My new Metzeler Roadtec 01 tyres
Discussion
Thanks to PistonHeads and Metzeler I am trying out the new Roadtec 01's and will use this thread to update you with initial thoughts and opinion (which was part of the deal).
I got a call from my local tyre place (Merityre in Bagshot - excellent people there) on Wednesday to say that my new tyres had arrived. I was delighted as after a week and a half of commuting on the OE Pirelli Scorpions that came with the Crossrunner I'd had enough of them. They're fine in the dry but far from confidence inspiring in the wet and there's been plenty of wet recently.
As a bit of background my last 20,000 miles have been done on various versions of Michelin Pilot Road tyres. I commute 70 miles a day in most weathers so wet grip, stability and tyre life are the most important things to me. The journey varies from fast A road to motorway to central London filtering so hopefully it will be a good test for the tyres.
If you're not familiar with the Scorpions or the Pilot Road 4 then this is what the look like:
The Scorpions are 1200 miles old and while I'm sure they're ok the compromise that was made to make them look a bit off-roadish has meant that they feel vague (to me anyway) in the wet. So I was going to get shot of them and I had planned to fit Pilot Roads to the bike (which is why I have a new front at the moment). It's useful to show the difference in the treads. It's also worth mentioning that the Michelins are my benchmark tyre. They've been so good that I haven't felt the need to put anything else on my bike.
Here's the Metzeler Roadtec fitted:
I've done all of 5 miles since getting them fitted but initial thoughts are good - very stable and solid feeling. Once I've worn them in a bit I'll update this thread with how I'm getting on with them.
I got a call from my local tyre place (Merityre in Bagshot - excellent people there) on Wednesday to say that my new tyres had arrived. I was delighted as after a week and a half of commuting on the OE Pirelli Scorpions that came with the Crossrunner I'd had enough of them. They're fine in the dry but far from confidence inspiring in the wet and there's been plenty of wet recently.
As a bit of background my last 20,000 miles have been done on various versions of Michelin Pilot Road tyres. I commute 70 miles a day in most weathers so wet grip, stability and tyre life are the most important things to me. The journey varies from fast A road to motorway to central London filtering so hopefully it will be a good test for the tyres.
If you're not familiar with the Scorpions or the Pilot Road 4 then this is what the look like:
The Scorpions are 1200 miles old and while I'm sure they're ok the compromise that was made to make them look a bit off-roadish has meant that they feel vague (to me anyway) in the wet. So I was going to get shot of them and I had planned to fit Pilot Roads to the bike (which is why I have a new front at the moment). It's useful to show the difference in the treads. It's also worth mentioning that the Michelins are my benchmark tyre. They've been so good that I haven't felt the need to put anything else on my bike.
Here's the Metzeler Roadtec fitted:
I've done all of 5 miles since getting them fitted but initial thoughts are good - very stable and solid feeling. Once I've worn them in a bit I'll update this thread with how I'm getting on with them.
sjtscott said:
Interested in your feedback, I've just got normal PR4 non gt fitted for free as I bought a speed triple from a dealer. My first time on these after years on road smart 1 and 2. Had pr2 abd pr3 mixed in with the dunlops before too.
Well if there's anything specific then please say.I won't be doing track days but I will rack up the miles and after a week or two I'll be in a much better position to provide some proper feedback.
Andybow said:
How's the tyres? Hopefully you've had some dry weather as well as wet to try them out?
So far they've been very good.The difference between the Scorpions and the Roadtecs really is night and day. My issue was always that the front was a bit vague and that generally I had no feel. Then in the wet you add that feeling to a general lack of grip (little slips, white lining etc) and I really wanted to get rid of them.
The Roadtec's are a proper modern tyre and I can basically ignore them and ride. They feel solid and planted in corners and they don't have that high profile that means on some tyres that you almost feel a tipping sensation as you drop into corners. Instead they're progressive and inspire confidence.
They warm up pretty quickly and within a mile you can feel the difference.
In the wet they inspire much more confidence. I'll withold judgement yet as to whether they're as good as the PR3/4s as I've only had them on for a few miles but in greasy, damp conditions they've felt good and importantly provide feedback.
As an example, coming off the M25 on to the M3 there is a nice fast corner that is very exposed and in the wet the old Scorpions were awful. I literally had no idea where the limit was or if I was remotely close to it (unlikely by the way!). The new tyres in greasy horrid conditions were 10mph faster through there all the while letting me know how much grip I had.
After a few more weeks I'll have a better handle on whether they're as good or better than the PRs but my gut feel at the moment is that they'd be difficult to separate.
RemyMartin said:
Any update on this, Im in two minds whether or not to fit these to my R1.
The tyres continue to be solid - the highest praise is that I just don't notice them for the most part. I've tried to be picky and remember poor moments and to be honest there's only been one that I remember, and that was in really poor conditions, really cold, slippy and I think any tyre would have struggled.Outside that as the roads have dried I've been getting more confident with the bike and the tyres and I don't feel any lack of trust or feel.
The only thing that I noticeably prefer about the PR4s is that I think they warm up quicker, but that's not by much.
Not sure how they'd do on an R1. Some of the other guys in the test probably have more powerful bikes which might give you a better idea about how they'd go on your bike. I don't know if they've received them yet or not though.
Hope that helps.
A quick update.
I'm about 2000 miles into them now and they continue to inspire confidence though I take it very carefully until they are warm (couple of miles) which is my only real criticism.
Most of my mileage is commuting so it's no surprise that the first signs of wear are in the middle of the rear tyre. it's far from squaring off yet but I'll be interested to see if they make the 8000 miles that the Michelin's routinely did.
A couple of pictures from yesterday:
and 
I'm about 2000 miles into them now and they continue to inspire confidence though I take it very carefully until they are warm (couple of miles) which is my only real criticism.
Most of my mileage is commuting so it's no surprise that the first signs of wear are in the middle of the rear tyre. it's far from squaring off yet but I'll be interested to see if they make the 8000 miles that the Michelin's routinely did.
A couple of pictures from yesterday:
and With some proper dry miles done on them they continue to impress and I think that there are two clear differences between these and the PR4s.
The R01 seems to be a sportier tyre. It really feels great when banked over and is still good in the wet. So if you're a faster sportier rider then these will probably feel better.
Secondly, after 3500 miles they are showing small signs of squaring off. I sincerely doubt that I will get the same mileage out of the Metzeler as the Michelin.
I'll update again when I have to change the rear (probably 2-3 months from now).
The R01 seems to be a sportier tyre. It really feels great when banked over and is still good in the wet. So if you're a faster sportier rider then these will probably feel better.
Secondly, after 3500 miles they are showing small signs of squaring off. I sincerely doubt that I will get the same mileage out of the Metzeler as the Michelin.
I'll update again when I have to change the rear (probably 2-3 months from now).
Another update. The worries about squaring off and or short life are so far unfounded.
I'm really loving the stability and grip through the corners and while they are slow to warm up (my only criticism so far) in the biblical rain on my commute both there and back on Thursday the tyres were faultless and inspired tremendous confidence.
At this point, assuming they make it to 8000 miles I'd be more than happy to buy a set.
I'm really loving the stability and grip through the corners and while they are slow to warm up (my only criticism so far) in the biblical rain on my commute both there and back on Thursday the tyres were faultless and inspired tremendous confidence.
At this point, assuming they make it to 8000 miles I'd be more than happy to buy a set.
A quick update.
I'm up to 8,200 miles now - all but 1,200 of which have been on the Metzelers. As of this morning they look like this:
If they act in the same way as PR3s / PR4s then they will likely start to "go off" in the next 1000 miles but the tread still looks to be in pretty good shape and I haven't noticed any changes to the handling or grip.
It's also worth noting that the Crossrunner is a heavy bike (240kg) and I'm no lightweight either. I'm impressed.
I'm up to 8,200 miles now - all but 1,200 of which have been on the Metzelers. As of this morning they look like this:
If they act in the same way as PR3s / PR4s then they will likely start to "go off" in the next 1000 miles but the tread still looks to be in pretty good shape and I haven't noticed any changes to the handling or grip.
It's also worth noting that the Crossrunner is a heavy bike (240kg) and I'm no lightweight either. I'm impressed.
Edited by SteelerSE on Monday 19th September 09:31
Biker 1 said:
Blimey, that's 7000 miles & tyres look good as new!!! Either the tyres are utterly amazing, or you ride super-slow....
I'm not tear arsing around the place as it's pointless in London. Quite a bit of the time is spent in average speed camera zones etc so the usage probably isn't as high as it could be.I haven't been doing as many miles as usual over the last couple of months so I still haven't hit 10,000 miles yet. I am closing on about 9000 miles on these tyres now and they are still inspiring confidence though the profile is starting to go on the rear tyre. I'll post pictures over the Christmas period to give you an idea of the wear but I've been pretty impressed.
I'm guessing that I'll get another couple of thousand miles out of the rear before I need to change it. The front still feels and looks fine though. Pics to follow in a few days.
I'm guessing that I'll get another couple of thousand miles out of the rear before I need to change it. The front still feels and looks fine though. Pics to follow in a few days.
Back on the bike full time but I'm doing less miles. With the bike on 10,400 miles on the clock the tyres are just shy of 10k miles. As promised here are pics.
The rear is squaring off and can feel a little bit squirrely as you transition from upright to some lean. Other than that I had a full on emergency stop recently and the grip was still there.
You can just start to see the lips forming on the front but it may have up to 3-4k left. The rear I'll be replacing in about 1k at a guess.
I have to say I'm hugely impressed. They are hugely capable road tyres and for the sort of riding I do I would happily recommend them to anyone.
The rear is squaring off and can feel a little bit squirrely as you transition from upright to some lean. Other than that I had a full on emergency stop recently and the grip was still there.
You can just start to see the lips forming on the front but it may have up to 3-4k left. The rear I'll be replacing in about 1k at a guess.
I have to say I'm hugely impressed. They are hugely capable road tyres and for the sort of riding I do I would happily recommend them to anyone.
So this is the last part of the review. I put the tyres on at 800 miles and the clock had 11,200 when I changed them. The rear was squaring off but could have gone on for maybe another 1000 miles but it had a nail in and I didn't think it was worth patching at that point.
The front was just starting to get a little of that lipping that you sometimes see on the sipes on the PR4 but still felt planted and had tread. I don't honestly know how many more miles it had in it but maybe 3,000 at a guess...? To be honest I just wanted the feel of a new set of tyres again and didn't want to have to come back in a couple of months to sort out the front.
I replaced them with another set of Roadtec 01s. While the PR4s have the edge in very cold weather and warm up time I've never felt anything but stable on the Roadtec's. They have provided excellent wet weather grip and while you'll need reviews from a more spirited rider for suitability on sportier machines (mine's a Crossrunner - a heavy beast but only 100hp) I'd recommend them happily to anyone. They've done nothing but encourage me when the pace has increased.
Oponeo has a set delivered for £218 so while there's cheaper stuff out there that's pretty good value in my book.
So thank you Metzeler for 10,000 miles of safe and enjoyable riding. You've also gained a convert in the process.
The front was just starting to get a little of that lipping that you sometimes see on the sipes on the PR4 but still felt planted and had tread. I don't honestly know how many more miles it had in it but maybe 3,000 at a guess...? To be honest I just wanted the feel of a new set of tyres again and didn't want to have to come back in a couple of months to sort out the front.
I replaced them with another set of Roadtec 01s. While the PR4s have the edge in very cold weather and warm up time I've never felt anything but stable on the Roadtec's. They have provided excellent wet weather grip and while you'll need reviews from a more spirited rider for suitability on sportier machines (mine's a Crossrunner - a heavy beast but only 100hp) I'd recommend them happily to anyone. They've done nothing but encourage me when the pace has increased.
Oponeo has a set delivered for £218 so while there's cheaper stuff out there that's pretty good value in my book.
So thank you Metzeler for 10,000 miles of safe and enjoyable riding. You've also gained a convert in the process.
Andybow said:
Amazing getting that mileage out of a set, most I've ever got is 5k on similar sports touring rubber, getting some 01 fitted in a couple of weeks
Just be aware that you're putting down a lot more power on your K13 and about half of my commute is slow speed stuff. Having said all that I never had PR4s last longer than 8k and these feel sportier to me. It's also worth being aware that they do HWT versions if you do lots of two up or heavily loaded work. I'm assuming it's more designed for much heavier bikes. Mine were standard ones and the Crossrunner is 230kg.It will be great to see how you get on.
Halesowen Kid said:
SteelerSE,
Thank you for your running observations regarding Metzler Roadtec 01 tyres.
I have a Kawasaki Versys 1000 GT year 2015 with the original stock Bridgestone T30 tyres. The rear has squared off at 6.5k & I estimate I should get at least another 1k out of it, & with the front still wearing very well indeed to the point of, do I change it & just replace the rear tyre, or replace both & keep the existing front as a spare?
I was thinking of changing to Michelin PR3's but now I've read your posts I think I will try the Metz.
Any further advice will be appreciated.
Regards,
Mike
I think it mainly depends on how comfortable you've been on the T30s. I wouldn't recommend just changing the rear as that could create problems with a mismatch. Thank you for your running observations regarding Metzler Roadtec 01 tyres.
I have a Kawasaki Versys 1000 GT year 2015 with the original stock Bridgestone T30 tyres. The rear has squared off at 6.5k & I estimate I should get at least another 1k out of it, & with the front still wearing very well indeed to the point of, do I change it & just replace the rear tyre, or replace both & keep the existing front as a spare?
I was thinking of changing to Michelin PR3's but now I've read your posts I think I will try the Metz.
Any further advice will be appreciated.
Regards,
Mike
If you're going to replace them then I'd suggest that either you get a new T30 rear and wait until both wear out or you replace both. And if you want to hang on to the old T30 front then I guess if you have the space why not. Not being a tyre guru I don't know if taking tyres on and off wheels causes any problems to the bead that seals with the wheel - someone else can maybe chime in on that.
I hope that they work out for you - I've been really happy with them.
Update:
The bikes done over 21,000 miles now. The 2nd pair of Metzeler's probably have another 1,000 miles in them. Overall as a tyre that can do a bit of everything (on road) I've been really happy with them. They were reassuringly stable on long motorway slogs and yet up in the Dolomites doing 17 hairpins in a row they felt great, giving good feedback throughout. Solid in the wet and for 11k miles at a pop pretty damn good value.
The bikes done over 21,000 miles now. The 2nd pair of Metzeler's probably have another 1,000 miles in them. Overall as a tyre that can do a bit of everything (on road) I've been really happy with them. They were reassuringly stable on long motorway slogs and yet up in the Dolomites doing 17 hairpins in a row they felt great, giving good feedback throughout. Solid in the wet and for 11k miles at a pop pretty damn good value.
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