Steve in SLO
09-21-2009, 08:49 PM
I have been riding Michelin Krylion Carbon 700x23 tires with satisfaction for a few years now. They’ve been a good, reliable tire with decent mileage and grip and flats have been rare despite riding over some pretty sharp objects. I was talking to the Vittoria rep at a race and he was offering a special intro deal on the 700x23 320tpi Corsa Evos, so I took a pair home and have finally worn out a pair of Krylions. I mounted these several weeks ago and took them out for a spin.
As I took the tires out of the box, my initial impression was that the tires felt like they had much thinner sidewalls than the Michelins. They had a shiny latex coating on the sidewalls that looked hand-applied, and the tread looked as if it had been glued on, like a tubular. In fact, they looked like clinchers built to be reminiscent of tubies.
Mounting onto my Neuvation R28SL3s (a bit easier than onto Campy rims) was about 30% easier than with new Michelins. Once on, they looked nice, between the shiny black sidewalls, stippled tread and minimal graphics. In fact the tire only has one label on it and you have to look VERY carefully to find the directional arrow.
I inflated them to 100/100 PSI, same as my Michelins, and gave them a ride. As I pedaled off, my first thought was that I hadn’t felt a tire this comfortable since a ride on tubies many years ago. Part of this may be that I had underinflated them (recommended 115-135 PSI) but I wanted a direct comparison to the Michelins. They felt ‘fatter’ than the Michelins as well, but are really not. As I headed down the street, I stood up and gave it a little gas. They felt sticky and gave a nice tearing sound as I hopped on it.
I have now about 250 miles on the set and they have given up a bit of the stick-to-the-pavement feel, but remain very comfy. They track well and corner well. I’ve been cornered on them at 35-40MPH and they are confidence inspiring without a hint of slip. I can’t comment about what threshold grip is like-progressive or sudden-since I haven’t ridden them that hard. I have had one flat that would have flatted any tire, but as I was repairing the inner tube I had the thought that the casing seemed pretty thin under the tread and applied a patch to the inside of the tire as well as to the tube. With the Michelins I would have not felt the need to do this. The nibs are wearing off the center of the back tire, and it is beginning to square off, so it looks like mileage will be a bit shy of what I am used to. I rode a different bike today with a set of Krylions and felt like I was on rocks.
So, in short:
Pos:
Comfy ride, good handling, fairly easy to mount, understated appearance
Negs:
Thin casing (?easily damaged with flats), may not wear well.
As I took the tires out of the box, my initial impression was that the tires felt like they had much thinner sidewalls than the Michelins. They had a shiny latex coating on the sidewalls that looked hand-applied, and the tread looked as if it had been glued on, like a tubular. In fact, they looked like clinchers built to be reminiscent of tubies.
Mounting onto my Neuvation R28SL3s (a bit easier than onto Campy rims) was about 30% easier than with new Michelins. Once on, they looked nice, between the shiny black sidewalls, stippled tread and minimal graphics. In fact the tire only has one label on it and you have to look VERY carefully to find the directional arrow.
I inflated them to 100/100 PSI, same as my Michelins, and gave them a ride. As I pedaled off, my first thought was that I hadn’t felt a tire this comfortable since a ride on tubies many years ago. Part of this may be that I had underinflated them (recommended 115-135 PSI) but I wanted a direct comparison to the Michelins. They felt ‘fatter’ than the Michelins as well, but are really not. As I headed down the street, I stood up and gave it a little gas. They felt sticky and gave a nice tearing sound as I hopped on it.
I have now about 250 miles on the set and they have given up a bit of the stick-to-the-pavement feel, but remain very comfy. They track well and corner well. I’ve been cornered on them at 35-40MPH and they are confidence inspiring without a hint of slip. I can’t comment about what threshold grip is like-progressive or sudden-since I haven’t ridden them that hard. I have had one flat that would have flatted any tire, but as I was repairing the inner tube I had the thought that the casing seemed pretty thin under the tread and applied a patch to the inside of the tire as well as to the tube. With the Michelins I would have not felt the need to do this. The nibs are wearing off the center of the back tire, and it is beginning to square off, so it looks like mileage will be a bit shy of what I am used to. I rode a different bike today with a set of Krylions and felt like I was on rocks.
So, in short:
Pos:
Comfy ride, good handling, fairly easy to mount, understated appearance
Negs:
Thin casing (?easily damaged with flats), may not wear well.