Freedom Racine Deluxe Tyre

For 'Deluxe' substitute 'Commuter' and you'll get a better feel for what the Freedom Racine Deluxe is all about. Deluxe it isn't. It's not expensive and it's heavy for a 700x25C tyre, partly (50g or so) because it uses a wire bead. On the other hand, it's tougher than it looks.

That's due to the three things. The slick, siped tread uses a thicker rubber layer than you'd guess; there's a Kevlar 'DuraStrip' breaker layer underneath that; and the casing is a coarse and hard to cut 27tpi. It's about as tough as a Continental Gatorskin, which costs much the same in its wire bead incarnation.

It's a lot heavier than the 700x25C wire bead Gatorskin – and its own claimed weight – and it doesn't roll as well. So you don't want to be fitting these tyres to your sportive or audax bike. Probably not your training bike either. Where they belong is on a narrow-tyred commuter bike. The whole Freedom range has a utilitarian focus, so that's not surprising.

Grip is good for a budget tyre, even on wet roads. I'd put that down to the rubber compound, which isn't the hard slidey stuff of some cheaper tyres, and not the sipes in the shoulders of the tyre.

So long as traffic lights and junctions interrupt your ride, the Racine Deluxe is a serviceable tyre; you won't notice its lack of pace so much. The thing is, you pretty much get what you pay for with tyres. For £23, I was expecting something 'all right' – and got it. Even at this price, though, I'd pick the lighter, wire bead Gatorskin. That rolls better and is available in a range of sizes.

Another £10 or £20 – a lot in relation to the price of the Racine Deluxe, peanuts compared to the price of your bike – would get a Michelin Krylion, Schwalbe Durano, Schwalbe Durano Plus or Continental Gator Hardshell. They're all really good rather than all right. But you pays your money and takes your choice.

Verdict

Puncture resistant but somewhat pedestrian, this most suits shorter urban journeys