Schwalbe Ultremo ZX Clincher Tire for Road

The Schwalbe Ultremo ZX @AMAZON is a road bike clincher available in a wide range of sizes, weights and colors.

My intent with the Ultremo ZX is to run the 700 X 28C model on my cyclocross wheels for rougher pavement, including the Death Valley Double.

If you want a flashy look, Schwalbe offers color variations.

Note that a 700 X 28C tire as a significantly different tire circumference than a 700 X 22C tire.

Tire weight

Nominal 235 grams for the 700 X 28C model. Actual tires weighed even less than claimed! The Ultremo ZX is a very light tire, but should still wear for 1500-2000 miles or so on the rear.

There is very little weight difference between the 28C and 25C tires. But the tube will be about 120g for 28C and about 69g for the 25C; that’s where the very significant weight difference will show up.

700 X 28c: 229.4, 231.5 g = 231 grams
700 X 25c: 213, 221 g     = 217 grams

Ride quality

The 700 X 28C should be a great choice on rough Death Valley pavement, with nasty 2" wide pressure cracks every 30 feet near Badwater and generally coarse-surfaced pavement that can be very unpleasant with racing tires.

Rolling resistance with a 28C tire at 90 psi is argued by some to be lower than a 120 psi tire, though I’m dubious how that works under 300+ watts of power while climbing.

Tire pressure

I will probably run 90 psi for the 700 X 28C (rated from 85-115 psi), based on advice from people I trust. That’s based on a body wight of 175 pounds. Lighter riders will likely favor 85 psi, and heavier riders perhaps 110 psi.

Schwalbe Ultremo ZX road racing tire Schwalbe specs

Schwalbe Ultremo ZX road racing tire choices. Schwalbe specs