I've been lurking on the list for some time; this is my first post. (Hope it works.)
The cause of my "delurking" is my surprise at the negative reaction to Challenge tubulars. I will admit that they are not up to the standard of the old Hutchinsons, Del Mundos, Paris-Roubaixs, etc., but they certainly seem to me to be at least the equal of the medium priced "intermediate" tubulars of a few (well, ten or fifteen) years ago. Certainly, they must be better than cross tires with the knobs chopped off, not to mention the flourescent plastic monstrosities put out by Tufo.
I have used the Challenge tires for some months now, and have no complaint. Yes, they are a touch dry, not always perfectly straight, and they aren't Italian, but I put tens of thousands of miles on "training" tubulars -- of exactly that description -- without problem.
I would dearly love to see a properly made racing tire in the 26 - 28 mm range, and would be glad to pay premium prices for them. But until that happens (and I'm not holding my breath) the Challenge tires certainly seem adequate to me.
Noel Hoffmann
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