MTB Tire Test: Michelin Jet XCR

The Michelin Jet XCR is the fastest mountain bike tire from Michelin. On their site, they describe the Jet XCR as "The fastest: Maximum performance to make your stopwatch crazy". This is something that we like to hear at Bicycle Rolling Resistance as fast tires are what we're always looking for.

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We already tested the Michelin Force XC (read our review) and Force AM (read our review) a while back and found these tires to be very strong but not all that fast rolling. The Jet XCR is built from a lighter and thinner 3x150 TPI casing + an extra protection ply that runs from bead to bead. The compound is a GUM-X2D dual compound that supposedly is more optimized towards a low rolling resistance.

As usual, we've tested the rolling resistance and puncture resistance of the Michelin Jet XCR to see if it's as fast as Michelin promised.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Michelin
Model	Jet XCR
Year	2020
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	High
Buy At	Ad Amazon.com
Manufacturer part number	492256
EAN	3528704922567
TPI	3x150
Compound	Gum-X2D
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	57-622
Size Inch	29"
Width Inch	2.25
Specified Weight	600 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	58
Made In	Members Only
Available Sizes	27.5x2.25 29x2.10 29x2.25

Michelin Jet XCR Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	600 grams
Measured Weight	627 grams
Measured Width Carcass	56 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	57 mm
Measured Height	54 mm (un-round)
Measured Knob Height Center	1.8 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	4.0 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	1.8 mm
Measured Total Thickness Sidewall	Members Only
All size measurements are taken at an air pressure of 35 psi / 2.4 bars on a 17.8 mm inner width rim.

Rolling Resistance Test Results

Rolling Resistance Test Results
Inner Tube	None (40 ml sealant) (current protocol)	Conti MTB 29 (225 gr butyl) (test protocol)
Rolling Resistance 55 PSI / 3.8 Bar	Members Only	Members Only
Rolling Resistance 45 PSI / 3.1 Bar	Members Only	Members Only
Rolling Resistance 35 PSI / 2.4 Bar	26.1 Watts CRR: 0.00782	29.6 Watts CRR: 0.00887
Rolling Resistance 25 PSI / 1.7 Bar	28.7 Watts CRR: 0.00860	33.2 Watts CRR: 0.00995
All numbers are for a single tire at a speed of 29 km/h / 18 mph and a load of 42.5 kg / 94 lbs. Use the formula: RR (Watts) = CRR * speed (m/s) * load (N) to calculate rolling resistance at a given speed and load.

Puncture Resistance Test Results

Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Total Puncture Score Tread	32 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Members Only
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	8 Points
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Members Only
Tread Total Tire Thickness	1.8 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Members Only

Hard Surface Static Grip Test Results

Static Grip Test Results
Wet Grip Average	59 Points
Wet Grip Center	Members Only
Wet Grip Edge	Members Only
Measured Knob Height Center	1.8 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	4.0 mm
Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 MTB grip test rim width = 30.0 mm
Wet Grip Test and Off-Road Tires (info)

Conclusion

Unfortunately, the Michelin Jet XCR isn't the fast-rolling tire we hoped it would be. With a rolling resistance of 33.2 watts at an air pressure of 25 psi / 1.7 bars, it comes in near the bottom of all mountain bike tires that have been tested. It looks like the compound isn't all that different than what's used on the Force XC and Force AM.

As much as we like most of Michelin's road bike tires, we just can't recommend the Jet XCR if you're looking for a fast mountain bike tire. We think the main use of this tire will be for the rear wheel on a fast XC bike, and we feel there are better choices out there for that usage scenario.

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RATING: 2.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Not Recommended

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