Tufo Calibra

Simon Whiten

Preview of the Tufo Calibra clincher tyres

Next up in our look at winter / training tyres is the Tufo Calibra from the Czech Republic.

 
Best known for their impressive tubulars and innovative tubulars for clincher rims, Czech company, Tufo’s new clincher, the Calibra is quite exciting for a training tyre. For a start it feels no where near as substantial as some others in this class and in fact Tufo describe the Calibra as an ‘all-around racing/training tyre’; the slightly lighter Calibra Plus is Tufo’s race clincher tyre.

And by slightly lighter, we mean exactly that. The only difference between the 205g Calibra and the 180g Calibra Plus seems to be an extra layer of ply in the former…
 

When you hold the Calibra and ‘weigh it up’ in your hands, it feels much more like a summer race tyre. Indeed our version weighed in at just 208g, putting many top race tyres to shame. It is in 23mm width and going up to 25mm, which you’d probably want to spec for a training tyre, adds about 20g or so. Either way this should be a quick tyre…
 
This is further suggested by the TPI count, which is an average 120 for the Calibra’s sidewall, whilst it goes up to an impressive 240 TPI under the tread. Again you have to assume a fast, reasonably supple riding tyre that you could indeed race on as well as train. It begs the question, is the Calibra really up to a full winter of hard training?

Fortunately, there are plenty of features that imply it will be. There is a puncture proof ply under the tread to keep you rolling, hopefully hassle free, even though the tread does feel thin compared to other training tyres we have in. We’ll only see just how tough it is once out on the road and if Tufo have managed to squeeze a long lasting, puncture proof tread and carcass into a lightweight package then they may have a winner on their hands.
 

 
There’s further security from the ‘bead to bead sidewall protection’ presumably to prevent wear and damage from rough objects or potholes in the road. Over this the tread features a mixed smooth and fine, file tread pattern with an ‘activated silica tread compound’ to provide all the grip, which Tufo claim is good in the wet as well as in the dry.
 
Check back soon for the full review.
 
Tufo
 
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