Zleen bike tires – race casings for MTB and gravel

Zleen is a young brand from Prague that brings race technology to its tires without turning them into prestige products. The tires are developed in the Czech Republic and manufactured in partnership with Ralson, which has been producing bicycle tires for 50 years. At BIKE24, you'll find tires for three main riding categories. MTB tires for XC and marathon include the Leopard and Lion, both with a 120 TPI casing and bead-to-bead fabric protection. For enduro and trail, the Hawk Pro adds reinforced sidewalls. The gravel tires Wolf and Coyote use a silica compound and also roll smoothly on asphalt. Racers including Jaroslav Kulhavý, Olympic cross-country champion, and Anet Hovorková, Czech U23 XC marathon champion, put their trust in Zleen tires. Find the right tire for your bike at BIKE24.

Tiger, Leopard, Wolf, Coyote – every Zleen tire takes its name from an animal at home on the same terrain the tire was designed to tackle. The Puma is a narrow specialist for mud, while the Wolf is made for soft forest floors. Behind the brand is an innovative company that emerged from the tire industry in the eastern Czech Republic just a few years ago. Zleen spent more than two years developing its first tread patterns before bringing them to market. The philosophy is refreshingly simple: good tires don't have to be expensive.

At Zleen, it's not the name on the sidewall that matters. It's what's inside the tire:

• 120 TPI race casing: reduces rolling resistance and increases grip on rough terrain
• Sidewall protection: fabric layer from bead to bead
• Terrain-specific compounds: silica for gravel, Dual for off-road riding and a soft Race compound for racing

Zleen organizes its tire models intuitively by terrain. First, choose your tread pattern, then the construction level. Standard models use a 60 TPI casing for greater everyday durability. Pro versions step up to a finer 120 TPI casing, bead-to-bead puncture protection and a softer compound. Race versions sit at the top of the range.

• Zleen MTB tires for XC and marathon: Leopard is the all-rounder for hard and loose terrain, while Lion uses a deeper tread pattern for light trails.
• Zleen MTB tires for trail and enduro: Hawk Pro features Apex sidewall reinforcement and is built for rough descents and high speeds.
• Zleen gravel tires: Wolf is designed for soft forest floors and mud, while Coyote is at home on hard-packed gravel and dusty surfaces. Both use a silica compound.

Zleen develops its casings and compounds in-house and has racers test them before a tread pattern goes into production. Three factors define a tire's character: casing construction, protective layers and rubber compound. How Zleen combines the three determines how the tire rolls and how much punishment it can take.

TPI stands for threads per inch and describes the density of the casing fabric. The finer the weave, the more easily the tire conforms to roots and edges instead of bouncing over them. Zleen uses a 120 TPI casing in its Pro models. This reduces rolling resistance and delivers more direct steering. Entry-level models use a coarser 60 TPI casing that's more resistant to everyday wear and tear.

A tire can't deliver maximum grip and maximum durability at the same time. Zleen addresses this with different rubber compounds. The soft Race compound delivers maximum grip off-road, while the Dual compound combines a harder center for durability with softer shoulders for cornering grip. For gravel, Zleen uses silica. So when you choose your model, you're also choosing how you want your tire to perform.

With the Racerunner Radical, Zleen presented what it describes as the first true radial mountain bike tire at Eurobike in 2025. Its casing threads run almost perpendicular to the direction of travel rather than diagonally, allowing the tread to deform more independently of the sidewall. The manufacturer claims a 30% larger contact patch, 40% lower rolling resistance and a weight of 550 grams. Independent test data is not yet available.

You'll find Zleen alongside established tire brands at BIKE24 – available for fast shipping when you need it. If you're making the switch to tubeless for the first time, you'll find a step-by-step guide in our advice section. And if you're not sure which tread pattern works best for your local trails, our customer service team will be happy to advise you based on their own riding experience. Discover Zleen MTB and gravel tires in our online shop.