Michelin Force Enduro Tire

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Intro

Formerly also known as Wild Race'R Enduro Rear Tire, within Michelins line up, this low profile thread spams all three casings XC, AM and Enduro. Tested Enduro casing gains extra pinch protection layer over its siblings.

Im really fond of semi slick rear tyres and my bikes mostly run Specialized Slaughter and Maxxis Minion SS. Once I started desiring more robust casing, available options stars to decrease and prices increase rapidly. My other niggle is that with tougher casings, many manufacturers choose to spec softer, stickier compounds somewhat negating the purpose of fast rolling thread.

Install

After absolutely trouble free dry mounting on 29mm Stans Flow S1 rims, Effetto Mariposa sealant was added and I was off to experience first impressions.

Review

Yep, right out of the gate, no surprises, it rolls noticeably easier than fully knobbed tyre. Place where I live and ride has very short descends with long smooth commutes in between thus, sacrificing some of the rear grip make a lot of sense, to save energy on tarmac. And with the other semi slick tires I used, it wasn't even that much of a sacrifice. Only in braking, and only when it got steep and loose. But this one here, the Michelin Force Enduro might be taking it too far toward slick side.

Big cornering side knobs is what is suppose to keep these tyres "semi", but Michelins rounded profile and less contrasting side knobs proved to be no match for their front Wild Enduro counterpart. Other all mountain semi slicks also tend to have numerous small square centre knobs, which together create enough of an edge for acceleration and braking. Force Enduro tire has further spaced and prolonged centre knobs, that should make for super smooth rolling generate more lateral grip. Such arrangement might work for Force XC version, but with this casing it doesn't quite fit the intentions.

When tyre looses cornering grip, it happens abruptly and shoulder knobs aren't there to catch the slide. If trying shralps or when cornering on loose gravel roads it is common for this particular setup to try and "swap ends" front to rear.

Ride quality is great, as with other ground hugging Michelin Enduro tyres. With extra pinch flat protection, and lack of rubber its robustness to weight ratio is outstanding. It brushed off rock strikes with bottomed out suspension that pinged through whole frame like its nothing, and its still a great tire for those looking for fast rolling and high protection.

Conclusion

It seems to me like Michelin cheaped out on creating beefed up version of this thread, which is shared even with lighter weight Force XC and AM versions. Result is a niche imbalanced tyre, which is best suited for heavier or aggressive trail riders that ride on surfaces with of plenty traction available. Competitors equivalents prove that semi slick tires can be bit more dependable grip-wise. I bought this one for a discount price 30$ for which it is very well worth it.