Tufo Elite Ride 23

Price Paid:  $105.00 at Competitive Cyclist

Favorite Ride:
Any

Bike Setup:
Indy Fab CJSE with DA and Ksyrium SL hoops.

Summary:
This is a review of the tubular clincher tire. Once on the rim, the tire rides really great. Before trying this tire I only rode standard clincher/tube set-ups (most recently Conti 4000's), and these tires definitely ride smoother, faster, and are more comofortable. They seem to handle great as well. Two words of caution: They are impossible to mount, and don't overfill them with the goo. I tried for an hour to get them on a rim and couldn't. LBS ended up mounting both for $30. But they put half a bottle of goo in each tire, instead of the recommended third of a bottle, and some of it leaks out of the valve when I inflate the tire; which doesn't hurt anything, but it makes it harder to screw down the presta valve head if it gets on the threads.

Strengths:
Sweet ride - there really is a difference in a "tubular" vs a standard clincher/tube tire.

Weaknesses:
Hard as hell to mount - be prepared to have the LBS mount it for you. And, while I haven't flatted yet, if the goo won't self-seal a flat, you'll have to carry a spare tube and clincher tire to fix roadside.

Similar Products Used:
None.