best tubular cross tires for the price?

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Permalink Reply by Katsu Tanda on November 26, 2009 at 11:29am

I would say Challenge. Good tread, good rubber.

I do like the new 320tpi Vittoria tires but I think they are a bit more pricey than Challenge.

Or just splurge and get some Dugast Typhoons

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Permalink Reply by kenneth fetsurka on November 27, 2009 at 5:35am

thanks yeah, thats what i was looking at but i was also looking at tufo since they seem to be a little more tough

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Permalink Reply by Katsu Tanda on November 27, 2009 at 8:46am

I wouldn't mess with the lower end Tufo tires. If i were to get Tufos, they would be the Flexus line, which cost more than the Challenge tires.

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Permalink Reply by Emil on November 27, 2009 at 9:48am

Actually, I've enjoyed good sucess with lower end Tufos. They are very durable and grip well. I think they meet your criteria.

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Permalink Reply by kenneth fetsurka on November 27, 2009 at 10:08am

yeah i was looking at the tufo primus online and they looked right up my alley

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Permalink Reply by Echappe Equipment on November 29, 2009 at 6:33pm

I think some of the discussion about the Tufos should also consider where you're racing. If you're in New England or Mid-Atlantic the Challenges are your best bet for cost effective tires that perform well. If you're out west in CO or CA in dry conditions, a Tufo will be a better choice since some of the rocks and desert debris can shred the supple cotton sidewalls of a Challenge or even the Dugasts.

I would agree with Katsu that the Flexus line up of tires should be your racing tire choice. If you have a training set of tubulars for your weekly races the Elites will be fine as they are not as supple, but last longer.

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Permalink Reply by kenneth fetsurka on November 30, 2009 at 6:02am

thanks for the advice, im in philadelphia so i'll check out the chaleenges.

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Permalink Reply by ZenNMotion on November 30, 2009 at 12:38pm

I'm in mid-atlantic, run Grifo's in both 32 and 34c, and Fango's in 34c. I've used Tufo Elites in 34c in the past. If I were to choose 1 set of tires for this region, I'd go with the Fango's in 32, unless you're a big boy (I'm not at 150lbs), then I'd go with 34c. The Fango's are at least as fast as Grifo's in dry conditions, better in wet grass, and better traction in mud. But only shades of difference, and if you look around you can probably find better closeout deals on the Grifos (or Gommitalia magnum equivalents) if you're on a tight budget. Perfect for all but 1-2 races this year where deep mud would make a dedicated mud tire like the Rhino a little better, but the frequency of those conditions isn't worth the expense if you're trying to keep it cheap and simple. I can't think of any Mid-Atlantic races where I might have preferred a file tread.

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Permalink Reply by Dave W. on December 16, 2009 at 9:02pm

I have been running the TUFO Flexus Primus for most races all season and it rocks. I used the TUFO Flexus Cubus for muddy events and was hooking up very well, with little mud build up. The bad thing with some of the cotton sidewall tubulars is that you need to coat them with aquaseal or they will rot on you. The TUFO's are a mount it and forget it tire. Good luck with whatever you choose and although you didn't ask about glue, I recommend Vittoria Mastic One for carbon rims and Continental for aluminum ones.

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Permalink Reply by Tim Klingenberger on December 21, 2009 at 8:27pm

Love the Tufo Flexus Cubus ...I rode UP and DOWN what others had to run and almost found an unfair advantage in messy conditions..I could pass on the inside or outside with confidence..and sometimes that makes all the difference.

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Permalink Reply by andrew on December 24, 2009 at 12:00pm

if you are considering the lower-end (non flexus) tufos, you might also look at the lower end vittorias too - like the tufos - not that supple, but reasonably durable with coated sidewalls. but at the low end tubulars, you can get the same suppleness with tubeless too...worth considering if you're on a budget. lots of tubeless content here in the forums on the CXM website.

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