Road Bike Tire Test: Tufo Comtura Prima TR 28
Contents and Test Summary
- Introduction
- Manufacturer Specifications
- Size, Weight, Thickness
- Rolling Resistance: 12.0 Watts
- Puncture Resistance: 51 Points
- Static Wet Grip: 77 Points
- Conclusion: 5.0 / 5 Highly Recommended
- Comments
- Tufo Comtura Prima TR 28
(100% is best)
Tufo has been around for quite a long time but we only started testing their tires somewhere in the beginning of last year. After testing their latest gravel bike tires and the Comtura 4 TR road bike tires, it turns out their tires show remarkably strong performance in our tests. This time, we're going to take a look at the high performance tubeless-ready Comtura Prima TR road bike tire that is a direct competitor to some of the most popular and best performing road bike tires.
When you look at Tufo's website and read the description of the Comtura Prima TR it is described as the perfect tire that combines a low rolling resistance with excellent grip even in wet conditions. Tufo even claims it will be hard to find competition when it comes to the wet grip performance of the Comtura Prima TR, and given their track record in our tests, that made us even more curious.
The casing is a tubeless-ready 210/375 TPI design and it's the same TPI count that we see on many of their other tires. Although the TPI count is very high, we must admit the TPI count has become a bit of a useless number as some manufacters multiply the TPI count with the number of layers while others simply specify the TPI of a single layer.
The Comtura Prima TR also comes with a puncture-breaker and it's actually the same Vectran fiber material that Continental uses on their high-end tires. It does look like Tufo uses a thicker layer of Vectran as the Comtura Prima TR definitely scores better in the puncture resistance tests of the tread than the Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR that also uses a Vectran Breaker.
This is a test of the Tufo Comtura Prima TR in the 28-622 size with black sidewalls. A smaller 25-622 version is available as well and both versions are available with either black or beige sidewalls.
Manufacturer Specifications
| Manufacturer Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Brand | Tufo |
| Model | Comtura Prima TR |
| Year | 2023 |
| Tire Type | Tubeless |
| Supplied By | Bought in store |
| New or Used | New |
| Mileage | 0 km |
| Price Range | Very High |
| Buy At | |
| Manufacturer part number | 8592723056706 |
| EAN | 8592723056706 |
| TPI | 210/375 |
| Compound | - |
| Bead | Folding |
| ETRTO | 28-622 |
| Size Inch | 28" |
| Specified Width (mm) | 28 |
| Specified Weight | 240 grams |
| Max Air Pressure (psi) | 86 |
| Made In | Pro Data |
| Available Sizes |
25-622 (700x25c) 28-622 (700x28c) |
Tufo Comtura Prima TR 28 Test Results
Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
| Size, Weight and Thickness Measurements | |
|---|---|
| Specified Weight | 240 grams |
| Measured Weight | 239 grams |
| System Adjusted Weight (tire + valve + rim seal) |
259 grams |
| Measured Width | 30 mm (un-round) |
| Measured Height | 27 mm (un-round) |
| Total Tire Thickness Center | 2.1 mm |
| Total Tire Thickness Sidewall | Pro Data |
| Unmounted Casing Width | 76 mm |
| Unmounted Tread Width | Pro Data |
| Tread Cover (Tread / Casing Ratio) | Pro Data |
| All size measurements are taken at an air pressure of 100 psi / 6.9 bars on a 17.8 mm inner width rim. | |
Rolling Resistance Test Results
| Rolling Resistance Test Results | |
|---|---|
| Inner Tube | None (20 ml sealant) |
| Measured Width | 30 mm (un-round) |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 132 psi/9.1 bar 25-27 = 120 psi/8.3 bar 28-29 = 108 psi/7.4 barUltra High Air Pressure (108 psi / 7.4 bar) |
Pro Data |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 110 psi/7.6bar 25-27 = 100 psi/6.9 bar 28-29 = 90 psi/6.2 barExtra High Air Pressure (90 psi / 6.2 bar) |
Pro Data |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 88 psi/6.1 bar 25-27 = 80 psi/5.5 bar 28-29 = 72 psi/5.0 barHigh Air Pressure (72 psi /5.0 bar) |
12.0 Watts CRR: 0.00360 |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 66 psi/4.6 bar 25-27 = 60 psi/4.1 bar 28-29 = 54 psi/3.7 barMedium Air Pressure (54 psi / 3.7 bar) |
Pro Data |
| The Road Bike section is a multi tire size section, air pressures have been adjusted to the measured casing width. 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 | 51 Points |
| Total Puncture Score Sidewall | Pro Data |
| Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle | Pro Data |
| Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle | Pro Data |
| Tread Total Tire Thickness | 2.1 mm |
| Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle | Pro Data |
| Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle | Pro Data |
| Sidewall Total Tire Thickness | Pro Data |
Static Grip Test Results
| Static Grip Test Results | |
|---|---|
| Wet Grip Average | 77 Points |
| Wet Grip Center | Pro Data |
| Wet Grip Edge | Pro Data |
| Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 Road bike grip test rim width = 19.0 mm |
|
Conclusion
- Tufo Comtura Prima TR 28
(100% is best)
Wow, the Tufo Comtura Prima is an awesome performer and we rate it as one of the best performance-oriented road bike tires on the market. Although it isn't the absolute fastest rolling tire, it rolls very fast while at the same time coming in as one of the best performing tires in our wet grip test. Puncture resistance of the tread is also better than what we normally see on sub 10 watt tires.
Weight is also very low for a 28-622 tubeless-ready road bike tire especially when we consider the actual size that comes in at close to 30 mm wide. The weakest point seems to be the sidewalls that are thin and relatively easy to puncture for a tubeless-ready tire. We do think this is made up by another strong point of the Comtura Prima TR which is the extremely wide tread that covers a much bigger part of the sidewalls than what we're used to seeing on similar tires.
We highly recommend the Tufo Comtura Prima TR if you're looking for a high-performance road bike tire and don't want to sacrifice wet grip or puncture resistance.
RATING:
5.0
/ 5
TEST VERDICT:
Highly Recommended