Challenge is Different
There are many tire companies out there but only one Challenge. What is unusual about our approach and philosophy?
Handmade Tires
Challenge handmade tires combine comfort, performance and grip in a way other tires can’t match. Unlike tires mass-produced through industrial vulcanization – a process that relies on heavy machinery and minimal labor to heat-mould synthetic butyl rubber and nylon into a tire shape – handmade tires are assembled step-by-step by experienced craftspeople. High quality natural glues and latex coatings are applied to ultra-supple casing materials like silk, cotton, or polyester. The natural rubber tread is moulded and attached with no vulcanization required – the materials maintain their superior characteristics. The result is a small-batch tire with a ride feel that is simply on a different level.
Handmade is greener, done in small batches by skilled staff
We own our factory where ALL our handmade tires are created
Our handmade techniques allow for constant evolution and testing of designs
Performance First
Handmade isn't esoterioc – We craft these tires because they have a clear benefit to pros and weekend adventurers alike. Our tires are faster, more comfortable and a joy to ride whenever performance is a consideration – and when is it not? While we are not a huge company, we frequently hear from riders who discovered Challenge years ago and won't ride another brand. They don’t need to be pros to #feelthehandmade difference.
'I started using Challenge when I reached the youth category and continue to use the Team Edition and Silk tubulars. I took my first World Cup victory with the Dune and look forward to many more seasons in partnership.' Thibau Nys - BALOISE-TREK Lions
The most options for tire types – clincher, tubular, tubeless tubular & TLR
Five different series and casing materials and five unique tread compounds provide perfect options
Full product ranges in Road, Gravel and Cyclocross with multiple national and world CX championships
Passion for Riding
Challenge isn’t a manufacturer of auto or motorcycle tires. We're not a subdivision. We have spent our entire history perfecting handmade bicycle tires – it’s what we love most. We speak Tubular as fluently as TLR, and we love delving into niches overlooked by our larger competitors. For example, we don't offer Ultra Series silk tubulars because we believe most riders really want to pay $150 to chase marginal gains or championship glory... but if you do, we've got you well covered.
Look no further if you value unique cycling gear sustainably produced by a small, passionate family that thinks about tires as much as you do.
We only make bicycle tires
We're driven by a love of riding, competing and the cycling lifestyle
The superior comfort of handmade can be felt on the road by almost any rider
Handmade Tires
Challenge handmade tires combine comfort, performance and grip in a way other tires can’t match. Unlike tires mass-produced through industrial vulcanization – a process that relies on heavy machinery and minimal labor to heat-mould synthetic butyl rubber and nylon into a tire shape – handmade tires are assembled step-by-step by experienced craftspeople. High quality natural glues and latex coatings are applied to ultra-supple casing materials like silk, cotton, or polyester. The natural rubber tread is moulded and attached with no vulcanization required – the materials maintain their superior characteristics. The result is a small-batch tire with a ride feel that is simply on a different level.
Performance First
Handmade isn't esoterioc – We craft these tires because they have a clear benefit to pros and weekend adventurers alike. Our tires are faster, more comfortable and a joy to ride whenever performance is a consideration – and when is it not? While we are not a huge company, we frequently hear from riders who discovered Challenge years ago and won't ride another brand. They don’t need to be pros to #feelthehandmade difference.
'I started using Challenge when I reached the youth category and continue to use the Team Edition and Silk tubulars. I took my first World Cup victory with the Dune and look forward to many more seasons in partnership.' Thibau Nys - BALOISE-TREK Lions
Passion for Riding
Challenge isn’t a manufacturer of auto or motorcycle tires. We're not a subdivision. We have spent our entire history perfecting handmade bicycle tires – it’s what we love most. We speak Tubular as fluently as TLR, and we love delving into niches overlooked by our larger competitors. For example, we don't offer Ultra Series silk tubulars because we believe most riders really want to pay $150 to chase marginal gains or championship glory... but if you do, we've got you well covered.
Look no further if you value one-of-a-kind products sustainably produced by a small, passionate family that thinks about tires as much as you do.
Challenge
History
How it Started
It began in the late 1990s when the legendary Clément brand was closed down by Pirelli. Max Brauns saw an opportunity and decided to take over the factory and resume production of the special handmade tubulars so popular in the market. In 2000, after a few years of producing tubulars for other brands, Max and his son Alex decide to create a brand of their own calling it ‘Challenge’. The choice was not random, but because creating a boutique handmade tire brand was going to be a real challenge!
How it's Going
OUR 25TH ANNIVERSARY!
In the interim we've become a well-known name, especially in cyclocross where we outfit many of the top riders in the world. We were among the first brands to launch gravel-specific tires based on our popular CX treads, now we offer a full range of models in a large array of sizes and casings. On the road, our legendary Strada and Criterium families are constantly evolving with new materials and compounds that expand expectations of what a performance tire can feel like.
With roots in Italy, the United States and Thailand, Challenge is currently distributed in over 40 countries around the world. A sister and son have since joined the company which remains a family-run business.
Thailand Factory
We make all Challenge Handmade Tires in our family-owned factory in Thailand, 90 minutes down the coast from Bangkok. We manufacture in Thailand because that is where our natural rubber and latex is sourced, where we can choose and control the raw materials and where the world’s rubber and latex experts work.