Challenge Tires
Free Shipping Over $150 for US · Handmade in Italy Since 1985
The Handmade Difference.
Challenge Tires does one thing: handmade bicycle tires. Not car tires. Not motorcycle tires. Not a subdivision of a bigger conglomerate. Just tires — hand-assembled in a small Italian factory by skilled craftspeople using the same techniques that made this factory legendary decades ago.
When Pirelli acquired the storied Clément brand in the ’90s and shut down European production, Max Brauns and his son Alex bought the factory and machinery, and started over. Pirelli wouldn’t license the Clément name, so the Brauns built their own. Challenge was born in 2000 as a continuation of one of cycling’s most storied production lines — the tires that raced under Merckx and Anquetil.
The result: tires made the old way. High-TPI casings. Natural rubber. Silk, cotton, and polyester materials. The kind of ride quality that Paris-Roubaix pros and Saturday-morning gravel connoisseurs both swear by. #FeelTheHandmade.
The Gravel Pick
STRADA BIANCA Pro.
Named after the white gravel roads of Tuscany — the same terrain that gave us the legendary spring race — the Strada Bianca is Challenge’s statement piece. Fast enough for pavement. Tough enough for compact gravel. Comfortable enough for all day.
Handmade tubular construction for the most demanding gravel racers. The 260 TPI casing, natural rubber tread, and reinforced sidewalls deliver the ride quality that connoisseurs come back to.
Shop the Strada Bianca Pro →
From The Slowtwitch Archives
We’ve Been Riding These.
Slowtwitch has been covering Challenge Tires for years. Read the reviews before you buy.
Cycling · Dec 2025
Challenge Tires 2026 Road Range: Handmade Tires That Actually Work
A deep dive on the 2026 road lineup, including the new 4 Stagioni XP.
Gravel · Aug 2025
The Challenge Strada Bianca Tire
If a bicycle tire can be called beautiful, this one qualifies.
Gravel · Apr 2024
Challenge Getaway HTLR Tire Review
Suppleness and durability are not the trade-offs they used to be.
Free Shipping Over $150 for US
