Anti-Puncture Tyres At-a-glance

Well I've been putting some miles in on my new Halo Courier Berlin tyres, and thought I'd give some early feedback on them.

The tread is of the same twin-rail as their other tyre offering. The difference this makes in the tyre's behaviour is quite unique.

Firstly, I pumped the tyres to the maximum 120psi, and that gave a strangely cushioned ride. It felt almost bouncy, though comfortable....like when the tyre is 30-50psi below its recommended maximum.

The twin rails can especially be felt when changing direction. Because the rails are proud of the main carcass, the tyre tends to "pull" suddenly in any direction that you are turning. It was something that took me quite a while to get used to. But what I have noticed, is that the effect of this lessens as more miles are put in. Simply, as the tyre wears, the handling becomes more predictable.

Another effect of the twin rail design, and I'll admit that it was really unexpected, is that the rolling resistance is impressively low. In speed terms, it was similar to the Specialized All Condition Pro "Quickstep".

The weight is published as 415gr for the 700x24 version. Either that is an over-statement, or the Specialized All Condition Armadillo is given an incorrect weight (405gr), as I weighed the two side by side, and the Halo Courier Berlin tyres were lighter.

One special note - this tyre does NOT like metal drain covers. The twin rail presents a narrower surface to road, than would be expected from a tyre with that size carcass. When hitting a drain cover at an angle, the tyre gets well and truly knocked off course. Think of a hard, narrow strip of rubber, meeting with a hard, cold, wet metallic surface. I'm learning to avoid such man-hole covers.

In summary:

1. Highly puncture resistant as described.
   
2. Cushioned ride.
   
3. Low roll resistance.
   
4. Changes direction too sharply, till tyre is a bit worn.
   
   
   

I'll do a review in the Tyre Reviews thread, when I've done enough miles on them.