TufoS3 Lite Tubular Tire(Return to Product Page)

I guess if you are riding tubulars you are only after performance, and by that measure this is not the best tubular. But, if you're like me and you ride a 12lb bike every time you go out, whether it's to the shop or for a training ride, then you are riding tubulars and you want a tire that will deal with road hazards as well as give a satisfying ride. This is it. It's light, well made and rides well. It does have short comings and is not responsive in the way that full-on racing tubs are, but it's good enough to go down mountains at over 50mph without worry. Filled with a little latex sealant it survives anything but a slice or wide cut. No worries with goat heads, the bane of cyclists in the southwest.

I've been riding this model for 4 years now and have stuck with it.

These tires are used for racing and training. What they are are light! Of course being light you are going to sacrifice some things. I've spent 20 years on Conti Comps and Vittoria Corsas and the S3 Lite Tufos are not nearly as sure footed at either of those tires. (By sure footed I mean the kind of tire that you have confidence in ripping into and out of a corner in a Crit. or just insanely attacking a downhill section.) But I don't think they are meant to be. If you are not aggressive in the turns and do a good gluing job, I don't see any reason why these tires would give anyone a problem. Additionally, the Tufos are 21.5 mm diameter tires while the Contis are 23 and the Vittorias are 22.5. Riding the latter two are more comfortable but I actually feel a bit disconnected to the road. So, Tufos upside handle well but not spectacularly, good road feel and light which for me make them a great climbing tire. Tufos downside less comfortable, less confidence in aggressive ridingdescending (which may cancel the gains on the uphill sections). Finally, insofar as durability, after riding them for a year on a number of different wheel sets, they have held up just as well as the beefier Contis and Vittorias but, to be honest, I have never been terribly hard on tires.