TUFO Tires??

[Scott]

:confused: Anyone used Tufos? They seem to promise the world... run flat, easy install, supple ride, high pressure, great feel, etc... but I can't find anyone who has actually tried them. I'd either put them on my K's or 404's.

Thanks.

[PBWrench]

I've got TUFO jet elite 160 gram tubies on a set of Nimble Fly wheels. Ultralight, soft and supple, and with about 600 miles on the set so far, more durable than I anticipated at this very light weight tire. I've no experience with their unique clinchers.

[Too Tall]

Tubs or Clinchers?

[Scott]

Clinchers.

[dave.delano]

:banana: :banana: :banana:

I have the clincher TUFOS on my race wheels (Zipp 303 front, 404 rear) and have been really happy with them. The new ones (out of the box) are tough to install the first time, but once they are stretched, easy to re-install. NO TIRE LEVERS REQUIRED! I have had 160psi in these guys and they roll like crazy. Have used them at Ironman Lake Placid and they made me FEEL fast. I have four more triathlons left in this season (all sprints or olympics) so I'll be able to make some speed comparisions to last year.

The only other drawback is that the spare is rather bulky...but that is offset by not needing tools.

[Too Tall]

OK. No experiance with the clinchers, sorry.

[Bob H]

I use the tubular version of this tire and I no longer carry a spare - just an extra tube of sealant. You put some in the tire as a preventative and can add more in the event of a flat if necessary. If I get a tear, then I'll just have to go to Plan B - trying to explain to my wife where I am via cell phone. I don't want to tempt fate with the flat tire gods, but (whispering)... so far so good after two years and about 4,000 miles. Of course, I fully expect to flat on this afternoons ride...

I had to replace the rear tire for wear at about 3K miles and tried sticking the tire with a small nail to test this stuff out. It took a few seconds of sputtering, but sealed up. I refreshed the sealant, punctured it again, and this time it sealed up almost instantly. Based on this, I would recommend adding a half tube of fresh sealant yearly.

Bob

[PBWrench]

Bob H. - Which Tubie are you riding? 3K is very impressive.

[Too Tall]

Bob, I have not worn one out yet but I did "test" the limts on one of their Elite road tubs. I whacked a sharp pothole and the tire cut on the surface facing the rim. What a mess and it darn near sealed enough to get me home. After I got the tire off was amazed to see that the cut was about 1/2 inch! Dang.

[Bob H]

$59.99 at Glory Cycles (www.glorycycles.com). I run about 115 PSI, but you can go much higher if you have good fillings in your teeth. I also have the red color, which I'm sure makes a big performance difference.

[Bob H]

...but a half inch is pretty surprising. The cut might have been worse with another tire as well, as the thread count is so high on these. I was skeptical at first (carried a spare for a year), but I'm pretty impressed so far.

Surprisingly, the Elites don't seem to roll as fast as other tires - even at high pressures. But they corner and wear well, so no complaints overall.

[Too Tall]

Tanks :)

[Marco]

Does pumping the tire so full of the sealent change the ride charecteristics? The thought of riding without a spare sounds sublime.

[Too Tall]

Riding with sealant...I can't tell. It's only a tiny bit of weight and it's evenly spread so there is nothing to note.

[Bob H]

Does pumping the tire so full of the sealent change the ride charecteristics?

Same here Marco... we're only talking about less than one ounce of fluid coating on the inner tire surface.

I carried a spare tire for a while until I got some confidence with these, but now I just carry their 1 ounce tube of sealant and a tiny tool that Tufo sells to remove the valve core. You don't even have to install the sealant beforehand, but part of the beauty of this is the fact that you can puncture (a small one at least) and it will seal without losing any significant amount of pressure. My LBS told me that the only indication that you will generally have that it sealed something is a bit of latex spray on the fork or rear brake caliper from the one or two tire revolutions before it seals (it comes right off). It's one of those rare things that sound too good to be true, but actually seems to work.

There is a video on their web site showing how to install the sealant that you can check out too, at http://www.tufo.com/index.php?lg=en&co=instrukce#Instr7

[Marco]

I am going to try this but it wouldn't hurt to have your phone numbers if I need the dreaded field rescue :)

[Bob H]

Marco who???

[Too Tall]

Marconi - Jest fer the record I don't carry sealant but do ride with it in the tire and always carry a spare tub. The "inner randonneur" won't let me do otherwise.