Review: Michelin Medium Enduro Tires and Bib Mousse
Serious off-road riders need the perfect figurative shoes and in-soles for their bikes to tackle dirt roads. Good candidates for successful off-road escapades are Michelin Enduro Medium tires paired with Bib Mousses.
Michelin claims this combination will elevate your unpaved experience and keep you cruising without a hitch. Let's roll and find out if the duo fulfills the promises.
Michelin Enduro Medium Tire
The Enduro Medium rubber has been developed with globetrotters and rally enthusiasts in minds. Featuring a new rubber compound and tread design, their flexible carcass offers noticeable grip even on wet and slippery surfaces.
The optimized tread design handles rough desert roads with stability and precision, and is suitable for cross-country racing.
The upgraded Enduro Medium version boasts improved rut crossing and grip due to a lengthened contact patch and enhanced compatibility with mousses. Its taller profile and stiffer wall offer better resistance to tearing and chunking, along with larger intermediate blocks for increased versatility.
These enhancements result in excellent grip, cushioning, and terrain-tackling ability.I’ve found the tires reliable especially when riding down steep mountainsides.
The Enduro Medium tire is road-legal, so it can oblige the asphalt when duty calls. The knob layout provided reliable traction on unpaved surfaces.
On both dirt and asphalt roads, the tires provided me with 2,000 miles of reliable performance before the rear needed replacement. Surprisingly, the front tire still had another 1,000 miles of life left in it. The tires are homologated for road use, although they're not meant for prolonged rides on pavement.
They're approved by Husqvarna, Betamotor, Gas Gas, and Sherco. If that's not enough to convince you, ask Jordan Ashburn, the 2022 GNCC XC1 National Champion, who rode to victory on these bad boys.
Michelin Bib Mousse
If you've ever dealt with the hassle of a tire puncture while off-road, you'll appreciate this product. Named after Michelin’s mascot, Bibendum the Michelin Man, the Bib Mousse provides reliability and peace of mind when it comes to “cactus-bashing” on the trails.
This innovative solution consists of a butyl honeycomb foam ring filled with nitrogen, encased in a smooth-molded outer skin, and inserted between the rim and specific off-road motorcycle tires. This design can't go flat, eliminating puncture risks and keeping you rolling smoothly.
Lighter than a reinforced inner tube, the Bib Mousse offers excellent longevity and durability due to its gel composition. It enhances the performance of any compatible tires), and provided optimal grip and handling for my KTM 500 EXC-F.
The Bib Mousses transformed my remote trail rides by virtually eliminating puncture risks, providing consistent traction, and a smoother ride than tubes. Plus, I’ve been able to shed the unwanted weight of tire irons, tubes, and pumps from my toolkit.
However, the Mousses come with their challenges. They're costly and can fail unexpectedly if not properly maintained.
Changing them requires specialized tools, like a mousse changer and sturdy tire levers. Tip: The Rabaconda 3-minute Mousse Changer streamlines the process, but you'll need access to a workshop with the right equipment.
Friction, which generates heat and wear, is the main threat to mousses. Lubricating them with a silicone-based substance during installation helps, but doesn't last forever. Regular inspection and reapplication every 1,500 miles are crucial for optimal performance.
Riding speed also directly impacts mousse longevity. Higher speeds mean more friction and heat, wearing them out faster. I try to keep tarmac speeds in check at 55 mph to avoid a mousse meltdown and premature wear.
The Verdict
The Michelin Enduro Medium tires strike a desirable ratio of street presence to primarily dirt trail capability, with good stability, grip, and a road-legal status. Despite the challenges, stuffing the tires with mousses was a game-changer, as the peace of mind outweighed the effort and cost.
During your ride, control over your machine is crucial. Whether tackling cactus-studded desert, dirt, stony tracks, I can vouch for the Enduro Medium/Bib Mousse combo’s control, reliability, stability, and longevity.
Michelin Enduro Medium
M15 90/90-21
M16 90/90-21
M16 90/100-21
M14 140/80-18
M18 120/90-18