
I have these tubes paired with Challenge Grifo open tubulars and they are a great combo. I'm 195 lbs and run these at 30 PSI front and rear for cyclocross.
I can feel the difference in ride quality between these and butyl tubes. It takes some getting used to as more compliance can almost feel like your tire is going flat. But once you get used to running lower pressures and letting the tires do their job everything really hooks up.
After reading a few reviews, I was still very skeptical about these tubes. They cost 2-3 times more than regular tubes and some have said that they don't hold air that well. Here are my thoughts:
- I liked the way they feel. Very supple, and they seemed to hug the contours of my wheel when installing them (better than butyl tubes do)
- After pumping them up to 60 psi, I found that they lost 20 psi overnight. It's no big deal. I always pump my tires to my regular pressure, 100 psi, before every long ride
- At the beginning of the ride, my wheels felt somewhat heavier than usual. It may just be something that I imagined
- An hour into the ride, I felt like the wheels were at higher pressure. I know this happens, but I almost never notice it. But this time it did feel like I had a stiffer ride. I liked it!
I'm still not quite sure if these observations are more in my head than quantifiable differences. Mainly I wanted to rebuke the claim that these tubes are more prone to problems when installing them. There's also a feeling of quality in these tubes, from the packaging, talc, unusual color and clear cap.