If Tufos are slowest...What's Fastest?

Triathlon Forum
63

Flats.

With three Sprinter tires bought at different times, I never made it past 50-60 miles on any individual tire! (One of those flats cost me a $1000 purse in a tri a couple of years ago.)

Maybe I’m bad luck, but other guys I’ve ridden with have had bad luck with flats on Sprinters too. I went on an 80 mile ride to the Jersey shore last summer with someone ridding tubulars who carried two new brand new Sprinters for his spares. He only made it halfway before going through both spares and I had to TT back to the house to get a car to save him.

My dad last winter bought Sprinters for his old road bike (he’s really old school - he’ll only rides tubulars on his 6 speed Campy Record steel road bike). First ride on them - got a flat. (At least he discovered using the Tufo sealant on the Conti tires works pretty well.)

Not claiming this to be a scientifically proven fact that Sprinters are more prone to flats. Just anecdotal evidence.

Chris

64

I do believe the Sprinters have less in the way of “puncture resistance” than other conti’s (notably the competition) and tires like the Vittoria Corsa, which has the kevlar-based under-tread strip. Not sure if these “anti-puncture” measures are just advertising or not, but the Sprinter does seem to be just a basic cotton casing + tread, so it may in fact be less resistant to punctures.