Well, I guess it would depend on the application. In a gnarly, wet, rough pavement crit with a bunch of tight turns I would run a different tire than on a flat, straight, dry out and back 40km bike course on super nice pavement.

I am a fan of synthetic casing tubulars as opposed to cotton or, God forbid, the old silk ones. Synthetic casing, or synthetic reinforced casing tires such as TUFO and Continental. They may not have the luxurious ride quality of cotton tires, but they hold their inflation longer, seem to be more puncture resistant than natural casings and generally last longer.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Tom, after starting the wildfire tubie debate, I'm surprised to see you talk about how long a tire holds it's air or leaning towards synthetic and away from tires with wonderful ride feel. If one is going to run Conti tubies, they might as well be on conti clinchers with lightweight pair of tubes. Same boring and harsh ride feel. Fast, but no faster, and those road vibrations will eventually fatigue one's back and arms. Very few grams weight difference with their clincher cousins. Last I checked, the bike cut-off was 5pm at an Ironman. Holding air overnight or for weeks is a nice feature of training tires (aka clinchers). For a race, one pumps them up in the morning and they will be good until the sun goes down, or one comes to the end of the race course.

Trijunior, IMO, for road racing or any course with rough chip seal pavement, the 22mm VeloFlex Criterium are optimal. 120psi, not more. Their supple casing has a ride feel superior to synthetic casings so you will feel less of the road vibrations, and the tires will have better adhesion when cornering. Thus, you go faster. For a smooth surface, straight-line course like most triathlons, a narrower model like the 20mm Record or Corsa would be optimal. Or, the upper end conti and Tufo tires would also be efficient, but will give a harsher ride. Resist the temptation to buy cheap tubies. It kills me to see friends with a beautiful set of wheels only to have put a pair of Tufo S33s on rather than the Tufo Elites.

Have fun!

If I were to go with the continental competition or something comparable, 22mm, is there enough extra rolling resistance to justify removing the front tire and replacing it? What tufo is the best for road racing, cost non issue, but works great for TT as well?

Would you reccomend anything else besides tufo conti and veloflex?

thanks.