SCHWALBE Rennradreifen Ultremo R.1 faltbar schwarz Reifen

I am commuting on (ir)regular basis between home and office on my road bicycle in Tokyo. (30+ km one way).

I have been using the Panaracer Stratus Elite in the past.
Recently I have been looking for a replacement as current wheel is starting to wear out.

As I am mainly driving only during non rainy days my choice was between:

- Schwalbes new Ultremo R.1 (2010 model)
- Continental GP 4000S
- Continental Attack/Force set

I know that the Continental GP 4000S has a superb reputation but I was curios how Schwalbes Ultremo R.1 would stick up against it. So I finally decided for the Schwalbe Ultremo R.1.

First, the R.1 is compact, light and comfortable. It feels much thinner than f.e Continentals GP 4000S. This is immediately obvious when you touch it.

Because of this it doesnt feel as sturdy as the Continental. However riding it feels very comfortable and natural. Road adhesion seems to be good too.

Any inconsistencies on the road feel like submitted more direct (no "buffering") f.e. when compared to the Panaracer.

The light weight has its own twists of course. Wheel balancing should be done more careful than "usual".
The compound seems durable but can rub off if you happen to hit a small edge that sticks out (uneven road, stoned street etc.).

So far I have run roughly 400km the last days. The wheel looks promising.
Because its so compact you might be shy at first to drive it more aggressive.
But let me asure you riding it feels save at all times.

This morning I hit some glass splitters but seems like I was lucky this time nothing happened. ( I immediately checked the wheels).

Note that there is a red compound special edition which is not sold officially (but mounted on HPC bikes).

One suggestion: I wish the silver version side stripes would reflect light for night trips.

[Update after 1000+ km]

I found that something (probably the glass splitters after initial 200km) actually did cut a hole only in the top layer of tire by the size of 1x4mm.
I decided to take the risk and continue using the tire.
So far I have run almost 1100 km with the same tire.

First, the above mentioned hole stayed the same size over the whole course until now. That is a first very strong trust point for me. On cheap tires I would have expected the hole at least to increase.

Second, I run with the tire into a 5 cm wide rail (and as a result fell over).
Also the RIM itself has taken a hit on the edges (sratches), the tire does not seem to have any impact at all.

Thirdly, on the not so good side, I realized for the silver version (and that probably applies to all non black versions) adhesion could be better. I ran into several critical situations (curvy and downhill) when I was running perhaps 30-40 km max I wish the tire would "stick" better on the road. However I have to admit that of course the shoulder of the roads where dirty too.

[Update after 1500+ km]

Tire almost unchanged, the hole in top layer still the same size (not increased).
That is 1300 km with a hole in the top layer and no puncture (yet) !!
A recent tire report in the German magazin "Tour" 8/2010 mentions the Ultremo R.1 as a tire easy to get flat, but so far I can only say the opposite.

[Update after 2500+ km]

Tire almost unchanged, still going strong.
Observation: The version with the colored stripes do slip easier on wet streets with smooth surface.
So go for the black tire without colored stripes.

Note that there is a red compound special edition which is not sold officially (but mounted on HPC bikes).

I will add more details to this review after 5000km.
That's it for now, Stay tuned...