Not often does a product come along that causes me to express great joy, while at the same time equal measures of saddness. The Joy comes from the fact that these are the BEST tyres levers ever! If I was a commercial site this product would recieve 11/10 to get the point over to the readers and encourage them to buy them. The reason these simple levers are so good isn't rocket science but since it's demise I have yet to use a lever to match them.
The levers seem to have the right balance of width and length, this then is mated to the right ammount of stiffness. Too much and they snap to easierly on tough rims, too flexy and the tyre would never release from the hook of the rim. The hook on the lever itself is just right, having a thin but solid blade to break the seal of the toughest bond between tyre and rim. I've used them for over 10 years and I have only ever broken one! (This was on a stubborn rim/tyre combination which left blisters on my thumbs, which made shifting painful for a few days.) An added bonus of the hook of the lever being thin it's great for picking bits of flint out of the tyre (which I seal with glue), no other tyre lever I've tried has this bonus feature.
Saddness, well these are not made any more. This is a terrible shame and I am unsure why Michelin stopped making them. I managed to pick my last set up about 8 years ago, so as much as I am bigging up a long defunct product, I want you to be aware that if you see some in a dusty shop in the middle of nowhere buy them. Try not to get too excited as the shopkeeper may inflate the price, just hold onto that smile once you get outside the shop and with a safe distance between you and it let that knowing smile spread completely across your face. People may think you're mad, but the years of good service you'll receive from these simple bits of plastic will be hard to measure.
One day I hope that Michelin would make these again. I'm not on a retro trip here, it's just that these are the best tyre levers ever and everybody should be able to experience them. If they decide not to make anymore can someone please buy the design and put me out of my misery, they are really that good.
