Road Bike Tire Test: Silca Protocol RCR 29
Contents and Test Summary
- Introduction
- Manufacturer Specifications
- Size, Weight, Thickness
- Rolling Resistance: 11.5 Watts
- Puncture Resistance: 44 Points
- Static Wet Grip: 83 Points
- Conclusion: 4.5 / 5 Highly Recommended
- Comments
- Silca Protocol RCR 29
(100% is best)
Silca is an American (with Italian heritage) cycling parts and accessories brand known for its high-quality products. Over the past few years, we've seen them become more interested in the tire market; they started carrying tubeless sealant, tapes, and valves, and introduced their TPU tubes late last year. They recently entered the tire market head-on, and alongside the release of their gravel bike tires, they also released the Protocol RCR, a full-slick tire available in 29, 34, and 38 mm.
As with the Protocol RCG gravel bike tires, our Pro Members showed strong interest in Silca's new road bike tire. Both the 45 mm Protocol RCG-1 and 29 mm Protocol RCR rose to the top in record time in our monthly tire voting round, which decides which 5 most popular tires get tested the next month. This month, we also saw the 38 mm rise to the top, and we expect to test it next month.
The Protocol RCR's 29 mm size is the ideal starting point for our testing, as our road bike tire database centers on test results for 28/29 mm tires. We've already tested all its main competitors in this size, so there are no excuses; there's no tread pattern to diversify on, and it all comes down to the tire's casing and compound design.
Silca claims the Protocol RCR's architecture is based on a volume-centric approach, and it looks like they started with the 38 mm size and then scaled that design to the 34 and 29 mm sizes. From a specifications standpoint, the 29 mm Protocoll RCR isn't spectacular: its specified weight of 290 grams is one of the highest on the market for the 28/29 mm size, and it gives us a first indication of its design.
The casing is Silca's 120 TPI "Race Casing", which is tubeless-ready and comes with "CarbonBead" beads that make all sizes hookless compatible. The compound is their "Pulsar Compound", which is the same compound they use on their gravel bike tires, and the test results of the RCG-1 gravel bike tire indicate this compound comes with strong performance in our tests.
We've run all the tests, and in this review we'll compare the Protocol RCR to the most popular 28/29 mm tires that come with similar tread thickness and puncture resistance.
Manufacturer Specifications
| Manufacturer Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Brand | Silca |
| Model | Protocol RCR |
| Year | 2026 |
| Tire Type | Tubeless |
| Supplied By | Bought in store |
| New or Used | New |
| Mileage | 0 km |
| Price Range | Very High |
| Buy At | |
| Manufacturer part number | - |
| EAN | 810093163373 |
| TPI | 120 |
| Compound | Pulsar Compound |
| Bead | Folding |
| ETRTO | 29-622 |
| Size Inch | 28" |
| Specified Width (mm) | 29 |
| Specified Weight | 290 grams |
| Max Air Pressure (psi) | 80 |
| Made In | Pro Data |
| Available Sizes |
29-622 (700x29c) 34-622 (700x34c) 38-622 (700x38c) |
Silca Protocol RCR 29 Test Results
Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
| Size, Weight and Thickness Measurements | |
|---|---|
| Specified Weight | 290 grams |
| Measured Weight | 290 grams |
| System Adjusted Weight (tire + valve + rim seal) |
310 grams |
| Measured Width | 28 mm (un-round) |
| Measured Height | Pro Data |
| Tire Circumference | Pro Data |
| Total Tire Thickness Center | 2.1 mm |
| Total Tire Thickness Sidewall | Pro Data |
| Unmounted Casing Width | Pro Data |
| Unmounted Tread Width | Pro Data |
| Tread Cover (Tread / Casing Ratio) | Pro Data |
| All size measurements are taken at an air pressure of 100 psi / 6.9 bars on a 18 mm inner width (unless otherwise stated) rim. | |
Rolling Resistance Test Results
| Rolling Resistance Test Results | |
|---|---|
| Inner Tube | None (20 ml sealant) |
| Measured Width | 28 mm (un-round) |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 132 psi/9.1 bar 25-27 = 120 psi/8.3 bar 28-30 = 108 psi/7.4 bar 31-32 = 100 psi/6.9 barUltra High Air Pressure (108 psi / 7.4 bar) |
Pro Data |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 110 psi/7.6bar 25-27 = 100 psi/6.9 bar 28-30 = 90 psi/6.2 bar 31-32 = 83 psi/5.7 barExtra High Air Pressure (90 psi / 6.2 bar) |
Pro Data |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 88 psi/6.1 bar 25-27 = 80 psi/5.5 bar 28-30 = 72 psi/5.0 bar 31-32 = 67 psi/4.6 barHigh Air Pressure (72 psi /5.0 bar) |
11.5 Watts CRR: 0.00345 |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 66 psi/4.6 bar 25-27 = 54 psi/4.1 bar 28-30 = 60 psi/3.7 bar 31-32 = 50 psi/3.4 barMedium Air Pressure (54 psi / 3.7 bar) |
Pro Data |
| The Road Bike section is a multi tire size section, air pressures have been adjusted to the measured casing width. All numbers are for a single tire at a speed of 29 km/h / 18 mph and a load of 42.5 kg / 94 lbs. Use the formula: RR (Watts) = CRR * speed (m/s) * load (N) to calculate rolling resistance at a given speed and load. |
|
Puncture Resistance Test Results
| Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better) | |
|---|---|
| Total Puncture Score Tread | 44 Points |
| Total Puncture Score Sidewall | Pro Data |
| Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle | Pro Data |
| Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle | Pro Data |
| Tread Total Tire Thickness | 2.1 mm |
| Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle | Pro Data |
| Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle | Pro Data |
| Sidewall Total Tire Thickness | Pro Data |
Static Grip Test Results
| Static Grip Test Results | |
|---|---|
| Wet Grip Average | 83 Points |
| Wet Grip Center | Pro Data |
| Wet Grip Edge | Pro Data |
| Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 Road bike grip test rim width = 19.0 mm (unless otherwise stated) |
|
Conclusion
- Silca Protocol RCR 29
(100% is best)
The Silca Protocol isn't as fast-rolling as we expected, based on Silca's claim that it prioritizes width and speed without adding useless bulk. It comes in at the bottom of the pack in the rolling resistance tests compared to the 9 other tires in the comparison, and we didn't even include the ultra-fast but thin Vittoria Corsa Speed in this comparison.
Tread thickness and puncture resistance for both the tread and sidewall fall in the middle of the pack, and our initial impression based on the specified weight seems to match the final result.
The Protocol RCR shines in our wet grip test, and, together with the Protocol RCG-1 gravel bike tire results, our conclusion about Silca's Pulsar compound is that it's more of a high-grip compound than an absolute low-rolling-resistance compound.
With slick tires, there's little to diversify on, and we can't find a situation where the Silca Protocol RCR is the absolute best pick, which makes it hard to justify its extreme price tag. We even found the Hutchinson Blackbird Race TLR offers nearly identical performance (at 40-50 grams less weight) to the Silca Protocol RCR and costs about 55% of the Silca, which makes it a hard sell for us.
Compare the Silca Protocol RCR and Hutchinson Blackbird Race on our comparison section.
RATING:
4.5
/ 5
TEST VERDICT:
Highly Recommended