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review

Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport Tubeless tyre

8
£54.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Decent value race-orientated tyre with good grip and speed.
Available in 28mm
Fast
Good grip, wet and dry
Wonky black stripe on tan wall option on our test set (now fixed by Goodyear)
Weight: 
285g
Contact: 

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The Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport Tubeless Complete has been developed primarily for racing and all-out efforts on the road. Available in all black or with tan sidewalls, in 28 and 25mm widths, the Supersports are light, roll along very well, and the grip is good in both the dry and wet, but the wonky painting* of the black stripe on the tan wall versions isn't very pleasing when they're spinning.

The Supersports have a claimed weight of 280g, shaving off about 20g from the non-Supersport tubeless Eagle F1s that I tested last year. The Supersports weighed 285g each on the road.cc Scales of Truth, which brings them in line with other manufacturers' top tubeless offerings designed for racing. If you aren't interested in running them tubeless, Goodyear also makes these in a tubed version which is lighter still at 205g thanks to not needing the additional air retention properties.

Not many tubeless tyres designed with racing in mind are available in a 28mm width, but by offering these in 25 and 28mm widths Goodyear is embracing the current 'wider is faster' trend.

> How to choose the best width road tyres for your riding

For a racing tyre, the Supersports don't feel too fragile. The Vittoria Corsa Speed TLR tyres, for example, feel like they have thinner tread, and are a few grams lighter in a comparable size. I haven't experienced any punctures during the last month or so of testing, covering about 1,000km, but as always there is an element of luck involved with this.

I've had the tyres fitted to both a set of Roval CL 50s (21mm internal width) and DT Swiss C1850 (22mm internal) rims, set up tubeless in both cases.

2021 Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport Tubeless fitted 2.jpg

Fitting the tyres wasn't particularly troublesome in either case, and certainly easier than my experiences with the Continental GP5000 TL. Inflating the tyres did require a little washing up liquid around the bead and something heftier than a regular track pump, but wasn't as enraging as some tubeless setups can be.

Out on the road and the Supersports perform very well. They feel fast, as you'd expect from a tyre designed for racing, and they also grip very well both in the dry and wet, with the Dynamic:GSR compound continuing to impress me just as it did on the standard Eagle F1 tyres.

The 28mm width really helps to reduce road buzz, making these a great choice for events like my local TT10, where the road surface resembles a rumble strip more than tarmac.

2021 Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport Tubeless fitted tread pattern.jpg

In many ways the Supersports ride and feel very similar to the GP5000 TL (3x60TPI), most likely thanks to the 120 TPI thread count, which also puts the tyres in a similar category to Schwalbe's Pro One Tubeless (127TPI). They're markedly supple.

The main negative of the Supersports is the black stripe around the centre of the tread. I'd like to point out that this is purely aesthetic and of course won't be an issue on the non-tan versions. This doesn't appear to be an isolated issue, either, with the black stripe not being 'painted' straight on both this set of Supersports and on a new set of tan wall Eagle F1s I was also sent.

2021 Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport Tubeless fitted wonky black line.jpg

You can see this in the pictures, and while spinning makes your wheel look horrendously buckled. During testing I had a plethora of people asking what was wrong with my tyres/wheels, each time having to explain that it was in fact absolutely fine. I would certainly expect better if I was shelling out £54 a tyre, even if it doesn't affect function.

At that price they're actually not bad value when compared with other top-end tubeless tyres. The GP5000 TLs I've mentioned, often regarded as a benchmark, cost £69.95 apiece, although they will likely last slightly longer thanks to thicker rubber at the expense of a little weight. The Vittoria Corsa Speed and Cadex Race tubeless offer similar speed and durability but are both around £15 more than the Goodyears.

Overall, the Supersports perform really well on both wet and dry roads and have ample puncture protection and durability considering their racing intentions. The rolling resistance feels right up there with the best, although some tyres such as the Corsa Speed do feel a little more supple. A competitive weight and price almost seal the deal, but the wonky black stripes, for me at least, are off-putting, though of course it isn't a problem on the all-black version.

Verdict

Decent value race-orientated tyre with good grip and speed, shame about the wonky stripe...

* After this review was published, Goodyear contacted us to say that the 'wonky stripe' issue has been fixed on all future iterations of the tyres affected. 

Goodyear's marketing manager told road.cc: 

"We picked this issue up after we had complaints from distributors and have since replaced the affected Eagle F1, Eagle F1 Supersport, Eagle Sport and Connector tan-wall tyres with updated straight versions. 

"We have achieved a straight line between sidewall and tread cap by adjusting the curing process and modifying the extrusion die used for our tread cap. Additionally we have now included a visual inspection as part of the QC process specifically watching out for this issue. 

"Any consumer who does receive a tyre can like this can get in contact with us via our social channels and we will organise a replacement to be sent out to them."

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: Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport Tubeless tyre

Size tested: 28mm

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?

Goodyear says: 'A range of road race bicycle tires for superior on road grip and handling. Designed for performance at the highest level.'

I have been impressed with the performance including speed and grip, and they're ideal for those looking to race on poor road surfaces as they are available in 25mm and 28mm sizes. However, the wonkiness of the black stripe is a bit of a negative.

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

From Goodyear:

120TPI

Available in: 25mm/28mm

Tan wall or Black

1/2 ply TC liner

Also available as clincher only version

Dynamic:GSR compound

280g for size 28c x 700

max inflation pressure - 85psi

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10

The tyre itself seems well made, but just in terms of aesthetics, on the tan version the black stripe around the centre is really quite wonky which doesn't look great from above as the tyre spins.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Roll along very well with good grip in the dry and wet.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10

For a racing tyre, not too bad, but it's not designed in as a priority. After 1,000km I've had no punctures and they don't seem squared off, which bodes well.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
9/10

One of the lightest tubeless ready tyres.

Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
8/10

120TPI casing is decent if not class leading, but these are available in a 28mm width, which not all tyres designed for racing are.

Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

Stack up well against the competition – tubeless tyres this fast often cost more. Racing tyres always give up some durability and tread depth in the name of speed and weight.

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

Performed well. The 28mm size really helps with comfort and makes the tyres ideal for riding fast on poor road surfaces, as is common in the UK. Grip is good both in the dry and wet, and most importantly they feel quick.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Dry and wet weather grip.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Wonky black stripe around the centre of the tyre.

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

As mentioned in the review, they stack up well against the competition. Tubeless tyres this fast often cost more, although some are more durable, at the expense of weight.

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

Grip is very good whatever the weather and they feel supple, if not class-leadingly so, and they're decent value too. However, the wonky black line is very offputting as the wheel/tyre rotates, and it doesn't seem to be isolated to this set. Stick to all black and they're very good.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 22  Height: 6ft  Weight: 74kg

I usually ride: Specialized venge pro 2019  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, mtb,

Jamie has been riding bikes since a tender age but really caught the bug for racing and reviewing whilst studying towards a master's in Mechanical engineering at Swansea University. Having graduated, he decided he really quite liked working with bikes and is now a full-time addition to the road.cc team. When not writing about tech news or working on the Youtube channel, you can still find him racing local crits trying to cling on to his cat 2 licence...and missing every break going...

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4 comments

Avatar
Bossard | 2 years ago
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I've just received a new pair of Goodyear Eagle F1 supersport with the botched tan wall. I thought they have fixed it... They're as hard to fit as the Continental gp5000 and I hope they'll be ok to ride (haven't tried it yet) but the contact with Goodyear on the social media was disappointing. I've ordered the tyres on the internet (as it is impossible to get them here in Switzerland) and to send the tyres back for replacement it would cost me more than half the price of one tyre. They have not fixed the issue with the color. If you're looking for a nice looking tyre buy another brand.

Avatar
fixit | 2 years ago
0 likes

Sorry but there are far better tyres out there with double the performance at a lower price. What are they thinking? And that black strip as if a child painted iT? Wtf?

Avatar
holtyboy replied to fixit | 2 years ago
0 likes

which ones would you be referring to? I have just moved to Conti TL5000 after I gave up with the brilliant riding but impossible to seat/remove Schwalbe Ones.

Avatar
Mathemagician replied to fixit | 2 years ago
0 likes
fixit wrote:

double the performance at a lower price

What does that even mean?

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