Challenge Strada Bianca Race V TLR 700x36

The Challenge Strada Bianca Race V TLR is a (much) cheaper vulcanised alternative to the company's handmade open tubular tyres. It's a solid performer, with good levels of comfort and grip on tarmac and graded surfaces.

> Buy now: Challenge Strada Bianca Race V TLR for £53 from Tredz

Anyone who's used Challenge's open tubular tyres will know that they can be 'challenging' (read: an enormous faff) to fit, and the vulcanised version isn't a whole lot better.

Like the open tub, it sits flat out of the packaging, and is very much opposed to being coerced into any kind of tyre-like shape to begin with. My top tip is: once you've got half the bead in, wrap some insulating tape around the wheel at each side of the rim. That way the WHOLE THING won't pop off AGAIN as you're trying to do the last bit. Although, interestingly, when I reviewed the posher version of this tyre a few years back it didn't actually give me much trouble.

Once they were on, they weren't that tricky to seat, although the extra air chamber in a 36mm tyre meant cramming a lot of pressure into my air booster to get them to pop on the rim. There was some evidence of sealant making its way through holes in the sidewalls, and the sidewall construction is pretty thin. This won't be an issue if you're mostly riding on road but could be if you're into more mixed terrain.

It took longer than usual for the tyres to settle down and fully seal, and they needed more sealant than I'd normally add for a tyre this size. Once they've spent a bit of time on your rim they assume their final curved form, and if you ever have to remove and refit them it's much easier the second time around.

Performance

These tyres, like most tyres, aren't at their best straight off the backing board; they need a couple of hours of riding to scuff up the treads a bit for maximum grip. Once you're past that they're dependable across a range of surfaces.

The herringbone tread is very low profile, so it's not a tyre that feels draggy, and the 120TPI carcass is nice and supple so you get plenty of ride comfort. I wouldn't say that they feel like the fastest tyres ever, and the lab tests over at Bicycle Rolling Resistance back that up, but they certainly score on having a nice ride feel.

Challenge says that 'this is the tire for rough roads, packed dirt, and most dry gravel surfaces' and it's certainly capable on anything from tarmac up to mid-sized gravel. On solid surfaces it didn't struggle in the wet either, with grip levels that I'd say are anecdotally better than the more expensive handmade version: less spinning out at the rear on steep, greasy climbs and less prone to skidding when you grab a handful of rear brake. It's not a great tyre for anything really slippery, though. There's just not enough bite in the tread for things like muddy stretches or wet roots. Heading further from the tarmac in a UK winter soon found its limits.

I haven't suffered any punctures that didn't seal; one of the benefits of a low-pressure, big-chamber slick like this – with plenty of sealant inside – is that any thorn or debris holes are likely to close up quicker because the sealant isn't being forced out as hard. I'm 100kg at the moment and even at that weight 45psi was plenty enough pressure to give a firm but comfortable ride. The tyres are rated to a 55psi maximum pressure, so will work even with hookless rims with a low pressure limit.

Wear rate seems to be pretty good, and even with the fairly thin sidewalls the vulcanised construction of this tyre will likely mean it's a bit more durable than the handmade open tubular version, which needs more looking after.

Value & conclusion

At £57 an end you wouldn't call these cheap tyres, but they're significantly cheaper than their £78 handmade counterparts, and while it feels like you lose a bit of efficiency, you gain a bit of grip.

Probably the pick of the cheaper big-chamber slicks is the Panaracer GravelKing Slick TLC (£49.99), and the Teravail Telegraph, which comes in sizes up to 35mm, is a good option too for similar money (£45).

This tyre is a bit more expensive than those two and is still a good buy, but maybe wouldn't be my first choice.

> Buy now: Challenge Strada Bianca Race V TLR for £53 from Tredz

> Buyer’s Guide: Best gravel bike tyres

> Buyer’s Guide: Best road bike tyres

Verdict

Good big-chamber slick tyre that's comfortable and grippy on lanes and gravel