Challenge Grifo tubular tyre

The most widely used cyclocross tyre in competitive racing – absolute top quality.

Cyclocross world champion for many years running, ideally suited for professionals and riders who love riding in extreme conditions. Incredible grip and no compromises when it comes to rolling resistance – that’s what sets the Challenge Grifo Pro Open apart. Equipped with a 300 TPI polyester carcass and Puncture Protection Strip, an additional layer of high-strength fabric between the carcass and the tyre to reduce the risk of punctures.

Tubular tyres:

The tyres of the pros, offering clear advantages in terms of weight, puncture protection and excellent run-flat performance. The inner tube is integrated into the tyre; the tyre itself is completely sealed, either stitched or glued. The tubular tyres themselves are glued to the rims. This is why tubular rims do not have a rim flange to hold the tyre in place. This prevents punctures and also allows for significantly lighter rims. The downside is fitting the tubular tyres. Gluing them with tubular tyre adhesive takes a lot of time and experience to ensure the tyre runs true. We recommend Tufo tubular tyre tape. This adheres almost as well as tubular tyre adhesive and fitting is relatively straightforward.

Challenge Grifo Tyre Technology:

• Road bike tyre 33 mm x 622, foldable
• Casing: Super Poly 300 TPI
• Handmade in Italy
• For 20–28 mm rim width
• Latex inner tube
• Tyre pressure: 2–5 bar
• Weight 415 grams

Challenge handmade tubular tyres:

An art in itself. Exclusively manufactured in Italy. The manufacturing process differs completely from that of a standard bicycle tyre. Each individual handmade tubular requires many stages of meticulous handcrafting. Only the most experienced staff are employed to assemble the individual components using a wide variety of assembly, gluing and sewing techniques.

Per handmade tubular with Superpoly carcass

• Handmade tyres combine a multitude of outstanding features to offer maximum comfort and minimal rolling resistance. Carefully selected materials are used in the various tyre grades depending on performance requirements for specific applications. Soft, supple casings quickly adapt to the shape of the ground when rolling and cornering. This increases ground contact and grip and improves shock absorption on poor road surfaces. Soft, natural rubber treads are combined with lightweight, flexible puncture protection.
• Polyester is the most cost-effective of all hand-built casings. It is a synthetic fabric that is very strong and waterproof, offering significantly greater flexibility and durability than comparable nylon materials. Challenge uses high-quality polyester or SuperPoly, a polyester with a higher TPI rating, to produce cost-effective pro-level tyres.

Latex tube

• Latex inner tubes are strong, lightweight and extremely flexible. They absorb shocks and significantly reduce rolling resistance by adapting perfectly to obstacles.

Handcrafted natural rubber – Smart hardness

• Challenge’s hand-crafted natural rubber treads are formulated to offer the perfect balance of durability without compromising performance, comfort and control. Although Challenge tyres wear out 10–20 per cent faster than the competition’s, they score highly with significantly improved performance and a noticeably better riding experience throughout their entire lifespan. Depending on requirements, the tyres are fitted with rubber compounds of varying softness.

• The Smart hardness grade is the version of Challenge’s natural rubber compounds optimised for long-lasting performance.

Puncture Protection System, PPS

• The PPS (Puncture Protection System) consists of one or more layers of fabric between the tread and the tyre carcass. PPS significantly increases the tyre’s resistance to punctures, thereby offering maximum reliability.

Herstellerinformation: Challenge, Via Gattamela 41, 20149 Milan, Italy, https://www.challengetires.com