Michelins Newest Mountain Bike Tires Are Pretty Impressive. Two of the new tires are race oriented cross country designs with low weight and rolling resistance as their main focus. These tires were raced by three different riders in the Olympic Games, so theyre somewhat proven in competition already. The Jet XCR gets its traction and drive from a semi slick tread designed for hardpack courses its made with Michilins new Gum X2. D dual compound rubber, which places firmer rubber under a softer outer layer for minimum rolling resistance and maximum traction. A new Race Shield casing is composed of a supple yet lightweight 1. TPI casing. With a claimed weight of just 5. Serves as the national governing body for mountain biking. Promotes the sport through events, races, and trail advocacy. MTBA is not currently a member association of. Access official Olympic Cycling Mountain Bike sport and athlete records, events, results, photos, videos, news and more. This tire features a triple compound Gum X3. D rubber, with short, closely spaced knobs in the middle and taller side knobs. This tire also comes with a little stouter 1. TPI casing than the Jet XCR. Between the casing, extra tread, and compound, the Force XC weighs a little more, too, at 6. I rode this tire front and rear in the 2. Pivot Switchblade thats set up a little more enduro than XC, but its about as versatile as a bike gets nonetheless, and I was able to get a good feel for the tires. The out and back test trail was mostly hardpacked, and with all the recent rains, pretty tacky by Southern California standards. Right away I could notice the lack of weight and rolling resistance, but what surprised me was the amount of grip they had, considering how little tread there was. This indicated to me that the rubber compound was doing most of the work, gripping the rocks and few roots surprisingly well. This is a tire Ill be needing to put more time on before I reach any solid conclusions, but first impressions were very positive. Although the brand has been strong in its cross country offerings in the past and its latest enduro tires have been stellar, that middle trail focused tire range has typically left me wanting more. However, it seems that Michelin has turned a corner with its new Force AM and Wild AM trail bike tires. These use the same triple compound Gum X3. D compound as the Force XC, but have much more aggressive tread designs than the XC models, as well as an even more robust casing, dubbed Trail Shield, with a 6. TPI casing. I started my test with a 2. Force AM mounted front and rear. Change Windows Mobile Boot Screen Mac. The Force AMs tread design is similar to the Force XCs, but with taller, more pronounced knobs, and wider spacing with the larger carcass size. I honestly didnt think Id like it as a front tire, given the lack of tread, but it really surprised me with good grip and a predictable feel. WP-woods-shot-pic-900x600.jpg' alt='Cross Country Mountain Bike Training Program' title='Cross Country Mountain Bike Training Program' />Rolling resistance was quite low, too. Next, the Michelin crew mounted a a 2. Wild AM in the front. An aggressive knobby design with tightly spaced center knobs and tall, widely spaced side knobs give the Wild AM a very different look and feel. Its an aggressive tire meant for maximum traction in looser soil conditions, and thats just where it shined. The last tire combo felt almost perfectly suited to the Pivot Switchblades wide ranging ability on the trail. The rear tire rolls very fast and grips well in most circumstances. Its biggest weakness comes under hard braking, where the lack of knob height gives little penetration in softer soils, so it tends to step out if the brake is lockedsomething I noticed more on my home trails with softer decomposed granite than Santa Barbaras hardpack, rock, shale, and sandstone. Otherwise, I was really surprised by how composed it was in loose rocky soil. Again, I believe a good rubber compound comes into play here. As a front tire, the Force AM offered great straight line braking and cornering grip, even at aggressive lean angles. It crosses over from softer surfaces to hardpack reasonably well, too, without feeling too squirmy or vague as some aggressive tall knobbed tires can. This tire combo will be popular on trail bikes in the 1. More aggressive riders will want to put the Force AM on the rearsomething I did the last few days of testing. As expected, rolling resistance suffered to the tune of what Id estimate to be a gear to half gear difference, but braking traction and control are very good. I ended things by remounting the Force AM on the rear, because I really enjoyed the lack of rolling resistancethis is the combo Ill probably stick with as things dry out with spring upon us. I am also curious to see how the Wild AM pairs up in the back with a Wild Rockr. I didnt suffer a single flat tires from any of the Michelin models, although I saw a couple at the launch, with riders who took poor lines or just rode their bike at the edge of its intended use. Michelin says this new range covers 8. Id like to see some plus sized versions as wellmaybe next year. Its worth noting that there is a 2. Force AMa size that Ive been particularly keen on lately. I grabbed a pair of these, too, so stay tuned for more long term reviews on all the new tires in the pages of Bicycling and here on Bicycling. 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