Goodyear Eagle Sport clincher tyre (2024)

The Goodyear Eagle Sport is an entry-level road tyre from one of the world's big brands, and it delivers well above its price point.

There are only three tyres in Goodyear's Eagle range: this entry-level Eagle, the Eagle F1 and above that the Eagle F1 SuperSport. That's the lot. We reviewed the F1 last year and were impressed.

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Now, a low-cost tyre that offers 'durability' is often code for a plasticky compound that lasts forever but sends the rider into the ditch on the first wet corner, so it was with some trepidation that I took the bike out, freshly shod with the Eagle Sports. Happily, it was a dry day and the tyres behaved impeccably. The second outing was on sodden roads with localised flooding. Surely, this would be the litmus test... No, after a few cautious turns I began to trust the Eagle Sports to stick to the line and for the whole of the rest of the test period I never had an anxious moment.

'Aha,' I hear you say, 'but that tenacious grip means the tyres most be slow and draggy.' Again, no. They feel lively from the off and the stats don't lie: up one local Strava climb, the fearsome 'Past the Chinese', I notched up a PB out of 32 passes, without being aware of trying particularly hard. A fortnight later, just to show it wasn't a fluke, I did it again.

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So with tests in both wet and dry conditions passed with aplomb, there was really only the 'durability' bit of Goodyear's claims to go at. Obviously, with a test period of only six weeks I can't vouch for the longevity of these tyres, but I've tested rubber costing twice the price and more which has cracked and split within the year, so at £20, if these see out the winter I think I'd be happy enough with that. I had no punctures and there are no pointless grooves in the tread to attract small stones and other enemies of the cyclist.

In fact, these feel like good winter training tyres. With the reliable road grip aided by the little bit of extra width from the 28mm test tyres, I'll be riding these into the autumn and beyond.

If I was going to flag up one shortcoming, it would be that the Eagle Sports didn't soak up as much road rattle as I might have expected from a wider tyre. Perhaps this is down to the fairly low threads-per-inch count of 60 (the F1 gets twice this number). Running them a little softer helped (around 85psi at the back) with no noticeable loss of speed. The ability to run on lower pressures is another advantage of wider tyres and may also contribute to the surefootedness.

The Goodyears were easy to fit, no tools required (just!). On my 19mm internal rims they gave a nice rounded profile and the vernier calliper showed them at a smidge over 27mm, with a rim-to-tread height of 28mm.

If you have room in your frame for a slightly wider tyre, I'd recommend giving these a go.

Verdict

Good performance at any price, and at £20 these are a steal