The new Challenge Gravel Grinder TLR is their first tubeless ready tire, but there’s plenty more to come. It uses a similar tread pattern as the Chicane, but wider. It’ll be offered in 700×38 (355g) and 700×42 (425g) at first, followed by 700×33 and 700×46. Shipping in three weeks, should be available early June.
They’ll get the 120tpi nylon casing, so they’ll be quite supple. For smoother dirt roads, the Strada Bianca will be next to get the TLR treatment in 700×36 and 650×46. While we think tubeless is the way to go on these, they will offer limited sizes of both models in their cotton casing handmade tubulars and open clinchers also.
All of the vulcanized (meaning, standard clincher and not the handmade open tubular clincher) cyclocross clincher tires are in testing and should be available tubeless for this coming season. Basically, they revised their molds to make a tubeless bead, and they had to thicken the sidewalks to make them airtight. Look for Grifo, Limus and Chicane in 700×33, and a new Baby Limus in 650×33.
