Schwalbe Ultremo ZX TL Road Tubeless 1st Ride...

Garmin Connect File for 1st Ride

With the weather about to turn bad for the day, I thought I would get in a quick lunch time ride on the new Schwalbe Ultremo ZX Tubeless tire I put on yesterday.  Here are my thoughts on the tires:

Ride Characteristics:

Spinning Up to Speed:

The ZX were quick to spin up, and rolled smoothly along a paved rail trail that had branches and twigs all over it.  They seemed easier to spin up than the Fusion Tubeless, and that would make sense as they are lighter. 

Comfort:

The ride was very comfortable although short.  Tubeless are usually more comfortable as you can lower your normal pressure about 10psi.  This gives a bit more give on the tires and lower deflection with decreases rolling resistance. 

Cornering:

N/A:  I cannot tell yet as I road them on a flat straight rail trail.  Will update later on this.

Ascending Hills:

N/A: Flat ride,  more later.

Descending Hills:

N/A: Flat Ride,  more later

Roll Consistency: 

The ZX were easier to maintain a cadence once spun up to speed, and were consistent throughout the ride.  Making them a good choice for Tri Bikes.  This might also mean they are good on ascending hills, but have not experience with that.

Speed:

Well for me the ride today was about 1 mile and hour faster than my fastest time so far over the same ground for this year.  This could have been my enthusiasm for being on the road with new equipment, Placebo effect. However again this would make sense with lighter tires meaning so much more than static weight to performance.

Longevity

This is a big one for me. Will they last the test of time better than a regular road tire.  Only time will tell, and I will update this post on their overall value when I change them out at the end of the season. 

Conclusion

I think I will like these tires as I liked the Fusions.  My expectation for these new Schwalbe ZX TL Tubeless Road Tires is and was very high from all the hype.  I hold off on any judgement until I have had at least 300 miles on the ZX's.  This should be about mid July, and I will report back.