My favorite all time is Dugast although I haven't tried any since he semi-retired. It seems like the rolling resistance was supposed to be on par with Conti but I am not sure. Conti Competitions would be right up there too. Downside is both are around $100 per tire. Veloflex is about half that much if you shop around and what I use most of the time on the road, has a very nice ride but probably not the lowest rolling resistance. Vittoria's quality on tubulars is not what it was when they were made in Italy. They seem to be spending all their efforts on gimmicks like colors and multi-treaded tires rather than performance and quality.

I just replaced the Conti LA's on my HED's with TUFO S3 Lites. I found the TUFO's easy to mount and they worked exceedingly well at Eagleman (24.2mph).

"I just replaced the Conti LA's on my HED's with TUFO S3 Lites. I found the TUFO's easy to mount and they worked exceedingly well at Eagleman (24.2mph). "

What PSI did you run them at?

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Ross Hoopingarner

I've had Conti, Vittoria, and Tufo. Of the three I liked Conti's the best, Tufo next, and Vittoria last.

Right now I have a Conti Sprinter 22mm on the rear and a Podium 19mm on the front. I've ridden these on smooth and rough roads alike and have not complaints. The GPs might have a slight bit less rolling resitsance, but I probably won't notice, and they are more expensive, so I'll stick with what I've got.

TUFOs were also nice, but they had a slightly harsher feeling ride than the Contis do. I think that there is something about the rubber they use that gives them a more harsh ride. You could air these things up in January and not have to air them up again until the next January.

My Vittoria experience was that I had three tires--Zipp 400 set and Zipp disc. All three tires lost a noticable amount of air overnight, more than would be expected from a Latex tube. Two of them developed leaks at the valve stem.

I'd stick with conti, but that's just my $0.02.

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Brandon Marsh - Website | @BrandonMarshTX | RokaSports | 1stEndurance | ATC Bikeshop |

I just ordered up some Tufo tubular-clinchers... S33 Specials. These will go on my race/training/recovery/commuting wheels, so I'll be able to give a full report on them in a few hundred miles.

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<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
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I've tried a fair number of tubulars including old and new Tufos, Conti Sprinters, Vittoria Corsa TT, Vittoria Rally, Gommitalia Frescias, Vredesteins and some others that I can't think of right now.

My favorite so far are the Vredestein Fortezza Pro. They're about the same width as the Sprinters, but they are much less liekly to flat and don't have that annoying hump at the valve stem. The only knock on the Fortezzas is that they can be hard to find.

My second favorite tires are the Tufos. They have butyl tubes that hold air for a really, really long time. But they are narrow and have more of a triangular cross section and don't seem to corner as well.

Just my $0.03 Canadien.

I ran the 19mm at about 140psi. I didn't think the ride was too harsh, but I am considering trying them at lower pressures to see what difference, if any, that makes. I'm 5'11", 165 lbs., and dropping. :-)

I ran the 21mm first at 200PSI then raced them at 170PSI, found them very harsh. I would like to run them <120 for comfort but I am leary of running them too close to the minimum recommended. Not sure what this would do to the integrity, I'm assuming they have an minimum for a reason.

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Ross Hoopingarner

Clement! And they're coming back! Otherwise Conti Competition GPs. Expensive and worth it.

I had not noticed the minimum rating before. I don't know what the reasons for it would be either. I just sent TUFO NA a email asking them, and will post their reply.

Already did that. They said they recommend the highest PSI that I could tolerate because of the increased rolling resistance, but no mention of what might happen running at the low end of the range. Rolling resistance will mean little to me if I can't finish the bike leg of an IM due to a sore back.

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Ross Hoopingarner

I hear you there, you can't win if you don't finish.

Below is what I got back from TUFO, sounds like you are safe running lower pressures, they just don't think you'll get the maximum performance out of them. I have been meaning to go out for some short rides, experimenting with different pressures to see how much of a difference it makes.

===============================

there are no risks, but it will be like riding a flat tire. Depend on
your comfort level as well,

Vladimir Juhas

visit us at
www.tufonorthamerica.com

-----Original Message-----
Sent: June 26, 2003 8:52 AM
To: Tufo North America Inc
Subject: Re: RE: Minimum Tire Inflation

What, if any, are the risks of running lower pressures? On the poor
roads here in Michigan, 145psi. can feel a little harsh.



minimum is the minimum inflation pressure for these tires, we recommend
high pressures though, but every one is different, experiment,

Vladimir Juhas

visit us at
www.tufonorthamerica.com


-----Original Message-----
Sent: June 26, 2003 7:51 AM
To: info@tufonorthamerica.com
Subject: Minimum Tire Inflation

I am running the 19mm, 650c (26"), S3 Lite's. A friend pointed out the
145-220 psi rating on them. I was wondering what the minimum is for?