Schwalbe Pro One tyre

The Schwalbe Pro One Tubeless Easy (TLE) folding tyre is up there with the best race tyres on the market. Grippy, fast rolling and simple to fit, with or without a tube, they're a great choice for your race bike. If durability is your main goal, though, you might want to look elsewhere in the range.

• Pros: Quick and easy fitment to pretty much any rim; very sticky compound
• Cons: Heavier than the non-tubeless options

Although Schwalbe has just announced that a brand new version of the Pro One TLE is on its way for 2020, that is no reason to shun the latest version that is still out there on the shelves, especially considering you can pick them up for nearly half the rrp.

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As part of its top end Evo Line, the Pro Ones use Schwalbe's Triple compound which is soft and much grippier than the Onestar compound found on the standard non-tubeless One.

Chucking the bike into tight corners or roundabouts at speed shows the level of grip on offer in both the wet and dry, plus the tyres give a really direct feel of the road thanks to the suppleness of the rubber.

Grip when braking is impressive, too, especially when you grab a handful of the front lever.

Compared to the standard Ones that I swapped them out for, the Pro Ones feel much quicker at the same relative tyre pressures, rolling very nicely indeed. You can use the Pro Ones with a tube if you like, but their design is aimed mostly for tubeless running.

Schwalbe's Microskin is a high tensile micro fabric which is vulcanised together with the rubber and carcass to envelop the entire tyre, sealing it for tubeless use (it reduces the porousness of the sidewall to keep the sealant in) and increasing puncture protection.

This all adds a bit of weight, mind. The Pro Ones (25mm) weigh 290g on our scales (higher than the claimed 255g), with a 28mm One coming in at 252g, and that's including the V-Guard strip under the rubber, which arguably adds better puncture protection.

The Pro Ones are among the easiest tubeless tyres I've had to fit on the majority of rims, using the Beto Surge Tubeless Floor Pump. Only one set of wheels didn't see the tyre beads pop straight onto the hook of the rim and I had to use a tube first to get the tyre to sit right.

When fitted and full of sealant they do a decent job of retaining their pressure, especially after the first ride has spun the sealant constantly around the inside of the tyre to find all the little nooks and crannies. Running them at 100psi they'd lose about 20psi a week.

I've already mentioned that you can get these discounted at the moment – £37.99 from some outlets – but even when you go by the full rrp of £66.99 they are competitive with the opposition.

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The highly rated Continental Grand Prix 5000 TL are 302g and slightly more expensive at £69.95, while the tubeless version of the Maxxis High Roads (review coming very soon) will set you back £59.99. They aren't as fast rolling as the Schwalbes, but they offer excellent grip in both the wet and dry.

Overall, the current Schwalbe Pro Ones are still top of the heap – simple to fit, grippy and fast rolling – but they are increasingly surrounded by some very good competition.

Verdict

One of the fastest, grippiest and easest to fit tubeless-ready race tyres on the market