Tyres have really gone big in cycling, in size, price and importance. With 28mm seemingly the road standard, riders are paying more attention to rolling resistance, grip and ride quality.
With the technology taking leaps forward, tyres have also become very pricey in place, and tubeless tyres can easily tip north of £100. But the good news is you can spend much less and bag a very good set of tyres.
These are eight road bike tyres, all available for less than £25 and all claimed to be 28mm wide. I tested them for weight, ease of fitting, measured width, rolling resistance and, of course, ride feel to find out which is the best budget road tyre in 2026.
The rolling-resistance numbers come from the rig at the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub, where the gap between the fastest and slowest tyre was 20.9 watts at 40kph. Across a pair, that is nearly 42 watts.
The tyres on test were:
- Pirelli P7 Sport
- Continental Ultra Sport III
- Panaracer Catalyst Sport
- Vittoria Zaffiro Pro G2.0
- Hutchinson Challenger
- Michelin Lithion 4
- Schwalbe Lugano II K-Guard
- Van Rysel Protect
Some have an RRP above £25, but they could all be found below that ceiling when I carried out the test.
Buyers guide
Best Overall | Best for Summer | Grippiest on Test | Best for Winter | Best Budget Buy |
Ultra Sport III Tyre - 700 x 28Black / BlackFolding | Lugano II K-Guard Tyre - 700 x 28Black | Catalyst 700c Clincher Road Tyre | Challenger Road Tyre | Van Rysel Triban Protect 700x28 Road Tyre |
Continental | Schwalbe | Panaracer | Hutchinson |
|
 |  |  |  |  |
|
|
|
|
|
£19.96 £29.99-33% | £13.00 £20.99-38% | £11.99 £16.99-29% | £25.95 £32.00-19% | Price on Amazon |
| View deal | View deal | View deal | View deal | Check on Amazon |
Weight, width and fitting
I weighed two samples of each tyre and averaged them. The Panaracer was the lightest, while the Van Rysel was the heaviest, which did not surprise me given it was the only tyre here with a solid wire bead. Both came in above their claimed weights. The Hutchinson went the other way: both my samples were around 70g lighter than claimed. They’re doing the Challenger a disservice on paper.
Most sample pairs were closely matched, and the Continentals were identical to the gram. The two Schwalbes, though, were 24g apart despite supposedly being identical tyres. Get unlucky with a heavy pair and you could be carrying 50g more than someone with a light pair.
It shows how different seemingly identical tyres can be. When one rider has a great experience and another is absolutely cursing the same model, it may be because one tyre contains more material and performs differently.
Although every tyre was labelled 28mm, only the Vittoria measured essentially true to size on my 22mm internal width Hunt rims. The Hutchinson and Michelin came up short, while the Continental and Panaracer pushed close to 30mm. Widest of all was the Van Rysel, which measured more than 2mm over its stated size.
On a disc brake bike with clearance to spare, that is a bonus. On a rim brake bike, it could put you close to what the caliper will accept, so check before you buy. Bear in mind these tyres may not balloon up as much on a narrower 19mm internal rim.
Fitting was straightforward across the board, as you would expect from clincher tyres with inner tubes. The Continentals needed the most oomph to get on and off, with the Schwalbes close behind, while the Van Rysel’s wire bead was a bit stiffer than the folding tyres. All in all, none of them should cause a home mechanic too much grief, although a few may need a bit of encouragement from a tyre lever.
Rolling resistance and ride feel
I warmed each tyre on the Silverstone rig before testing it twice at both speeds and averaging the results. Every tyre was inflated to 70psi and tested under a 45kg wheel load, representing a combined rider, bike and kit weight of 90kg. I used two matching-weight inner tubes and the lighter of each brand’s two tyre samples. The charts carry the full test conditions.
The Continental Ultra Sport III won, and won big: 30.7 watts at 40kph, a full 20.9 watts faster than the slowest tyre on test. Its advantage over the slowest tyre was 10.3 watts at 24kph. The Pirelli P7 Sport propped up the table at 51.6 watts, with the Hutchinson just 3.8 watts ahead of it.
The Schwalbe was the only tyre to get anywhere near the Continental, clearly ahead of the mid-pack, where the Michelin, Vittoria and Panaracer sat closely grouped. The order barely shifted between the two speeds, but the gaps roughly doubled at 40kph. The faster you ride, the more your tyre choice matters.
Out on the road, the Schwalbe was the tyre I found hardest to fault. It had a lovely ride feel and good grip, and felt especially secure leaning into corners. The Continental also felt excellent once bedded in; after a couple of rides, its initial surface layer wore away. It was also the only tyre to arrive without vent spews still attached, which tells me Continental takes an extra step in finishing. It changes nothing about the ride, but I like the attention to detail.
The Panaracer's aggressive tread delivered serious real-world grip, almost certainly at the cost of watts on the rig, though watch your toe overlap because it will scuff your shoes. The Van Rysel surprised me most: a soft, grippy compound and a supple feel despite the wire bead, from the cheapest tyre on test. My only reservation is about how much puncture protection it offers.
The Vittoria and Hutchinson both rode well once worn in, though both felt narrow. The Hutchinson’s harder compound and solid feel suggested a tyre built for durability and high mileage rather than speed. The Pirelli sent more buzz through the bars than the Vittoria, and the Michelin was buzzier still and broke traction more easily than anything else here. It was the tyre I enjoyed least.
Final rankings and verdicts
The Continental takes a landslide win. It was comfortably the fastest tyre on the rig, backed that up with strong ride feel once bedded in and proved impressively consistent, with both samples matching each other to the gram. If you want one dependable budget tyre that does everything well, buy that.
But these tyres were built for different jobs, so a few more nuanced awards are in order...
For summer riding, my top pick is actually the Schwalbe. Its main weakness was the variation between my two sample weights, so bag a light pair and you get a tyre that is easier to fit than the Continental, feels great to ride, rolls nearly as fast and, in my experience, offers good puncture protection. The Continental is the backup pick if the Schwalbes are out of stock.
The testing setup at Silverstone was exceptionally precise. Image: Sam Gupta
The Panaracer earns a special mention as possibly the grippiest budget road tyre out there. Its combination of low weight and a measured width close to 30mm was particularly impressive. It's just a shame 28mm is the widest size Panaracer makes it in.
For winter or year-round riding, I'm recommending the Hutchinson despite its last-place finish. For many riders on wet and potholed winter roads, weight and rolling resistance matter less than robustness and puncture protection. The Hutchinson’s protection layers and wide size range up to 35mm make it worthy of consideration.
Finally, a special mention goes to the Van Rysel. It was the cheapest tyre here and arguably the underdog, yet it rides well, grips well and sizes up generously. Whichever category matters most to you, the charts hold every number from the test, so weigh them against your own roads, your own bike and your own priorities.
