Challenge strada bianca 36mm

[tuscanyswe]

So am i a fool for considering these for city fall riding ?
Ive always been a bit bummed about challenge and their puncture resistance as I've not had good experiences with any challenge tire before, but they are also one of few tires readily available with a tan wall which i like (yes I'm vain about bikes).


Im only interested in the current generation of the strada bianca with the 2 puncture belts as i know how poor the old ones were in the puncture department.
Or possibly if you have used the new gravel grinder tire from them.

Is there are a similar tire that you prefer in similar width? Not over 40 at least. I can go with all black tire if i have to and the performance warrants it.


Thanks

[jtakeda]

How small are you willing to go?

Tires that come to mind:
Jack Brown 33.33mm
Resist nomad tan 35mm (hard to find)
Gravelking (more like brown wall) 32mm

[eBAUMANN]

panaracer paselas have been great commuter tires for me over the years, they come in tan/35c or 38c.

[andeww]

not a baller tire but i have been super happy with these at $25ea
no flats and they feel pretty fast too (35mm)

http://demolitionparts.com/product/nomad-tires-by-resist-parts/

[ColonelJLloyd]

I'd be willing to try it out. But, I my only experience with the Challenge tires are the Parigi-Roubaix.

Other options with tan wall include the Compass 35mm or 38mm offerings, GravelKing 38mm (brown or black wall, though might not be available until January) and Soma Supple Vitesse 38mm. All those are made by Panaracer.

[tuscanyswe]

Thanks for the suggestions

Id prefer to keep it around 35 n up.

Paselas the few times i used it i thought were horrible but i did have those extra puncture belt paselas. I had some 25mm some time ago and they were much nicer. But I'm not going with paselas for this, i want a super nice riding tire with bomb proof reliability and looks good for next to no monnies.. :banana:


Ah maybe compass, never tried those.

[ColonelJLloyd]

....i want a super nice riding tire with bomb proof reliability and looks good for next to no monnies..


Ah maybe compass, never tried those.

Riiiiiight.

I'd go with Compass Barlow Pass EL setup tubeless, myself.

[Luwabra]

Compass are awesome I feel like I'm riding on a cloud and borrowed time. Very nice casing.. so much so that I'm always planning on a disaster but have yet to experience one. I ride the bon jon pass

[jtbadge]

I've been using Soma C-Line, which is a modified 38c Pasela, on my cross bike during the off season. Works great - fast, fat, durable, and light.

Would like to try the new Panaracer Gravel King Slicks in a 32 or 38. Love the 26c Gravel Kings I have on my road bike.

If you think Challenge tires don't have enough puncture resistance, you're going to hate Compass.

[FlashUNC]

You're better off taping garden hoses to your rims than Challenge tires.

[tuscanyswe]

The compass are available in a 38 that is tubeless compatible. I wonder if thats the ticket.

[adampaiva]

I haven't used them as my daily commuter bike tire but have used Challenge Paris-Roubaix and Strada Biancas for a fair amount of NYC city riding on several bikes and haven't actually had that bad of luck with flats. The first set I had didn't have any special puncture protection and were pretty fragile and susceptible. The two other newer sets I've used had the puncture protection layer and have been pretty good for me, though like I said I didn't use it on my daily commute bike. If they've upgraded, hopefully even better. I'm guessing the ones you have used and not had good luck with did have some puncture protection layer though? Anyways, no I don't think you'd be a fool for using them as a regular city bike tire.

I would love to use the 36's on my Rick Jones but wonder if they'd fit. I have the 30 mm (I think thats what they are nominally) Strada Bianca and they measure to 33 on SL23's. If I go past 38 mm real measurement I don't think I'll fit. :(

[bigman]

Gravel Kings are supposed to be available in 38's in a week form Excel Sports

[oliver]

I've used the Challenge Paris-Roubaix (with PPS) and Strada Biancas for commuting and general riding and haven't had any problems. I get about 1 flat every 5000 km.

[mhespenheide]

not a baller tire but i have been super happy with these at $25ea
no flats and they feel pretty fast too (35mm)

http://demolitionparts.com/product/nomad-tires-by-resist-parts/

I got excited for a second, but these guys only have the tanwalls in 26x2.25". I haven't been able to find any 700c tanwalls from resist for a while.

[cachagua]

You're better off taping garden hoses to your rims than Challenge tires...

Respectfully disagree. I've got 3 sizes on 3 bikes and love them all. I was all set to recommend the 36s to the OP. Don't know if I'd want them for bad conditions, not necessarily that they'd flat more than something else but because they're pricey, and if I were expecting to shred tires I'd want to shred something cheap...

In fact, I've been hunting for something to put on in their place for winter. I'll follow the links others have posted here, might be some candidates.

[FlashUNC]

Respectfully disagree. I've got 3 sizes on 3 bikes and love them all. I was all set to recommend the 36s to the OP. Don't know if I'd want them for bad conditions, not necessarily that they'd flat more than something else but because they're pricey, and if I were expecting to shred tires I'd want to shred something cheap...

In fact, I've been hunting for something to put on in their place for winter. I'll follow the links others have posted here, might be some candidates.

Gravelkings. They're great.

I used a couple set of Challenge road clinchers and tubulars. All were terrible from a puncture resistance, install, removal and QC perspective. I'm glad you're happy with them, but I've never experienced such a thoroughly awful tire company from nose to tail.

In fairness, this was about 5 years ago when I gave up with their tires, so maybe they've changed their ways.

But they lost me as a customer for good. Id rather walk.

[thwart]

I've put significant miles on:
Challenge Eroica in 30c (260 tpi variant), blackwall
Challenge Strada Biancas in 30c (260 tpi variant), gumwall
Challenge Strada Biancas in 33c (120 tpi variant), blackwall
Rivendell Jack Brown greens (33.333c), gumwall

And most recently...

Compass Barlow Pass in 38c, gumwall, standard, not the extra light (BTW, these just barely fit my Moots PSX)

You should try the Compass tires.

Don't get me wrong, the Challenge tires are fantastic, IMO. Smooth and responsive, and at least in my experience, not overly prone to flats.

But if you can run a 38c tire, then the Barlow Pass are really sweet.

[kingpin75s]

Agree on the 35 or 38 size Compass tires. I currently run 26, 28, 30 (32 actual) and the 38s. All of mine are EL and are great so long as you are not worried about your sidewalls. If so get the standard casing for sure.

That said, I really like the 260tpi Challenge tires better than my Compass tires so long as we are talking the ones without the extra protection strip. Both my old PRs and my preproduction Eroica (pre-Strada Bianca) tires with no strip have been the best performance clincher tires I have ever experienced. Yes they are tough to mount at first and I generally run them in the summer after the spring debris is gone, but they are butter.

[adampaiva]

@thwart can you expound a little further on Challenge SB vs Compass assuming size is equal? My main criteria would be ride quality and durability in terms of trail riding not punctures (i.e. sidewall durability). I'm thinking maybe the ability to set up tubeless is a good reason to go Compass when I replace my current tires. To complicate the decision I can get the Challenge tires for about half the cost of Compass.

Edit - hmm. Interesting Kingpin.

[thwart]

@thwart can you expound a little further on Challenge SB vs Compass assuming size is equal? My main criteria would be ride quality and durability in terms of trail riding not punctures (i.e. sidewall durability). I'm thinking maybe the ability to set up tubeless is a good reason to go Compass when I replace my current tires. To complicate the decision I can get the Challenge tires for about half the cost of Compass.

Edit - hmm. Interesting Kingpin.
But of course, the problem is the size isn't equal... the Compass Barlow Pass measure 37.8 mm on A23's. I don't have enough miles on the Barlow Pass to say much about durability, but the tread section is quite thick. The sidewall, not so much. But that's what makes the ride so supple...

The Challenge SB 33's are great tires, without a doubt the 'best buy' of the tires mentioned above. They measure 34.5 mm on my A23 rims.

[cachagua]

I used a couple set of Challenge road clinchers and tubulars... about 5 years ago...

Ah, there's my mistake. All of mine, I bought within the past year or so.

Gravelkings. They're great.

Very excited about trying the smooth 38Cs. I have a bike incoming that I think won't *quite* take Bon Jons, and I assume the GK 38s to be bigger (BJs being nominally 35C) -- although if anyone has seen 'em and can give me the definitive word that'd be great. This bike is built for medium-reach brakes, I'll be putting TRP calipers on it, and if a nice fat GravelKing fits I'll be nothing but happy.

Until spring, when I put the Strada Bianca 36s back on, and then I'll be freakin' ecstatic.

[ltwtsculler91]

I've been running the 260TPI Strada Biancas in 30c on my cross bike for the last year and they've been fantastic. Got 2100mi out of the first set (probably pushed a few hundred too far) with ZERO flats. Granted this is riding mostly around North Jersey but has included trips into NYC and a decent amount of dirt/gravel as my usual morning has 3ish miles of dirt.

I would think if you're commuting sticking with the cheaper vulcanized may work since they're less expensive but I would think you can't go wrong with these.


Yes mounting them is a bitch, but the ride is worth it IMO

[jruhlen1980]

I bought a set of Strada Bianca 33s clinchers last summer, been using them on my cross bike as road tires. No flats (knock on wood), and they've also held up well on gravel detours.

They're also demonstrably faster on pavement than my gravel tires, and super comfortable.

[2metalhips]

I've been using the Challenge Gravel Grinders 120tpi for a couple of years with Challenge Latex tubes. Thousands of miles. A true 38c. Terrific tires, light, supple, tough. All types of terrain and abuse. Low pressure 35-38 psi.

[Dromen]

not a baller tire but i have been super happy with these at $25ea
no flats and they feel pretty fast too (35mm)

http://demolitionparts.com/product/nomad-tires-by-resist-parts/

Have these on my commuter/errand chicago bike for 3 years - 0 flates

Have the 33mm(blow up to 36) vulcanized strada biancas for my road/pavement wheel on my Route45 - 700mi on chicagoland roads - 0 flats.

[laager]

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[acorn_user]

What about Vittoria Corsa Controls? They come in tanwall, but I don't know what the widest variant is...

[laager]

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[laager]

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