You'll never guess what this Challenge Strada Bianca tyre is designed for. The Strade Bianche race uses the white gravel roads of Tuscany and this 30mm racing tyre is just what you need for that kind of thing. It's a brilliant all-rounder that's fast enough for nearly any road use, but with hugely improved comfort.
You'll need a particular kind of frame to fit the Strada Bianca. Most endurance road bikes top out at 28mm tyres so you're really looking at gravel racers, 'cross bikes and their ilk. Ours went on our on-test Kinesis Tripster ATR which will handle tyres up to 40mm, so there was plenty of room.
Like all Challenge tyres they're lovingly made by hand. These tyres use a slightly lower thread count (260TPI) than the 300TPI racing tubulars but it's still high-quality stuff; most road tyres are 60-120TPI. The herringbone tread is hand-glued to the carcass and the whole thing arrives flat-packed.
Getting them on the rim for the first time is a fairly sweary experience as they're not tyre-shaped like a moulded machine-made tyre. I managed to blow out a tube by not getting them seated properly. The longer they're fitted for, the more shape they get.
Out on the road they're fantastic. You can run them at hitherto-untried low pressures with little or no danger of flatting them on the potholes. I'm over 100kg and I was running them at 70-80psi a lot of the time. They roll extremely well and at 358g they're not heavyweights. It's not like sticking a set of Marathons on. These feel like race tyres, they really do, except loads more comfortable. If you want comfort on long rides but still want to go fairly fast, there are not many better tyres I can name.
Grip from the herringbone tread is good, especially on loose climbs where the suppleness of the casing and the extra width means there's more rubber in contact with the ground at any one time.
I've also tested Challenge's Paris-Roubaix tyre, which was decent but suffered from punctures. This Strada Bianca has a beefed-up puncture strip and I haven't flatted them once. Running at a lower pressure tends to result in fewer flats from thorns and flints penetrating the tyre carcass anyway, and you can go pretty low with these. That and the extra protection make these a much better all-round choice than the narrower Paris-Roubaix rubber, if your frame will take them.
They're about 90g heavier per wheel but it's a weight penalty worth paying. They don't have the all-out protection of a full winter tyre but they're hardy enough for more than the summer. They're certainly not cheap at £48 a pop, but that's the only downside, really.
Verdict
Big, comfy all-conditions tyre that rolls like race rubber.
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Challenge Strada Bianca 700x30c tyre
Size tested: Black
Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
Designed for Gravel racing. Proven Paris-Roubaix tread pattern. New formula, lower wearing tread. PPS-2 double puncture protection strip. Low rolling resistance with increased casing volume, achieving a new level of control, puncture resistance and comfort.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Use: Road & gravel racing / touring
Size: 28"
Width: 30 mm
Weight: 390 gr
TPI: 260
Bead: –
Casing: SuperPoly
Flat
protection: Double PPS
BAR: 4-10
PSI: 60-150
Inner tube: latex
Color: Black-Tan
Lovingly hand-made.
They're just great. Comfy and fast.
Wearing pretty well, good puncture resistance.
For a big tyre, very light.
About as comfy as a slick tyre gets.
They're not cheap but they're decent value for the performance.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Excellently.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Feel, weight, speed.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Hard to intially fit.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.
Would you consider buying the product? Yes.
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.
About the tester
Age: 41 Height: 190cm Weight: 102kg
I usually ride: whatever I'm testing… My best bike is: Genesis Equilibrium 853
I've been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Experienced
I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track
16 thoughts on “Challenge Strada Bianca 700C 30mm tyres”
I use schwalbe marathon plus
I use schwalbe marathon plus 32 mm on my Boardman. I like the comfort and haven’t found them to be drag on my speed. I use them because I don’t want to have punctures. In several thousand miles on various MP tyres
I haven’t had one puncture.
Once I have worn down these and my pair of 28mm then I might consider trying these, by then there will be plenty of reviews to their longevity and puncture resistance.
I too use schwalbe marathon
I too use schwalbe marathon plus 32 mm on my Boardman Hybrid and they are SLOW. My friend freewheel’s past me on his Carrera TDF when going down hills and I can’t keep up. That said they are very tough tires and are great for commuting. No punctures yet.
I really like the idea of fat race tyres like the Strada Bianca, but at £48 each the price is too high for me.
These look great, but £48 an
These look great, but £48 an end is pretty punchy.
A group-test of big-ish tyres would be a Very Useful Thing.
BigDummy wrote:These look
True, but that is just the RRP. The similar Eroica (30mm) has the same RRP but can be had for under £ 40, as can the Parigi-Roubaix (27mm). Still not cheap mind, even Open Paves can be had for 70 quid or so a pair.
I’d love to see that too – any chance gents ?
the latest Challenge Paris
the latest Challenge Paris Roubaix tyre has the same double PPS as this one and is now 300tpi, so probably a better allrounder for UK roads as it is also 70g lighter per tyre.
Metjas wrote:the latest
the paris-roubaix tyre certainly doesn’t have the same PPS as the strada bianca, as i received both at the same time and currently have them fitted to different bikes.
Dave Atkinson wrote:Metjas
that’s interesting – my understanding and the details on the Challenge website indicate that for 2014 the Paris Roubaix tyre has been upgraded to the same double puncture protection layer that the Strada Bianca has, and now also 300tpi. I know paligap is trying to shift the previous 260tpi, single PPS tyres first – any chance you got one of these instead?
Metjas wrote:Dave Atkinson
that’s interesting – my understanding and the details on the Challenge website indicate that for 2014 the Paris Roubaix tyre has been upgraded to the same double puncture protection layer that the Strada Bianca has, and now also 300tpi. I know paligap is trying to shift the previous 260tpi, single PPS tyres first – any chance you got one of these instead?— Metjas
maybe, although that wouldn’t be the greatest idea on their part 😉
A power to speed comparison
A power to speed comparison test is what I would like to see between the widths please.
Flying Scot wrote:A power to
Here is some information.
http://www.schwalbetires.com/tech_info/rolling_resistance#which
Google will find more.
http://www.slowtwitch.com/Pro
http://www.slowtwitch.com/Products/Things_that_Roll/Tires/28mm_Tire_Shootout_4059.html
BBB
+1. That was the article that first got me interested in the Michelin Pro4s (and introduced me to Serfas, never heard of them before). Still be nice to have a big ol’test with some of the more current/readily available fat tyres.
Mine are on. It was a sweary
Mine are on. It was a sweary experience. Hopefully they’ll take shape now. Test ride tomorrow. Hope they roll well and are resistant. Really don’t fancy roadside repairs!
So, with archetypes and
So, with archetypes and 28-35c tyres they don’t work. Impossible to seat properly and squirmy when cornering. Double blowout on way home so back to randonneur pro
Should read 28-35c tubes!
Should read 28-35c tubes! Apparently, in the link above, they used 25c tubes
On the strength of this
On the strength of this review I bought a pair. I too blew up an inner tube ! The trick is patience. First get one bead over the rim I needed two levers ! Next insert valve of inner tube into rim, inch by inch, using a plastic tyre lever, poke in the inner tube, avoiding twisting, alternating from either side of valve. Lever on the other bead (easily said!), watching that inner tube is not caught between rim and bead. If you have a track pump, use two strokes, adjust bead as required, Deflate, final adjust ment, inflate! On the road, cycle heaven! Rolldown speed ( 6 bar) comparable to the 25 mm Continental GP4000 S ( 7 bar) but the ride comfort on my aluminium forked Pinnacle Neon 3 is transformed. However the tyres although bought as a pair are different, (didn’t spot until too late) one has label as per the review photograph, recommended pressure 4 to 8 bar, the other says “Pro series”, 2 × PPS, 260 tpi, and 6 to 10 bar and weighs 30 grammes more than the other! I wonder if the review tyre was 2 x PPS but with old label? Either way I adore this tyre!
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