Challenge Criterium - current thinking

[rustychisel]

Open to all, please comment. What's the current thinking on Challenge Criterium tyres? Good? Average? Death Traps?

LBS sold me one cheap when they had no stock of Veloflex not easy to install, looks decidedly flat rather than domed profile, and it seems their reputation from some years ago was hardly stellar.

Give me what you got.

[AngryScientist]

Challenge makes some pretty good riding tires, though their track record for reliability is crap, generally speaking.

That said, the newest line-up of tubeless ready gravel tires like the Almanzo and Gravel Grinder are pretty good, trouble free tires, at least from my experience.

when it comes to pure road tires like the criterium - there are just so many other really good choices out there that challenge for me is not worth looking at.

but hey, if you got one, run it. run it on the back, it's safer back there.

[rustychisel]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

but hey, if you got one, run it. run it on the back, it's safer back there.

thanks Angry. It's on the front of the fixed gear bike. Somewhere I can keep a close eye on it.

[FlashUNC]

I would rather walk than ride Challenge tires.

I strongly suggest throwing it in the garbage.

[pcb]

I'm a firm believer in YMMV when it comes to a lot of things, including tires. One rider's "total flat magnets" may be another's "always get 2,000mi before they wear out, hardly ever flat." That said, unhappiness with Challenge tires seems particularly strong.

I rode wider Parigi-Roubaix and Strada Bianca for a while, and didn't find them to be particulalarly flat-prone. But as I moved towards modern, wider rims, especially rims that are tubeless-ready, the open-tubular design Challenge tires became insanely difficult to mount, especially when new. So I gave up on 'em and went back to vulcanized tires.

Those mounting headaches weren't limited to Challenge, same thing for me with other open-tubular designs, like Vittoria and Veloflex.

Back then Challenge did have some QC problems, most commonly the glued-on tread lifting from the casing along the edges. Turns out that was finger oil contamination during production, and they claim to have sorted that out.

I guess I felt the need for more pain in my life, because I recently got a pair of Challenge Strada Bianca Pro in 36mm, and body howdy did I immediately regret it as soon as I tried to mount them. They look absolutely beautiful, they're still inflated so I probably didn't pinch the tube, always an issue with these. But I haven't ridden them yet.

I also got a pair of Vittoria Corsa Control G+ in 30mm, also open tubular, which weren't quite as nasty to install as the Challenge, but still a major pain. Rode 'em a little, took 'em off, just put 'em on another bike yesterday, just now checked it, and the front tire is flat. Sheesh.

And, FWIW, if you check testing on bicyclerollingresistance.com, there are no Challenge road tires to be seen. The open-tubular Vittoria Corsa Speed G+ 2.0 is the fasted rated tire, but then there's a whole bunch of standard tires faster than the the Corsa G+.

I'd vote for something less complex on the front wheel of a fixed gear.