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25/01/2021
Challenge Getaway reviewed by Ridingravel
Checkpoint by Guitar Ted
Tubeless Performance: the Getaway is a difficult tire to mount and the Challenge Tires mounting tool is definitely recommended for this tire. Once you get beyond that, and bag a few miles on the Getaway, the tubeless performance is outstanding. I noted that the air retention on the Getaway tires is above average. The stretch has been minimal as well. The latest measurement at 40psi is 41.5mm. That’s a little less than a millimeter over our first measurements at 40psi of 40.8mm. This is better than I expected, to be honest.
Ride Performance: I know that the handmade construction and high thread count casings Challenge employs for many of their tires, including these Getaways, makes for a smoother, more comfortable ride. The one thing I had forgotten about a more supple casing is that you typically have to run higher pressures than you normally do. That nicer casing is going to ‘give’ a bit more easily over the rough stuff, so at speed, you need to have a bit more air in there to prevent rim strikes. I noted that I could bottom out the tire against the rim at moderate speeds using an air pressure in the lower 30’s, which I can easily get away with using most any other puncture protected tire. Not so much with the Getaway. The supple casings do work well over rougher roads, and on dirt single track, I had plenty of grip, even with a slightly greasy surface. I was a bit surprised by that, but honestly, I shouldn’t have been, given Challenge Tires’ pedigree on dirt in cyclo cross racing.
Another characteristic of the Getaway that I was skeptical of was the very rounded casing profile. Challenge says that their testers preferred this rounded crown over flatter ones during testing for the development of the Getaway. Generally speaking, very peaked, rounded casings such as the Getaway’s result in poor handling on loose, crushed rock.
But the Getaway’s supple casing won me over by making the tire casing work over the looser rock I rode. I went over and did not plow through it, as I would have with a more typically constructed casing with a very rounded crown. This also resulted in a very stable ride over loose gravel, which was very surprising to me. Not only that, but the obvious was also apparent- A very smooth ride quality.
As you also may guess, the Getaway has a very fast roll due to its lower rolling resistance and peaked profile which leaves less of a contact patch on harder surfaces. This was very much noticed on all of my test rides versus anything else I have mounted up for tires currently.
So Far… The Challenge Tires Getaway is looking to be one of the better choices for anyone who wants a fast tire for racing purposes, or for anyone looking for a very smooth riding tire in the 40mm range. I’m impressed by the Getaway’s stability in looser crushed rock, and the tubeless performance is top notch, once you get past the very difficult mounting process.