Great tubular road tire! Mounts straight and easy using Tubasti Rim Cement. Very durable, tubeless and almost bullet-proof when 1 or 2oz. of Orange Seal is added at installation. I have had punctures several times that seal completely in about 3 revolutions of the tire.... without any need to stop and add air even! I have been using them for about 4 years and to date I have not had to change a flat tire on the road... I do run them at max pressure though, 175psi for the 21mm and 115psi for the 24mm.
I ride about 200 milesweek and usually get about 3000 miles out of a tire before the cord starts to show. I am generally gentle on the brakes, but have noticed if you skid these tires (especially on concrete), you will lose a lot of rubber and wear them down to the cord fast. Also, once you see the cord showing, change them to a new tire... At that point Orange Seal sealant will not help you.
The only other downsides to these tires is they are a little heavier and stiffer ride than a true race tubular tire, but I'll take that trade-off for durability a training tire!
I was needing some decent tubulars at a reasonable price (isn't everyone) for my fixie. Direct Tire had these Tufos on sale, so what the heck, I'll try them. I have ridden them for several months and so far they are great.
To be more specific, I am 150 lbs and ride on relatively smooth pavement with fix gear bikes at 130 psi. I ride on fairly dry surfaces.and am not a skidder. Rolling resistance feels less than my Sprinter 250's. The center rib on these 21s might just might make the difference. The tires were easy to mount and hold their inflation.
My use is specific but, in either case, when due, I will be installing Tufos on my other fix gear bikes.
This is a solid training tire that wears well. I have these on both Aluminum and carbon wheels and have noticed that the stiffer the wheel the more harsher the ride. Harsh is not the best term but they are not like a premium sew-up that has a latex tube where it feels like you are floating on a cloud. The ride stiffness is many due to the fact that this tire does not have a tube yet a thicker casing. On Aluminum the ride is smoother than clinchers. Both of my wheels are 23mm wide so I'm using the 2425mm tires. They provide a very nice profile. The tire are easy to mount after a night of stretching. Basically I mount a new tire on a rim and inflate it to 100psi then deflate the next day, then tape the wheel and remount the tire straighten and fully inflate let it sit a day then ride.
Reasons to like Tufo tires? Grip, Durability & price. You take one of those away & you are left with a tire that really hasnt much in the way of a Supple, no reason to keep buying the model. The Jet Special was a very durable, cost effective tire. Bring it back!!!!
I have the good fortune of riding pretty favorable pavement, here in the Portland area. I havent had one of these tires last more than 100 miles on the rear wheel. One even gave up around the stem area.
Im forced to switch brands in the search for durability the best price. Again... Jet Special!
I have been running setups forever. Have tried virtually every brand and price point. These are durable. Have had only one on-the-road flat in five years of using them. They go on straight. Are not as supple as more pricey tires but they give a great bang for the buck. They have become my go-to tires.
The tire offers good durability and substantial value on sale. I use them fall- winter- early spring. Good mileage dependable casing. These tires are more comfortable in hot weather a should be given a chance as they perform with less harshness then 20 to 50 degree temps that I use them for.
I run them a little light on air to soften the stiffness of this tire and switch to the 24mm on really cold days or bad roads. I also use my softer wheels with these tires.
The price on the tufos made them a can't complain purchase. I glued them on to some older, but still really nice, straight spoke dura-ace carbon wheels using the 3 day method. Be carefull grabbing your rear calipers, if you slide it on concrete the compound will show threads quickly! I took them out to a super slick lowes parking lot to lean 'em hard on the glue before riding out on them. They feel great under load! I strongly recommend 150psi minimum. I ran mine up a little higher. fun to ride on and a cinch to install after a carefull stretch. They will not work with all brands of valve extenders!
I just got these and only have a few hundred miles on the tires, but they ride great. I have not inflated them to the full 175 lbs, and I'm not sure I ever will. Great Price!
Tufo tubular clinchers sit on a class of its own. If you haven't tried them, you will either love them or hate them...
Installation is a challenge for the first timers, but once you get it, it's in fact much better and easier than a regular tire.
This is entry level Tufo T-C and I have had a couple and have had the most expensive ones as well. As for puncture resistance, I could never tell the difference and all in all nowadays I go with this cheaper one for training.
I use these tires on my 1979 Trek 930. Great value because they are flat resistant as well as extremely nimble. The ride is second to none. Added bonus is using the Tufo Tire Sealant after small punctures.
What is the most catastrophic failure you can have with a bike tire while motoring along at full pace? You can have the valve blow out of the casing and send you skidding along metal to pavement in a split second. As unbelievable as that sounds, it happened to me on a brand new S33Pro (less than 100 miles). One might reasonably believe that youve got to strike something pretty big or pretty hard to cause the valve to completely separate from the tube and casing, but youd be wrong. There was no indication of compromise to the tread or sidewalls and the pavement surface was clean and free of debris.
Explanation? Its anyones guess but it does bring into question material quality and workmanship.
That said, Im buying a replacement and a spare. Dont take this as an endorsement, I simply think these tires are good value and the half dozen Ive ridden and worn out serviced me well.
The treadwear is also a bit disappointing, alas, thats the tradeoff for grippiness.
I purchased 2 and installed one on my rear wheel to replace the worn out continental sprinter.
it has flat spots and a bump at the valve. out of round and i am having a tough time getting the wheel so I dont feel it on smooth pavement
I usually train on clincher tires so didn't ride on these tubs very often. My second training ride less than 200 miles, got flat ( 2mm cut), stans and vittoria pit stop didn't fix it. The other one same exact situation in less than 500 miles. Tires looked new when I trashed them. Seems like one small hole or cut opens up and leads to a larger cut parallel to the thread lines which can't be sealed by sealants. Result is flats anyways. So disappointing. Ride quality, weight and grip are not bad but these tires didn't last for me. Such a waste of money. Consider stan, pit stop and Co2 used and ended up calling for pick up. One word unreliable.
All top 10 finishes in races this year on this tire with 6 wins, 4th place in Connecticut TT Championships and 2nd place in New England TT Championships. No use telling me the tire don't perform. I've been getting good mileage out of these tires. Note I think the CS33 Pro is comparable for clincher rims.
Only have about 500 miles on them so far but I love the ride. Tubulars are definitely smoother and more durable. They don't seem to have much wear on them yet, wouldn't expect them to this early in their life but I would definitely recommend these to anyone that rides Tubeless. And, to those of you who don't give them a try. At the price it's a great introduction to Tubulars.
Sorry to hear about your issues with the tire! Many customers have had great luck with the S33 Pro, however manufacturing defects can and do happen on occasion with any line of tires. If you would like assistance in fining a solution to your tire issue, whether it be a replacement or otherwise, please give us a call or email and we will get you sorted!
Derek