The Past, Present, and Future of Michelin Bicycle Tires

When you think of tires, you think of Michelin. And when you’re picturing those tires, you’re probably picturing them speeding down the track at Daytona or expertly handling the iconic corners of Le Mans. What you might not be picturing is bicycles.

Throughout its 130-year history, Michelin has been perfecting automotive tires, but the company actually got its start on two wheels. In 1891, Édouard Michelin created the first detachable bicycle tire—one that would go on to win the Paris-Brest-Paris race more than eight hours ahead of the next-closest competitor. Now, in 2026, Michelin is tapping into that engineering spirit to create some of the fastest and strongest performance bicycle tires on the market.

Outside sat down with the team at Michelin to talk about where their bicycle tires have been, where they are now, and where they plan to take us in the future.

Outside: Can you give us a Michelin history lesson? Most people know the name, but not everyone knows that the company got its start making bicycle tires.

Michelin: Michelin’s history begins on two wheels when brothers Édouard and André Michelin introduced the first practical detachable pneumatic bicycle tire, solving one of cycling’s biggest challenges at the time: flat repairs that could take hours. Their innovation allowed tires to be removed and replaced quickly, revolutionizing how bicycles were used and raced. That same year, the technology proved its value when Charles Terront won the Paris-Brest-Paris race on Michelin bicycle tires.

That victory established a pattern that still defines Michelin today: leveraging competition as a proving ground for innovation. While we’re widely recognized as a leader in the automotive space, Michelin’s earliest breakthroughs came from understanding the needs of cyclists. Reliability, efficiency, and speed were core priorities then, and they remain central to how Michelin approaches bicycle tire design more than a century later.

What’s been Michelin’s philosophy from the start? How has it evolved to the present day?

From the beginning, Michelin’s philosophy has been about practical innovation, solving real problems for riders. The original detachable bicycle tire wasn’t created for novelty; it was designed to make riding more reliable and accessible. That rider-first mindset has guided Michelin for more than 130 years, even as technology and performance expectations have evolved.

Today, that philosophy is brought to life through a combination of advanced material science, complex modeling, and real-world, on-bike testing. Michelin works closely with professional partners such as Team Picnic PostNL, Romain Bardet, Modern Adventure Pro Cycling, and EF Education-ONTO, using grueling training rides and the toughest race conditions as essential parts of the research and development process. This hands-on collaboration allows engineers to understand how tires perform over long miles, rough roads, changing weather, and high-pressure moments when riders count on their tires most.

In an already saturated space, how does Michelin stand out in this new era of bike tires?

We take a genuinely holistic approach to bicycle tire design—one built on experience far beyond cycling alone. For decades, Michelin has developed tires for some of the most demanding applications in the world, creating a deep foundation of knowledge in materials and product architecture. Michelin leverages these experiences from other industries to cycling by focusing on what riders experience on the bike. Rather than chasing single performance metrics in isolation, Michelin designs bike tires as complete systems. Optimizing one performance attribute in isolation often creates compromises. By developing rolling efficiency, grip, puncture protection, air retention, and longevity together, Michelin delivers tires that perform consistently across diverse conditions and long miles.

How are tires like the PRO5 TLR and Power Cup TLR meeting the demands of the modern elite cyclist?

The Power Cup TLR is Michelin’s race day–ready tire, purposefully built for modern elite road racing. Designed for efficiency, grip, and speed, it allows riders to push hard through fast corners and maintain momentum deep into decisive race moments. Its tubeless-ready construction supports lower pressures for precise control without compromising speed, while carefully tuned compounds deliver predictable handling across various road surfaces. Additionally, for a race-ready tire, its puncture protection is top-notch.

The PRO5 TLR is a direct evolution of Michelin’s iconic PRO series. It blends the PRO3’s supple ride feel and cornering confidence with the PRO4 Endurance’s reputation for durability and reliability. Lessons learned from decades of compound development and casing design were carried forward into the PRO5 TLR, creating a balanced, confidence-inspiring tire built for high mileage training and consistent performance.

So what’s next?

Quite simply, providing bicycle tires that benefit both riders and the planet. The goal is meaningful improvements riders can feel, while remaining conscious of the planet. To get there, Michelin will continue leveraging more than a century of experience in bicycle tire design, plus decades across its broader product portfolio. Michelin has also expanded its partnerships with world-class teams and athletes for efficient product development. This allows us to obtain feedback, then quickly adjust and refine products for well-rounded performance across all applications—from the pointy end of the sport to everyday usage.

Sustainability is also a core part of what’s next. We believe the future of riding should be better for people and the planet, and we’re committed to developing and building tires that balance performance with long-term responsibility. By 2050, we aim to design and produce fully sustainable tires on a large scale, meaning no impact on resources and biodiversity, with products manufactured in net-zero CO2-emission factories. To achieve this, Michelin considers every stage of the lifecycle, from raw material extraction to end-of-life product collection and processing, including manufacturing, various phases of transportation, and usage.