Tufo Calibra Plus

Simon Whiten

The light weight clincher Tufo Calibra Plus

The Tufo Calibra clincher tyre is a new venture for the Czech manufacturer and an even more racey version exists in the form of the lighter Calibra Plus…

If you thought the Calibra was light, which I certainly did, then the Calibra Plus is quite astounding at just 180g. The last time I used that sort of low weight tyre was the Michelin Pro Race 3 Light some years ago which was fast but not massively durable; it was definitely a race day only affair. Tufo themselves describe the Calibra Plus tyre as a “very lightweight road racing tyre” in a typical matter of fact, Czech way which may stem from their having an even lighter, 150g version called the Calibra Lite…
 

The light weight makes me slightly nervous about testing the Calibra Plus, especially over the winter. To offer some reassurance and perhaps the key factor in how good these tyres will be, given that the lack of weight almost guarantees that they will be fast, there’s a puncture proof ply built into the 23mm section, something the Michelin didn’t have I recall. Tufo also reassure us that the Calibra Plus offers “good puncture resistance”. Question is what does ‘good’ mean?
 

The casing is a supple 240 TPI under the tread but uses a stiffer 120 TPI in the sidewalls. Similarly the tread in the centre of the tyre is slick for speed and smooth rolling, whilst there’s a patterned side tread for extra grip. Tufo tell us to expect “excellent riding properties on wet or dry pavement” which is good to know.
 
If you wonder why I’d want to venture out on lightweight racing tyres in the worsening weather of the approaching winter, the answer is that I don’t, but you can be sure, when it’s time for you to buy your new tyres for the 2015 season, we have put them through all sorts of crap to give you the confidence that they can or cannot handle everything that the summer racing season has to throw their way.
 
Calibra Plus £35.76 / $49
 
Tufo
 
Tufo UK (Sonic Cycles)

 
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