The first generation of these Strada PRO TLR tires delivered a perfect ride, but living with them was miserable. Mounting was extremely difficult, they didn't hold air, they drank sealant, and raised your blood pressure.
I am thrilled to report that the folks at Challenge have preserved the perfect ride quality and excellent looks of the first generation and packaged it in a tire that behaves like.....a tire!! They now do incredible things like:
' Go over a rim edge with only one's thumbs
' Seat with a floor pump
' Hold air overnight
' Hold air for many days after that
' Require only a normal amount of sealant to continue holding air
' Keep the owner's blood pressure at healthy levels
I purchased the 28mm variety which inflate just shy of 30mm wide on 21mm internal rims. I now strongly recommend these tires.
I picked up my CX bike back in 2000 ' a Gunnar Crosshairs built by Waterford with Reynolds 853 tubing. My first cyclocross tires were the original Michelin Muds, and believe it or not, I'm still running that same set today. After 20+ years the knobs are finally starting to peel off from age.
I ride this bike everywhere ' from mellow singletrack to the same technical trails I take my S-Works Stumpjumper EVO on. The old Michelins have held up surprisingly well, but since they're not tubeless, I do deal with the occasional pinch flat.
I'm hoping the new Michelin Power CX Mud tires will give me the same grip and character as the classic Michelin Muds I've been used to since 2000.
Lightweight, holds air better than latex and probably as good as or better than butylene even. Smaller and thus fits easier in my mobile repair kit. Tires roll good and the ride is pretty good too if you don't inflate too high of a PSI. I ride at about 80psi. I have gotten 2000 plus miles on previous purchases. A little painful if you get a flat because of the extra costs. A little alarming is the marketing picture which in image number one shows a version that is obviously by proportion not a 60mm valve stem. Specs different from the picture so hoping my latest purchase will still be 60mm. With the 60mm valve I am able to use them in my 51mm aero wheels. Happy customer.
This tire is fast, durable, puncture-resistant, supple, and sticky. I run a size 35c, so my only minor criticism is that it has some weight. I haven't used this particular version in smaller sizes, but I come from the time of running 23c GP3000 tires that were the best you could do at the time. They weighed much less, and I got flats all the time, and slid out on wet corners, and 120psi rattled my elbows. I run these tubeless and have been getting about 5000 miles out of a tire, without needing to repair any flats. I get curious about other tires, but I always just come back to these as they haven't let me down over 15K miles.
