Gommitalia Targa K

Price Paid:  $25.00 at ebay

Favorite Ride:
Mt. Lemmon

Bike Setup:
Fuji Team RC, Full DA

Summary:
Excellent handmade open tubular. Not marketing speak- the casing actually made the same way a tubular is but not sewn together and the tread is hand glued on to the casing. Other clinchers are "cooked" or vulcanized under pressur e and temperature and that results in a much less flexible casing. Anyway, these are made by Veloflex in Italy and they are an excellent performance tire. Light quick and responsive. Best results are gained using a latex tube- Michelin, Vredestein, Challenge or Pariba most notably. If you've never tried any open tubular/latex tube combo give it a try, it adds a level of enjoyment whether or not you race.

Strengths:
Comfortable ride
Supple casing 250 TPI, 180 gr
Good grip
Puncture resistance (with latex tube)

Weaknesses:
price if purchased by retail. marked up by Veloflex for the pleasure of the Gommitalia badge.
Wear rates-consistent with performance tires.

Similar Products Used:
Veloflex Black, Vittoria Open Corsa EVO CX,

Price Paid:  $0.00 at came with used wheel

Favorite Ride:
new pavement, no glass

Bike Setup:
Trek 5900 w/ Bontrager Race X-Lites

Summary:
Very light, feel smooth, fast and stable. Race only tires and a short race at that. Paper thin and not durable at all. Mine were full of cuts and unusable after only 350 mi. I ran Michelin Pro Race for 3500 mi last year over the same roads before retiring them.

Strengths:
They weigh almost nothing and perform great while they last

Weaknesses:
Casing is very thin and prone to cuts and punctures. Price. Retail is $50?? I'm glad mine were free.

Similar Products Used:
Michelin Pro Race 2, Conti GP 3000, Conti Attack/Force, Bontrager Race X-Lite, Hutchinson Carbon Comp

Price Paid:  $0.00 at gift

Bike Setup:
(don't laugh) Cannondale 2.8 R900 with Dura-Ace. Yeah, I know it's old, but I'm too cheap to buy these tires, and too cheap to replace the bike. I did get a Alpha-Q sub 3 carbon fork and an Alien carbon seatpost to lighten it up and take some sting out of it.

Summary:
Absolutely LOVED riding these tires! It is hard to describe the light feeling they provided. It was like riding on balloons. Handled great, provided incredible road feel. Unfortunately, not very durable, and they were trashed quickly. I would ride then every day if I could afford to replace them every thousand miles. God they felt great!

Strengths:
Gives me that light-as-air feeling. Wow!

Weaknesses:
Durability really, really sucks. Sucks your wallet, too.

Similar Products Used:
I've tried many brands of road tires (Michelin, Hutchinson, Contis, Avocet, Vittoria, Veloflex, IRC, etc)