ChallengeStrada PRO TLR 700c Tire(Return to Product Page)

Got these because I didn't want to shell out 120$+ for gp5000s (the best road tire imo).

Compared to the gp5ks, the challenge Strada pro TLRs:

-Mount much easier

-Lose air rapidly (flat after a few days, needed to keep adding sealant every other week or so to get them to confidently hold air for a day of riding. I do ride 2 bikes though, so perhaps riding them more frequently would keep the sealant more distributed and thus keep the tire better sealed)

-Are true to their sizing (gps always end up being another 1-2mm bigger than advertised).

-Grip great, but I have yet to ride anything close to the the grip of the gp5ks- next level confidence. These are top notch, though. Zero issues/worries on corners and/or fast descents.

-puncture resistance is the same. I live in a city, so glass is common along with punctures that no tire could withstand.

-weird note, these leak some odd liquid after adding sealant. It's not sealant, but it's not water either. No clue what's up with that. Unsure of any effects from it (maybe contributing to my need to add more sealant).

I'd pick gp5ks over these any day if priced similarly, but for 70ish a pop, these are just fine if you can deal with the quirks. The ease of mounting is pretty big though. Those gp5ks have put me in dark places mentally several times.

1st off, bike tires should not cost as much as an automotive tire. HA. Im 160lbs, 90psi, ZIpp NSW 303s with orange sealant - re-up every 60-90 days, rotate tires around the 1500mile mark and clean any heavy dried up clumps. Ive used the 27s and 25c version of these, on my 2nd set of 25s - 25c size is faster, change my mind! Around the 3K mileage , tire starts to lose that fast feel, splitting hairs there, its still fast. Yeah, the tires are initially tough to get on, maybe get your girlfriend to help with it. HA. All that said, if you want actual tangible results - buy speed - this is the tire.

The key to mounting these tires? Challenge tire mounting tool and two Schwalbe tire levers! Trust me, you need them. After finally mounting and filling with Finish Line sealant the best on the market in my opinion) One tire held air perfectly, the rear tire lost air in 15 minutes. The sealant leaks out of the sidewall. Added 4 more onces of sealant, still, the tire goes down to about 30 lbs. in 30 minutes. The front tire stays hard for weeks...

I bought the wonderful Conti 5000 tr's, super hard to mount also, but they HOLD AIR for months! Get the Schwalbe tire levers with the rim clip! You'll thank me...

The experience of mounting these tires is absolutely horrible. They are nearly impossible to mount. Once you finally do get them mounted, they ride absolutely beautifully. They feel better than any other tubeless tire out there. Great, right? No. The true awfulness of these tires is just beginning: They require the Challenge or Panaracer tubeless sealant. "Normal" stuff like Orange Seal or Stans will not seal punctures in these tires. The problem with the Challenge and Panaracer sealants is that they dry out and turn to gum within just a few weeks, meaning you need to add more constantly. If you don't, they stop holding air. As you add sealant that ultimately dries, the ride quality decreases and soon they feel like you have concrete in them. If you take them off to try to clean out the dried sealant, they go back on easily. Great, right? No. Once they are stretched, they stop holding air no matter how much sealant you add. I've purchased five of the 27c and three of the 30c versions of these tires and experienced this with all but two of the eight tires. The two outliers are still in their boxes in the garage. If I decide I want to ruin cycling for a while and brush up on my profanity, I'll mount the last two.

Once mounted, and yes, they're a real "B" to mount. After studying various Youtube video's, one guy said

use the Challenge tire mounting tool together with two Schwalbe tire levers, the blue levers with the clip to attach to the rim. IT WORKED!!! I even mounted the Conti 5000's which are also tough to mount on another bike! Also, soap the rim and inside of the tire to help mount the tire! That helped tremendously! I inflated them with a tubeless ready pump. You'll need 180 psi to inflate these sob's!

I dig that these are pretty, and Euro, but I should have heeded the other reviews, it would appear. I too couldn't come close to getting even one bead of this tire onto my wheels. 10" of tire-to-go was as close as I could get, using every trick and bit of force I know of. Including using a tire jack. It seems like they're 15% too small for a standard 700C

I rode another pair of Challenge 32's throughout last season - no complaints, though they were difficult to mount initially.

Though I had read some of the reviews on the difficulty to mount these tires, given that in the past I worked professionally as both a Motocross Team Mechanic and later as a bicycle mechanic, I dismissed this info as I've had a lot of experience with tires that are reluctant to mount. However, I'm the fool here as I found these tires to be totally unworkable with my desired rims. The Hunt rims in question have never posed a problem with other tires (Conti/Schwalbe/Vittoria) and all but the Vittoria's mounted by hand. My rims are hookless Alloy and 35mm depth. After an hour and exhausting all the tricks I know, the last 6 inches were impossible to clear the rim even with two levers. Note that these come flat without any curvature which adds a bit to the problem. Giving up, it took me another 45 minutes to get the tire off the rim. They are that tight. So be warned. It may be that your rims will not pose such a problem and I can only speak for the rims I tried. I've had Challenge tubulars before and they are excellent riding but I had no chance to try these. I think that Bike Tires Direct should note this in their "Mechanics Corner" tab.

Seriously awesome tires.

After 3000 mi I can confidently say these are among the best tires I have used. I have tried just about every brand out there and the road feel of these is beyond anything else. I am running the 27mm version tubeless. They are difficult to mount and required 2 levers but such is the case with many tubeless tires. Mounting was about on par with conti.

I also raced these tires on quite long rough gravel sections and abyssmal pavement at an unforgiving pace and they held up flawlessly. I have many long technical descents where I live and they have loads of cornering stability and grip and performed well in the wet, although I'll admit this is an area I am not fond of testing where the limits are.

Overall I can confidently say they are worth a shot if you are on the fence about these. I bought 3 pairs as backup and don't plan on switching any time soon. Plus the tan walls look badass on my bike.

I changed from Finish Line sealant to Challenge's sealant. Tires now hold air for 4-5 days and no leaking!

Try it with Challenge tlr tires!

I log big miles on these tires, 25mm wide, with tubeless setup on Bontrager Aeolus Elite 35 carbon rims. I have the shop mount the tires so I don't know if the tire is easy to mount or not. I am 6-2 and 200 lbs and I ride 25-30 psi lower pressures than with tubes with no loss in rolling resistance/quickness. Lovely supple ride. I've had one puncture in approx 800 miles and the sealant plugged it almost instantaneously. I love these tires.

They are somewhat smaller in diameter than other 25mm tires but they ride like old school tubulars. They are very subtle and fast on good pavement. They are extremely difficult to mount, but it's possible with the new tech tire irons that recently came out. Leaving them out in the sun to get hot also helps a good deal.

They are somewhat smaller in diameter than other 25mm tires but they ride like old school tubulars. They are very subtle and fast on good pavement. They are extremely difficult to mount, but it's possible with the new tech tire irons that recently came out. Leaving them out in the sun to get hot also helps a good deal.

They are somewhat smaller in diameter than other 25mm tires but they ride like old school tubulars. They are very subtle and fast on good pavement. They are extremely difficult to mount, but it's possible with the new tech tire irons that recently came out. Leaving them out in the sun to get hot also helps a good deal.

Very dependable tire, not the fastest on the road but fantastic grip, excellent durability thus far, and very very stylish. Mounting was an absolute hassle, but no issue once they were on. I do re-inflate them before every ride, they drop from 60psi to 50psi over 24 hours. They handle rough roads really well in the 30mm option.

Excellent grip on dry pavement...horrible on wet roads..

Yeah they are a bear to mount but once they are on what a nice smooth ride

though to get on the rim but great tires. no problems so far.

These (30c) fit my zipp 303s great. Supple ride, dry road grippy, and pretty durable. Thought I found my all around favorite tires. Went down this morning cornering on a wet road. Jammed shoulder and missing some skin. Scary! Now looking for tires with better wet road grip.

I love these tires. Reasonably priced relative to a GP5k or Vittoria, what it lacks in outright rolling resistance, it more than makes up for in puncture protection, ride feel, and longevity of the tread. So, if you're looking for a dependable tire you can race on the weekend and train throughout the week without worry, these are them.

I've been using 30mm Schwalbe Pro v-1 TLE for two years before trying these for three months. These (also 30mm) tires are better in most ways; faster, more supple, & it already seems clear they will prove to be more durable. They were significantly more difficult to pry onto the rim & they do loose a little air between rides every other day but at least they don't bleed sealant from the sidewalks like the Pro V's. These look fantastic in the tan side walls, really like this tire!

This may be a fine road racing tire, or used only on clean tarmac, but it does not hold up as well as other tires in its class, such as the Continental GP 5000 TR tire, which is a great race tire, but also has excellent puncture resistance.