Tires have always been very important to Specialized. In 1976, Mike Sinyard’s very first product was a tire, the Specialized Touring tire. Ever since then, they have had a dream—make the fastest tires in the world, the same tires every rider can ride every day. Turbo Clinchers have replaced tubulars as the fastest tires in the world and delivered the first Tour of Flanders victory on clinchers in history. This is the inside story of how Specialized and Deceuninck – Quick-Step collaborated to buck 100 years of racing tradition.

The real question is why did they backstep on road tubeless? Nearly every other major wheel manufacturer has gone all-in on road tubeless and have claims of even larger gains over tubulars and clinchers with tubes. When speaking to those brands, they have all said the same thing, changing the notion that more pressure means more speed and the reeducation process is the toughest part.

Also check out our Specialized Tubeless Gone Wrong