Doing a little research on tubulars...

I see that the new Tufo Flexus 32's weigh 310g. The Grifo 34's weigh 420g. 110 grams per tire seems like quite a significant weight difference between the two brands. Does anyone have any insight as to why this might be (if true)? Rubber? Casing? Lining? etc. Is there value w/ going the heavier tire route? Does one offer greater durability or puncture resistance? I would be adding some preventative sealant regardless.

I'd like to get mine ordered soon and haven't quite made up my mind. Thank you!

cb

Doing a little research on tubulars...

I see that the new Tufo Flexus 32's weigh 310g. The Grifo 34's weigh 420g. 110 grams per tire seems like quite a significant weight difference between the two brands. Does anyone have any insight as to why this might be (if true)? Rubber? Casing? Lining? etc. Is there value w/ going the heavier tire route? Does one offer greater durability or puncture resistance? I would be adding some preventative sealant regardless.

I'd like to get mine ordered soon and haven't quite made up my mind. Thank you!

cb

tufos don't have a tube. the griffos have a butle tube. that's the difference. i haven't ridden the flexus yet, but i just ordered 10 of em at 68 per tire not including shipping. i'm going to keep a couple of sets.friends and teammates are buying the others. a bulk order if you will.

That's helpful, thanks. So besides weight, does having a butyl liner (Grifo) vs. not (tufo) affect the ride, durability, puncture resistance, or ease of repair significantly? What are some good things to know about here? How are Dugasts constructed?

Thanks a lot!

That's helpful, thanks. So besides weight, does having a butyl liner (Grifo) vs. not (tufo) affect the ride, durability, puncture resistance, or ease of repair significantly? What are some good things to know about here? How are Dugasts constructed?

Thanks a lot!

this isn't an organized train of thought, but here it goes.

the Griffos have a casing that's sewn-up and encases a tube. If you flat one, you can unstitch the casing, pull out the tube, repair it, re stitch it and the tire has a second life. Back in the day, every town had a guy who did these repairs for say $10 or so. when i was 16-17 and had no money, i'd do these repairs my self. at that time, all race rubber were sew-ups with really nice cotton casings. occasionally you'd come across a good deal and get some swanky silk ones. Even really nasty gashes could be booted and because the tire was repairable, it was rare not to get a full life out of a tire. I believe the griffos are made with a nylon casing in SE asia.

The Dugast's are throw back to the days when tires were made out of cotton and silk casings and provided a very supple ride. although, i've owned plenty of high quality cotton tires and a few silk ones, i've never owned a dugast. the dugast's were made by an old french guy, but i believe a younger dutchman has taken over the operation and moved it to the netherlands. the point being, the dugasts are completely hand made of the finest casing material available. if i flated one, i would never put sealant in it. instead, i'd find someone who's still fixing these the old fashioned way. i believe there's a outfit in FL that does em $20 per tire, but i'd try to find a local if i could.

Some one can help me with my history, but as I recall a company called Barum (sp) came out with tires that did not have a tube inside. this lack of tube saved about 100 grams per tire and provided a nice suple ride. the only thing i remember about these tires is that no one i knew liked em. i never owned any because the local schwin shop went out of business and we had a decades supply of clements to ride.

I believe the Tufo is a direct decendant of the Barum tires. However, Tufo fixed these tires by using a more durable casing. the main way to fix these tires is to add sealent where the latex runs to the hole, coagulates and essentially seals the leak. this works for the vast majority of holes, but occasionally, the hole is just too big. it really depends on the hole, but folks have come up with ingenius ways to fix holes that the sealant will not. the most basic is by providing the sealant something to build on like a plug made out of foam or super glue.

folks that ride through thorns put sealant inside the tire as a precautionary measure. Personally, i don't. If I get a leak, I add sealant and attempt to repair it later. the reason i don't put sealant in pre ride is that it clogs the valve and i find it annoying. you can remove the valve and spray it with goof off to free it up.

Here's a summary of the differences

griffos, dugasts have a really nice casing and tread pattern and are repairable. However, in order to repair them it's almost always necessary to remove them from the rim, repair and then reglue. also, they are heavier.

the tufos are lighter and can be repaired while still on the rim; however, larger holes render the tire worthless and must be completely replaced.

good night

Most people I have talked to suggest that grifo's are more prone to pinch punctures than dugast though I am not sure of the reason why - something to do with the sidewall i suspect as they use a very similar tread.

I have dugast and find them very durable (we dont have rocky courses much here in the UK - just plenty of mud!) - though also would never put sealant in them as it would ruin them for proper repair. Here in the UK you can find specialist tub repairers still who will rebirth your pride and joy dugast for a small fee.

As far as I am aware, dugast weigh about 350 g per tire - less than the grifo. I have also used flexus and thought they were great, just not as good grip in real mud as dugast, but light and supple.

Depending on what you have to pay for dugast I would get them in preference to grifo everytime though flexus would be a good compromise. Good luck

a friend of mine emailed this morning to let me know that the tubular repair service in FL is tirealert. the last he can remember is that the price was $15, maybe less if you send him a pile. the quality is described as acceptable.

I feel much more informed now about the tire difference. Thanks for enlightening me (us).

cb