Schwalbe Pro One TT Tan Wall Tyre

by Robert Thorpe & Ben Thorpe

Schwalbe Pro One TT tan wall 25mm

When the schwalbe pro one TT tan wall 25mm arrived here for a test, it was obvious that we needed to hand it onto a speed freak – thankfully Ben fits the bill, having a love of fixed gear urban riding and lo-pro bikes. This tyre however would be going onto his Giant TCR.

Fitting this high performance tubeless tyre was reasonably easy. What riders often don’t think about though, is the seating width requirement on narrow wheels. They made be made for speed, but they first need to be well seated. Thankfully, they were quite easy to fit, and due to the regular changes coming up for tyre tests, we fitted them with a good old fashioned tube, and it was simplicity itself. It’s a folding tyre and it went onto the rim easily and had stayed firmly there.

The tyre is quite narrow for a 25mm and this, together with its firmness and shape retention under load and speed, means that it’s fast rolling. That’s what Schwalbe intended thankfully, because it’s a high end race tyre, using their technical knowledge built up from their work with the leading world tour teams. In developing this tyre, Schwalbe wanted a tyre that created ‘souplesse’ – which to you and I means a tyre that rolls easy (it does), has excellent grip (it does, even on the Dales rutted roads), and it’s a strong performance tyre that won’t easily puncture (touch wood, none so far). To achieve this, the compound is new and gives more strength to the tyre, especially on the side walls, which retains shape and gives that increased grip that we all love – especially on loose corners.

For the weight watchers among you, Schwalbe say that the tyre is a light 205g. We found them slightly heavier, but not unduly so, and they sit well, feel good and performance is overall quite good, so hey, what’s a little weight discrepancy. What you get on the road is definitely a fast and safe tyre, that likes the road and wants to hug it as you belt out bursts of speed. Just ask Ben 😉

Oh, and yes… we love the tan wall finish, which in our book is what most tyres ought to look like. Old school rules here, so thanks Schwalbe. 🙂