Reddit mentions of MICHELIN Protek

Well, I’m a bit of a fender fanatic, so that’s what I’d recommend; that, and faster rolling tires, at least if the bike get most of its miles on pavement. My non-winter commuter has Portland Design Works Pancho fenders. They’re a bit more expensive than the ubiquitous Planet Bike Cascadias, but in my opinion, the PDW fenders rattle less, due to the fact that PDW uses thicker stays and full wrap stays. My previous non-winter commuter first had PB fenders, then a lovely set of metal Velo-Orange Zepplins that were destroyed in my last car collision. I replaced the Velos with PDWs on my new build mostly because VO charges shipping to Alaska, whereas the PDWs I was able to pick up at REI. Two years with these fenders and I’m quite pleased with them.

Regarding the tires, if all you ride is pavement, then there’s no reason not to run smooth tires. They’ll give you a faster, smoother ride; plus they grip better in the wet, as you’ll have more rubber in contact with the road. Someone else mentioned Schwalbe Marathons, and you cannot go wrong with these tires; despite their weight, they are surprisingly fast, super puncture resistant, and extremely grippy on wet pavement and asphalt. The only reason that I have Michelin Proteks on my ride and not Marathons is because I couldn’t find the right size Marathons locally, Schwalbe charges shipping to Alaska, the Michelins were available in store, and I wasn’t willing to wait for the next LBS tire order. The Michelins have been great tires, though; two years of three season daily commuting and general city riding, no flats, nice and fast, and cheaper than than Schwalbes. Both are great tires, though, and both have a reflective stripe which, if you keep clean, will also help keep you safe.