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review

Michelin Power Adventure tyre

7
£61.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Good grip and feedback levels on the road, while wide and durable enough to provide confidence away from it
Supple and fast ride for their size
Compound gives good grip
Decent durability
A tight fit on some rims
There are cheaper options
Weight: 
441g

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Michelin has added the Power Adventure gravel tyre to its range to provide large volume setups for those who ride mostly on the road but with the odd deviation onto tracks and trails. For their size they are quite light, and they feel supple for a tubeless tyre designed to be durable for light off-road use. They can be a bit of a struggle to fit on wider rims, but once on there is a lot to like.

Check out our guide to the best gravel tyres for more options suitable for a variety of terrain.

> Buy now: Michelin Power Adventure tyre for £49.59 from Sprockets Cycles

I reviewed Michelin's Power Gravel tyre a couple of years back and overall I was impressed. Its minimal depth of tread meant it was ideal for dry trails and worked okay on the road too.

With the versatility of gravel bikes ever increasing, though, being used regularly as commuters and touring bikes, Michelin has released this Power Adventure model, a tyre that runs better on the road than the Power Gravel but is still wide enough to be usable on gravel trails that don't require a huge amount of grip.

The line-up ranges in size from 30mm up to 48mm (these are 42mm), so there is something for every kind of bike.

The compound has a tacky feel to it and that transfers to decent grip out on the road. As you'd expect it's no race tyre, but they feel secure in the bends and there is plenty of bite against the surface. I felt totally comfortable on fast descents, and they accelerate well for a tyre that weighs 441g.

Not that they're overly heavy – the 36mm WTB Exposure TCS slicks I was reviewing recently weighed 424g, so these wider, slightly treaded Michelins are decent weight-wise.

2023 Michelin Power Adventure Gravel Tyre 700x42c - 1.jpg

Overall, they're confidence-inspiring in the dry and I was impressed with their wet weather performance too.

Off-road it's more their width than the tread pattern that makes them perform well. At 42mm wide they won't sink in loose gravel and they fly over hardpacked gravel byways with ease.

2023 Michelin Power Adventure Gravel Tyre 700x42c Fitted 2.jpg

For protection and durability, the Michelins use Bead to Bead Shield Technology, with the tyre built up using three layers of differing materials at 100tpi (threads per inch).

They feel relatively supple, so you are getting a good balance of comfort, feel and durability.

I didn't get any visits from the puncture fairy on wet and muddy tracks or roads. They're fully tubeless ready, so set up like that, punctures won't really be an issue anyway.

> Puncture prevention 101: learn how to swerve flats with these 11 top tricks

Overall, I loved the versatility of these tyres. I could tweak my route as and when I felt like it, like being able to jump between the road and the canal path, for instance, on my way to the office.

They are quicker than using a gravel tyre on the road, with better grip, and you don't sacrifice a huge amount of grip on firm trails.

Fitting

When it comes to fitting, on the whole things were okay, with only a small amount of tyre lever action to pop the final bit of the bead onto the wheel rim.

Setting them up tubeless wasn't an issue either. I used an Airshot inflator, as I do on all tyres these days, but thanks to the flexibility of the sidewalls the Michelins should pop onto the rims with just a high-volume track pump.

After they'd been seated once, they were easy to get on and off, so roadside puncture fixes won't be an issue.

Value

They're not the cheapest tyres, though. You are looking at £61.99 for the 42mm width on test (£54.99 for the two smaller sizes). That makes them a bit pricey – in their bigger sizes – against others we've tested recently.

2023 Michelin Power Adventure Gravel Tyre 700x42c - boxed 2.jpg

Panaracer's GravelKing tyres come in a load of tread options, with the most similar to the Michelins being the GravelKing SK. They are £49.99 for the tubeless options, and come in sizes from 32mm to 43mm.

Jamie was impressed with Specialized's S-Works Pathfinder 2Bliss tyres. They're only available in a 42mm size, and cost £50 each.

All these tyres come in much cheaper than Schwalbe's G-One RS, though, which costs a cool £75. But their performance and speed did impress Matt over on our sister site, off.road.cc.

Conclusion

Overall, I like the Power Adventures, particularly for their versatility. They work well on the road and equally so on dry trails. The performance is good on the whole and I didn't feel like there was too much of a compromise over using a slick tyre on the tarmac thanks to good grip and low rolling resistance compared to a 'full' gravel option. You can get similar tyres for less, though.

Verdict

Good grip and feedback levels on the road, while wide and durable enough to provide confidence away from it

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Michelin Power Adventure Gravel Tyre

Size tested: 700x42

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Michelin says, "Enjoy freedom beyond the road with the MICHELIN Power Adventure Tyre."

It's a good all-round tyre that works on and off the road.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Sizes: 700c x 30, 36, 42 and 48mm

Colours: Black/Black, Black/Tan

Bead: Foldable Bead

Pressure min/max (PSI): 29/73

Bead to Bead Shield Technology

The whole tyre casing is protected by high-density cross-laid reinforcement delivering maximum protection and durability, helping the tyre last long

Rolling Efficiency

Experience fast rolling speed and an efficient ride thanks to the smooth tread pattern center line and MICHELIN Gum-X technology.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
4/10

This 42mm size is a bit pricier than the competition.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Works well on the road and hardpacked trails.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Good grip levels and suppleness for a tyre of this type.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

A bit of a tight fit to get onto wide rims without a tyre lever at first.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

In smaller sizes they are priced similarly to a lot of this style of tyre, but in the 42 and 48mm widths they're a bit pricier. They are much cheaper than Schwalbe's G-One RS tyres though.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

A good all-round tyre that balances performance and reliability, but you can get cheaper.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 44  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

As part of the Tech Hub here at F-At Digital, our senior product reviewer Stu uses the knowledge gained from putting well over a 1,000 products through their paces (including hundreds of bikes) to write in-depth reviews of a huge range of kit. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 160,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. Although, as he spends a fair bit of his time reviewing ebikes these days he's becoming an expert in letting the motor take the strain. He's also waiting for 23mm race tyres to make a comeback!

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