Posted on: 2026-03-10 09:07:08 by davidof

Road Test of the Michelin Lithion 4 Tires

I bought some new tires for the commute bike. Michelin Lithion 4 in 700 x 32 mm with tan walls. These are really the first tires above basic commute treads that are suitable for training or longer rides. The street price is supposed to be about €30 but you can get them for under €20 or 20 pounds in the UK. They are claimed 32mm or 32-622 ETRTO. That means that on a 19 mm rim they'll measure 28 mm. If you have a 25 mm rim they'll measure 31.5 mm. I don't know under what circumstances they are actually 32 mm. I've done about 500 km on them, some medium rides with small mountains and a lot of commuting, some in the wet. Grip and wear seems good and they ride really well, like a higher end tire and certainly much better than the cheap commute tires they replaced. I'm running them at between 4.5 and 5 bar which is comfortable without increasing rolling resistance.

On my scales they weigh in at 300 grams per tire, which is what they're advertised at. As a comparison, I've also bought some Continental Ultra Sport 3, which are advertised as 28 mm. I put those on the scale and they weight 275 g but measure up as the same width (and height) as the 32 mm Lithion 4s. So should you by the Contis and save weight and money? Well not so fast, the Lithions have a protective puncture resistant band and I've had two punctures in the Contis over the same distance. Also the Lithions ride better in my opinion despite the extra 25 grams. It is probably something to do with the construction.

So a bit disappointed with the width but that is to be expected on old school narrow rims but very pleased with the ride and puncture resistance. and I'd certainly consider them on my lightweight bike.

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