability, you can just keep laying them down into corners with confidence. Other than that, a great all round tyre that rules on loose conditions and braking.
Weaknesses: Heavy, slow rolling, expensive and hard to fit!
Bottom Line:
When you pick these tyres up you know you've got a proper tyre and not just a bin bag with studs!! They are well made, strong, and heavy! in a big way if you're use to lighter stuff. The biggest problem is their rolling resistance, they are so slow you'll think you're outta shape!! So keep em for fast non pedally down hills
Similar Products Used: Tioga factory 2.3 fat 66, intense MUD, IRC Kujo, Nokian
Bike Setup: Beefed up Marin B17, Stratos S8's, Kooka Razor Cranks, XT, Hope DH4 disks F&R, Hope Big'uns, Mavic 321 cd rims blah blah blah
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Tore
a Downhiller
from Narvik , Norway
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2002
Strengths: Totally rules in damp conditions , and sheds mud well if you get a little speed .Not slippery on wet rocks .
Weaknesses: Don't know how it would be in dry , conditions . Think I will run my Kujo/Missile combo . Could have been a bit wider ?? Looks like it will wear as fast as Michelin 24 .Retail price is nearly 50$ !!
Bottom Line:
If you have a damp climate and only ride DH you should own one of these to run on the front . Have no idea how it would be on the rear . Made me clear the "MUDSLIDE" in our downhill corse with ease - which I never had done before .Turns like on rails in the wet - where the Kujo washed out . Total race quality , but at a price ....
Similar Products Used: Tioga Fat66 DH 2.3 (Still the best tyres ive used)
Bike Setup: Azonic DS1, Azonic bars and stem, Bomber z1 , hope ,profile, mrp,FSA,blah blah blah
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
mark mcclenahan
a Downhiller
from sydney australia
Date Reviewed: November 22, 2001
Strengths: grips heaps well in all conditions always holds its line and hardly ever skids out (im running it on the front)the tread sharpens as it wears which is very cool
Weaknesses: wears prety quickly but thats it
Bottom Line:
a great race tire and would definatly recomend it as a fron tire in the 2.4 size
I mounted a new Michelin Comp 16 DH tire on my Deemax front wheel and the tire looks super narrow. It is a 2.5 width tire but it looks like a 2.1 on the rim. My Deemax wheels are t Read More »
