Clément is one of the oldest names in cycling. Founded by Frenchman Adolphe Clément-Bayard in 1878, the tyre manufacturer came under Italian ownership from 1889 before disappearing in the 1990s. Now, having been resurrected by American Don Kellogg in 2010, the company is back producing bicycle tyres – and this is the Clément Strada LLG 120TPI currently on test at RCUK.
The Strada LLG is Clément’s folding road rubber and comes in a 60TPI option as well as the 120TPI model pictured above. Both have a slick centre with chevron-patterned shoulders for additional grip when cornering or riding in the wet. Manufactured in the Czech Republic, both tyres have a puncture resistant belt. The difference between the two? The 60TPI (£27) tyre is aimed at the training market, while the 120TPI rubber promises higher performance – “road-hugging feel and less rider fatigue” – thanks to the more supple casing. Both clinchers, which are beginning to appear in the shops, are available in 23, 25 or 28mm widths.
Clément’s road range also includes a Strada LGG tubular in a 23mm width (price TBC) and there are also two cyclo-cross tyres (the LAS and Crusade PDX, both £35), each available in clincher and tubular versions, while the trekking/towpath market is covered by the X’plor USH and MSO rubbers in 35mm and 40mm widths (£32 for the folding tyre or £50 for the dual compound option).
