Challenge Grifo Team Edition TLR Cyclocross Tire

Most cross racers own one set of race wheels, which means one tread has to cover a course that can change between pre-ride and call-up. That is the job the Grifo pattern has always handled, and Challenge builds the TE Handmade TLR as the race-day version of it. The knobs roll quickly on grass and hardpack, and the center section does the work under power and under braking. It is the tread you reach for when the course has a bit of everything in it — wet or dry, soft-packed, rocky, root-infested, or long stretches of grass.

What sets this version apart is the casing: 320 TPI sealed corespun cotton. At that thread count the cotton stays soft and supple, so the tire follows the ground instead of skipping across roots and ruts, and it holds its shape at the pressures cross racing actually calls for. Cotton also absorbs water, which is why the sidewalls get a waterproof bead-to-bead coating. That seal is what lets a cotton casing survive a season of mud and wash-downs without going soft.

Two compatibility points are worth checking before you buy. This is a Tubeless Ready tire that is compatible with ISO and ETRTO-compliant hookless rims, so a modern hookless cross or gravel wheelset is fair game. And the 33mm size is built to stay inside UCI tire-width rules on rims measuring up to 23mm internal — mount it on something wider inside and the casing spreads, which is the kind of detail that gets caught at the start line of a UCI race.... Read More