MTB Tire Test: Tufo XC11 TR (old 2018)

NOTE: We have a test available of a newer version of this tire: Tufo XC11 TR (new 2024) 2024

Lately, we've been testing quite a few tires from the Czech tire manufacturer Tufo, and all scored at least a 4 out of 5. While we've tested quite a few of their gravel bike tires and some road bike tires, this is the first time we will look at one of their mountain bike tires.

The Tufo XC11 TR on review today is Tufo's most versatile mountain bike tire in the XC TR range. The Tufo XC TR range of mountain bike tires consists of four tires: XC11 TR, XC12 TR, XC13 TR, and XC14 TR. Together, they cover most of the XC (Cross-Country) conditions. The XC11 TR can be used on the front and the back, but Tufo also recommends combining different tread patterns on the front and back for optimal performance.

On paper, the Tufo XC mountain bike range looks very similar to their Gravel range, which performed very strongly in our tests. Both the Tufo XC and Gravel ranges use a 210/375 TPI casing with reinforced sidewalls that are very strong and help keep the air in really well when used in a tubeless setup. We do notice that the XC mountain bike range uses the "Oil Silica" compound, which is a different compound than what Tufo uses on their Gravel bike range.

Although the XC and Gravel bike tires look very similar on paper, our test results show them to be vastly different tires. Our tests indicate the XC11 TR comes with a much more robust casing: while the sidewall puncture resistance is the same, the mountain bike tires perform 80% better in the tread puncture resistance test. The consequence of this stronger casing is a much higher rolling resistance and weight.

It also looks like the compound is much less optimized than Tufo's Gravel range, as the rolling resistance is much higher than what we normally see with reinforced tires. We see another confirmation of a less optimized compound in our wet grip tests, where the XC11 TR doesn't impress, while Tufo's gravel range offers solid grip in our tests.

Our 29x2.25 sample is also incredibly overweight, as we measured it at 748 grams, while Tufo specifies 650 grams for this tire. Let's take a look at the test results and compare them to a selection of similar tires from other manufacturers

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Tufo
Model	XC11 TR (old 2018)
Year	2018
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	High
Buy At
Manufacturer part number	101182251031
EAN	8592723045625
TPI	210/375
Compound	Oil Silica
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	57-622
Size Inch	28"
Width Inch	2.25
Specified Weight	700 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	50
Made In	Members Only
Available Sizes	29x2.25

Tufo XC11 TR (old 2018) Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	700 grams
Measured Weight	748 grams
Measured Width Carcass	57 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	57 mm
Measured Height	54 mm (un-round)
Measured Knob Height Center	2.5 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	3.6 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	2.5 mm
Measured Total Thickness Sidewall	Members Only
All size measurements are taken at an air pressure of 35 psi / 2.4 bars on a 17.8 mm inner width rim.

Rolling Resistance Test Results

Rolling Resistance Test Results
Inner Tube	None (40 ml sealant)
Rolling Resistance 55 PSI / 3.8 Bar	Members Only
Rolling Resistance 45 PSI / 3.1 Bar	Members Only
Rolling Resistance 35 PSI / 2.4 Bar	34.1 Watts CRR: 0.01022
Rolling Resistance 25 PSI / 1.7 Bar	38.6 Watts CRR: 0.01157
All numbers are for a single tire at a speed of 29 km/h / 18 mph and a load of 42.5 kg / 94 lbs. Use the formula: RR (Watts) = CRR * speed (m/s) * load (N) to calculate rolling resistance at a given speed and load.

Puncture Resistance Test Results

Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Total Puncture Score Tread	57 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Members Only
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Members Only
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Members Only
Tread Total Tire Thickness	2.5 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Members Only

Hard Surface Static Grip Test Results

Static Grip Test Results
Wet Grip Average	63 Points
Wet Grip Center	Members Only
Wet Grip Edge	Members Only
Measured Knob Height Center	2.5 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	3.6 mm
Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 MTB grip test rim width = 30.0 mm
Wet Grip Test and Off-Road Tires (info)

Conclusion

While the Tufo Gravel range impressed us greatly, the XC11 TR appears to be a totally different tire construction and compound, as the performance just doesn't come close. The XC11 TR offers a much stronger casing that performs incredibly well in our tread puncture resistance test. Unfortunately, rolling resistance is much higher than their Gravel range, and the wet grip doesn't impress either.

We're mostly confused by the XC11 TR, as we expected it to show similar performance to Tufo's Gravel range. It turns out to be an entirely different construction with very high puncture resistance scores. Because the XC11 TR is now the most puncture-resistant tire in the mountain bike section, we still rate it as recommended, as it might just make it the perfect tire for some.

Just be aware that the XC11 TR, and probably the rest of the XC TR range, offer nowhere near the performance their Gravel range does.

RATING: 3.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Recommended

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