Tufo Special Hi Composite Carbon

Price Paid:  $0.00

Favorite Ride:
Spokane River

Bike Setup:
Custom Co-Motion.

Summary:
These tires are nice but not quite the "oh my god" experience I was hoping for. They are fast and roll well but the higher psi does mean you feel the road irregularities more and I feel fortunate that my bike is steel. I don't know if I would appreciate these w/ an aluminum frame. I get a fairly good price for them otherwise I don't think I would buy them.

Weaknesses:
After about 300 miles, I checked the rear and was really surprised at the number of small cuts. Really surprised since I was told this would be a 3000 mile tire. Maybe it will be but I doubt it.

Similar Products Used:
Too many. I am a tire snob.

Price Paid:  $47.00 at worldclasscycles.com

Favorite Ride:
any

Bike Setup:
56 cm basso. hatta swan headset (had to be shimmed, still vg), hatta 9400 bottom bracket (if you have a vintage bike and need a bottom bracket, and you are keeping the roller bearings, then this thing is GOLD, no resistance whatsoever). campy record cranks, campy super record sl pedals, super record hf hubs, campy record sl seat post, open pro rims, modolo pro brakeset, and vintage florman brazed stem. all raw metal, covered with gun oil.

Summary:
ride characteristics of these tires are awesome. have never felt a ride similar except for the tubulars that were on my old colnago super fitted with nisi rims. i've ridden most clinchers in the 50 buck range, and these smoke them. currently fitted to my vintage basso w/ mavic open pro rims & campy hf hubs. ride feel compared w/ clinchers cannot be compared (i'm riding these @ 170 psi), and no, they are not uncomfortable. you feel very in tune with every road nuance. that being said, i went out for a ride today, was going to do a 40 mile ride to downtown l.a. and take the metro home, when five miles out i got a flat on my front tire (which is abnormal, 9 out of 10 flats happen to my rear). has been raining here, and lots of crap on the road. i'm thinking it was just bad luck to pick up a glass splinter in the front. i've been riding for quite some time without a flat, and maybe it was just my time. anyways, i had a spare tufo tire (the cheapest model for this reason). turned around and went home. ordered the tire sealant, and future rides will determine their ultimate reliability. not giving up on these (attributing this flat to bad luck/just my time) as the feel of these tires is not comparable to anything i've ridden since my other tubulars 13 years ago.

Strengths:
FEEL, they make your bikes senses come alive. once you figure out the install, ease of changing tires. very, very fast tires.

Weaknesses:
potential flat problems. more than likely not, as my flat was a front flat, which is unusual. more miles will tell. get the flat fix fluid & carry a spare (which is a good idea anyways, just buy a cheap model). i always ride with a rucksack so storage isn't a problem.

Similar Products Used:
old conti tubulars w/ my colnago.

Price Paid:  $55.00 at Bellati Sport

Bike Setup:
C50, record, eurus wheels

Summary:
Great idea wish they where puncture resistant. Have been riding them for last 3 weeks (800km's) over the same roads I have ridden for the last 5 years with only 5 puctures on conti 3000 & 4000. I had 2 punctures in two succesive rides, both my front any rear tires where cut all over. I love the tires, 160PSI great, they really roll and handle terrifically but punctures are a big problem. Getting stranded is a big concern, mobile essential.

Strengths:
up to 170PSI, great rolling and handling, goo sealant an easy way to repair a flat

Weaknesses:
Terrible puncture resistance, goo sprays all over bike when you get a flat. Better carry a mobile

Similar Products Used:
Continental 3000 and 4000

Price Paid:  $70.00 at ebay

Favorite Ride:
All of them

Bike Setup:
Fetish Velocita, Reynolds Ouzo Comp fork, Easton carbon bars, Mavic CXP 22 wheels, mixed Shimano drivetrain.

Summary:
I first tried Tufo Jet Specials when I was doing triathlons. They were great, but I sold the HED wheels with the Tufo tires. I returned to Tufos with a pair of HI Carbon tubular clinchers. These tires are tough, with great traction on wet or dry surfaces. I used the sealant, and got pretty brave about riding on bad roads, although I carry a cell phone. On Memorial Day, a friend and I were about 30 miles out, and we were riding on a new road bed - large chunks of gravel for about 200 feet - to the pavement. I must have hit a sharp piece of limestone, and got a 10 millimeter cut just off the tread on the front tire. The tire flatted immediately, and the cut was too big for the sealant to hold even 20 or 30 psi. My lifesaver friend rode to her parent's house, borrowed their car, and was able to pick me up. These tires are tough and well-made; however, a cut or puncture larger than 5 millimeters will pretty much render the sealant useless. I tried riding on the flat, and was able to control the bike, but I could still feel every crevice in the road. I don't think the tire would have left the rim, but I didn't push my luck. These tires had about 500 miles on them (I'm still using the rear tire) with virtually no wear. I switch between the clincher wheels and tubulars, and am starting to prefer the clinchers.

Strengths:
Well made tires, quiet on the road and good for any conditions except 3 inch gravel.

Weaknesses:
A large cut or puncture can end your ride.

Similar Products Used:
Vittoria CX, Vittoria All Conditions(green and black), Veloflex Pave.

Price Paid:  $70.00 at that was for a pair

Favorite Ride:
Got too many to name

Bike Setup:
1989 OLMO Corsa 50th anniversary with full C Record gruppo

Summary:
I don't really know if I should be reviewing these since I just mounted them yesterday but I am so plussed by the first ride that I gotta say these tubes are fantastic! First of all they felt "different" in my hands when I first took them out of the box. The rubber feels more sturdy and the cloth tape was well attached (unlike lots of tubies). They went on real easy with a couple of mild stretches before applying the glue. I wanted to try the TUFO mounting tape this time but it would take a week to get some and I was too impatient. One thing that attracted me to the TUFOs is the high pressure that these can handle. My Mission foot pump had a difficult time holding on to the valve to achieve it though! I took my all steel OLMO on a 25 mile loop that I am very familiar with and I kept an eye on my computer cuz it felt like I was going faster than normal. Climbing was noticably easier and I wonder if you will understand this but my bike sang! I think it might be that the higher pressure has somehow changed the harmonic resonance of my set up but there is a very pleasurable ringing sound. I am considering to get some of TUFOs vaunted sealant to add a measure of punture proofing but I wonder if this would deaden them somewhat.. anyone out there know?

Strengths:
High quality, superior road feel, turned my OLMO into a Stradivarius.

Weaknesses:
Haven't found any yet... hope they last.

Similar Products Used:
Vittoria Corsa and Rally, Conti Comp, Sprinter, Giro