Challenge Strada Bianca Pro Tire Tubular 700x30 260tpi Black Review
Review: Challenge fattens upwardly Strada Bianca every bit wide, supple 40mm gravel-ready slick tire
Following upwards the all-new 40mm Getaway, Challenge has another new high-volume hardpack dirt road & gravel tire in the new Strada Bianca 40. Combining their newest supple handmade tubeless construction and new 40mm width with their classic herringbone route tire tread, the new Strada Bianca is more versatile than ever for all-road riding.
Challenge Strada Bianca 40mm all-road & gravel tire
Stevens Super Prestige westward/ new Strada Bianca twoscore
The Getaway may have been Challenge's first all-new tread design to get named "gravel-specific", but Challenge tires have been ridden on all road surfaces for years – cobblestone, gravel & dirt. Of course, the Strada Bianca itself takes its name from the fast hardpack white gravel roads of Tuscany, made famous by the granfondo that was so pop information technology became a modern professional Bound Classic.
We reviewed the original 260tpi Strada Bianca 30mm with latex tubes over all sorts of hardpack back five years ago, then were happy to see how this classic design has evolved with the times. While the thread count remains the same, these larger-volume tires just feel more comfortable, and faster-rolling…
Dirt & Gravel Road – Tech details
As well adding 1cm of width, the new tire also gets Challenge'due south latest gravel-specific, tubeless structure. While most tubeless gravel tires are all the same manufactured in a loftier-temperature vulcanization process that more often than not means a stiffer (and sometimes tougher) casing, Claiming's Handmade TubeLess Fix (HTLR) tires are built more similar a traditional tubular or open tubular tire, with glues and room temperature coatings to woven casings for the most part.
Using a fine double-ply 260tpi polyester construction with bead-to-dewdrop latex coating increases sidewall durability and retains air. So a flexible, tight-weave Ganzo PPS (Puncture Protection System) liner under the tread limits flats from anything you run over.
The natural rubber Strada Bianca 40 tread is likewise said to exist "gravel-specific" with a higher durometer that claims reduced habiliment, and a SMARTplus limerick that retains grip, low-rolling resistance & shock-absorption all at the same time. Lastly, the tires have a black Chafer protection strip around the folding tubeless-specific aramid bead that protects the tire from abrupt-edged rim bead hooks (these tires are for hooked rims simply), and make it easy to see that they've snapped into identify.
Curiously/interestingly, these 40mm tires are much easier to mount than their narrower HTLR counterparts. It still can perchance require some special tricks. But I mounted these with a single tire lever, no extra straps, and inflated them tubeless with a regular floor pump on the get-go try (to these affordable Hunt four Season Gravel 10-Wide alloy wheels which made things easy.)
Update: Of note, just similar the new Getaway xl that measured a tiny flake larger than the stated 700x40c size, the Strada Bianca 40s measured in at a real 41.2mm broad on these 25mm internal hooked aluminum rims.
The terminate result is a tire that is noticeably softer in your hand and more supple riding on the route or trail than a vulcanized tire at the same pressure. More suppleness ways both more grip over irregular surfaces and more comfort over bumpy terrain.
Strada Bianca 40 – Riding Impressions
Challenge says the Strada Bianca 40 is suited for riding "rough pavement, cobbles, sandy or hardpack fields, to literally floating over the more enduring dry, rocky terrains". That'south a pretty wide range for a tire without any read tread on it. But equally an off-road rider that is happy to drift a chip through the loose stuff, this new 40mm Strada Bianca seems to live upward to that wide label.
With such a big volume I've been maxing out just over the 45psi/3bar upper pressure limit for fast road riding. But since it has been snowy & icy with gravel on fifty-fifty the dry sections of road recently, I've been dropping downwards the absolute low finish of the new tire's 25psi/one.7bar rating to find grip on & off-road. At that low pressure the tire conforms to frozen gravel roads and seems to stick to moisture cobbles. I think when things warm up and dry out, I'll probably become back upward to dissever the difference when you lot feel a bit more support in hard turns.
Much similar the equally wide Getaway which I had been riding more off-road and even bikepacking this winter, I'm finding myself surprised at how versatile& durable these 2 tires are off-route, with very picayune tread. Information technology seems clear that the more supple construction truly offering more real-globe grip for mixed-surface riding.
40mm Challenge Getaway gravel tires
If gravel riding ways more off-route dirt and trails than hardpack, pick the Getaway. If your gravel riding mixes equal parts tarmac, polish (white?) gravel, even sand & cobbles, the Strada Bianca 40 is probably the better bet.
A annotation… I don't take a lot of precipitous gravel that generally tin exist harder on softer sidewalls. It does happen though. Challenge makes big claims virtually testing their gravel tires in the toughest, sharpest flintstone. My riding has been over a lot of tough off-route terrain in truly challenging weather, and these new generation Challenge gravel tires have handled it trouble-gratis. But sidewall cuts tin be unpredictable, so your mileage may vary.
Challenge Strada Bianca 40 – Pricing & availability
The Strada Bianca is at present the one tire with the most choices in the Challenge line-up. While almost tires get one or two size options, yous can become a Strada Bianca in 30mm, 33mm, 36mm, or 40mm to cater to whatever type of all-roads that y'all ride. That'due south probably especially important for road bikes that may have more fork than frame clearance, so you tin mix and match to get the most grip & comfort.
The handmade-in-Thailand tan wall only 700x40mm Strada Bianca xl sells for $86 / 78€ a piece, with a claimed weight of 460g. Our test tires came in at 450 & 455g, which is once again about 5g lighter than the more than knobby Getaway. The new 40mm slick all-route & gravel tires are available now direct from Challenge, and from retailers effectually the globe.
ChallengeTires.com
Source: https://bikerumor.com/review-challenge-fattens-up-strada-bianca-as-wide-supple-40mm-gravel-ready-slick-tire/
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