Dugast Typhoon TLR cyclocross tyre review

It has taken boutique tyre brand Dugast several years to join the tubeless game. But with the Typhoon TLR, it has got a race-ready tubeless tyre in its line-up.

The Typhoon is handmade and comes requiring a specific setup process.

In use, however, the supple casing and very flexible tread provide an outstanding ride quality, while the setup effort is rewarded with exceptional bead retention at low pressures.

Dugast Typhoon TLR details and specifications

Much like Dugast’s tubular tyres, the Typhoon TLR is aimed at race-day performance, rather than for training purposes.

The 240 TPI (threads per inch) casing uses the same natural cotton material as found in Dugast’s tubular tyres, though it is treated with an unspecified coating to retain air.

Key to making the tyre tubeless-ready is the Zylon bead, which helps to create the necessary seal at the rim. Dugast says its design means the tyre is suitable for hooked and hookless rims.

Dugast hasn’t shared specifics, but the Typhoon TLR tyres are said to use “high-resistance elastomer for added puncture protection”.

The available tread patterns, meanwhile, remain unchanged from Dugast’s tubular cyclocross offerings.

That’s the Rhino (mud), Typhoon (intermediate), Small Bird (Rhino/Typhoon mix), Pipisquallo (semi-slick) and the Pipistrello (sand).

Each tyre is handmade. Traditionally, this has been done at Dugast’s small factory in the Netherlands. Following Vittoria’s acquisition of the brand, however, production has moved to Thailand.

This may impact the allure of the artisanal brand to some potential buyers.

Dugast Typhoon TLR performance

Installation procedure

Installation is trickier than normal.

First, the tyre is mounted to the rim without sealant. Then a small amount of air should be pumped in. Sealant is added through the valve, after which you should inflate the tyre with a similarly small amount of air.

The bead may need to be worked by hand onto the bead seat, given the low pressures involved.

If too much air is blasted into the tyres when seating the beads, Dugast says there is a significant risk of getting air into the gap between the casing and the tread.

This, it claims, may cause bubbles under the tread and compromise the safety of the tyre.

Dugast’s written installation instructions also differ significantly from the (unhelpfully un-pausable) video playing at the top of the installation webpage.

For example, the video suggests inflating the tyre to a maximum pressure of 29psi (2 BAR) prior to inserting the sealant. The written instructions stipulate a maximum of 14.5psi (1 BAR).

With 50ml of ammonia-free sealant added, the video instructs you to inflate to a maximum of 21.7psi (1.5 BAR). The written instructions say 15.5psi (1 BAR).

You’re also instructed to seat the final section of bead using your hands, enabling the sealant to run down to the area and act as a lubricant.

This can be tricky, requiring plenty of hand strength, though I did manage to get the final section of bead seated by hand.

After the specified 12 hours of waiting had passed, both were holding air well.

The only comparable tyre I’ve used is Challenge’s HTLR. These were challenging to fit due to a very tight bead, but you’re able to follow a more familiar installation process, using a blast of air to seat the bead.

Another gripe is that (at time of publication) there’s no link to the installation instructions from the tyre’s product page on Dugast’s site.

This could lead to a rider that has plenty of experience with tubeless installation purchasing the tyres without knowing the specific installation requirements first.

They may then ruin their new tyres by using their usual process for seating the bead.

I would like to see Dugast simplifying its installation instructions, providing a pausable video that matches the written instructions, and linking to or displaying this information clearly from the product page.

That aside, the more convoluted process is certainly something you need to be willing to get used to.

Ride impressions

My first ride showed everything that is right with Dugast’s slow move to tubeless-ready tyre tech.

I was able to drop my tyre pressures to 11psi without the bead unseating or burping air.

In cyclocross, this is everything. Getting a 33mm tyre to grip in the muddiest conditions can be tricky and super-low pressures are the only solution.

Usually with a tubeless setup, low pressures with a relatively small tyre volume (700x33c) combine to increase the risk of the bead unseating.

This is why tubulars have reigned supreme in the racing scene because they are glued onto the rim, making them safer at these low pressures.

Being able to drop the Typhoon TLR tyres down to my usual tubular pressures meant I was just about able to find grip in the muddiest conditions.

As with Dugast’s tubular range of tyres, there is a tread pattern for all conditions.

My preference for a typical full UK cyclocross season has been the intermediate Typhoons front and rear, with a Rhino mud tyre for the front when conditions are atrocious.

For a privateer such as myself, tyres can get expensive, so the Typhoon’s versatility is a real strong point.

It is fabulously fast in a straight line in the clement days of autumn, as well as impressively capable in the mud when winter rolls around.

There is no puncture protection to speak of, but this is designed as a high-level racing tyre. I did, annoyingly, suffer a puncture a few laps into a race, but the sealant eventually did its job.

Had I not spent the morning marshalling the other races, I’d have carried on to the pits, pumped the tyre back up to riding pressure and continued the race.

But on this occasion, it was a near-freezing day and I chose a warm coat and a cup of tea instead.

Punctures aside, everything you get from Dugast's excellent tubular tyres is present in the TLR, making this a top-level race tyre.

That said, you pay for it. The £74.99 / €89.95 price tag makes the Typhoon tyres significantly more expensive than their closest rival, Challenge’s Grifo HTLR.

These have a similar handmade construction, but the casing has a lower thread count, at 300.

Dugast Typhoon TLR bottom line

While the price is high compared to rival cyclocross tyres and the installation process is challenging, the Dugast Typhoon TLR is quite possibly the finest tubeless tyre I’ve ever ridden.

The supple casing and tread combine with a secure bead to give excellent performance at low racing pressures, which is where it counts.