Solinco has become one of the most popular brands on the string market and their best-seller is the square-shaped spin machine, Solinco Tour Bite. Here is my Solinco Tour Bite string review that deals with both Tour Bite and Tour Bite Soft strings.
Solinco Tour Bite is used by a lot of players on the ATP and WTA tours. It is a spin-friendly and control-oriented string that does exactly what it says it does: it gives extra bite and rotations on the ball. I have been using Solinco Tour Bite and Solinco Tour Bite Soft as two of my go-to-strings, but never did a proper review. So here is finally the Solinco Tour Bite string review.
For this review, I tested Solinco Tour Bite in both a HEAD pro stock TGT 293.2 (IG Prestige MP mold) and the Wilson Clash Tour. In a more control-oriented string bed, I string it at 22 kg and in the 100 sq inches of the Clash, I went for 25 kg for better control. I have tested Solinco Tour Bite Soft in several different racquets, but prefer it in a slightly tighter string bed. It played great in my HEAD Graphene 360 Radical Pro for example.
Solinco Tour Bite String Review – How does it play?
Solinco Tour Bite is a firm poly for players looking for control and spin. If you struggle to generate your own pace or suffer from some kind of elbow/wrist concern, it is not the string for you. But if you are an advanced player who likes to swing hard but still retain good control, the Solinco Tour Bite is one of the best strings on the market.
Personally, I like firm and controlled strings so the Tour Bite works great for me. I liked it both in the Clash Tour and the HEAD pro stock I was testing it in. The low stiffness of the Clash and the firmness of the Tour Bite string is simply an excellent combo that makes you feel connected on every shot. Also, Tour Bite has above average durability for shaped poly strings and with a string-breaker such as the Clash racquet, it still played okay after the 8-hour mark.
In the more controlled Prestige racquet, you definitely need to string it lower to open up better power and feel. At 22 kg, I felt like I could place the ball on a dime and I could see why the pro player I was hitting with uses it as his go-to setup. Even with the tighter 18×20 pattern, the ball gets some decent spin thanks to the shape of the Tour Bite string.
Durability is slightly above average for a poly string. Stiffer strings tend to last longer and Solinco Tour Bite is definitely crisp enough to remain playable in your racquet for around 10-12 hours. This all depends on how hard you hit, how much spin you put on the ball and how open the string pattern on your racquet is.
Solinco Tour Bite String Review – Solinco Tour Bite Soft
If you think that the regular Solinco Tour Bite might be too firm for you, you can always try Solinco Tour Bite Soft, which is a far more comfortable and slightly more powerful string. It does not have quite the durability of the original Tour Bite, but it gives you good spin and control and a far more comfortable response.
Solinco Tour Bite Soft is a perfect string in a crisper, control-oriented racquet such as the HEAD Graphene 360 Radical Pro I reviewed last week. It gave the racquet some extra pop and comfort that I thought it needed and still retained the control that I really appreciated about the racquet. I could string it low and get a nice arch on the ball with consistent delivery.
I think the Solinco Tour Bite Soft is a great choice for players looking for a control-oriented string that is more gentle on the arm than firmer polys.
The durability depends on the racquet, the conditions, how hard and with how much spin you hit. I would say Solinco Tour Bite Soft is not the most durable and plays kind of like a multifilament string when it comes to tension maintenance.
Solinco Tour Bite String Review – Summary
Solinco create some of my favorite strings. I previously reviewed Solinco Hyper-G very positively and this time I am happy to have written about both Solinco Tour Bite and Solinco Tour Bite Soft. Tour Bite is a great choice for the more advanced player looking for spin and control, while Tour Bite Soft is the more comfortable but less durable option. I would say Tour Bite Soft has a large audience from intermediate to advanced players.
My choice of string depends a lot on the racquet, but in the Wilson Clash Tour I really appreciated the control and spin that Solinco Tour Bite gave me. Simply a top string!
Solinco Tour Bite String Review – Video
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Hi Jonas, between Solinco tour bite soft and Volkl Cyclone tour, would yo say they are similar?
Hi Lucas, I think you get more control with the Tour Bite and that is why I prefer it. But you do get more power with the Cyclone Tour.
Hi!
Could you do a review of angell hallo 2 string?
It would be nice!
Hugs
I’ve been using Tour bite in the crosses with HDX Tour in the mains on a Wilson Ultra Tour at about 51Lbs. I have to beg the stringer carefully distribute the crosses so as to avoid notching the mains. If Solinco could engineer a hybrid setup with Tour Bite, that would be great.
There is a Tour Bite + Vanquish Hybrid out there! :)
Hi Jonas, I discovered your blog while I was looking for news on the new Radical Pro. I had the chance to test it for 3 days, and it definitely became my racquet! I came from a Speed ??Pro Graphene 360 ??but with Radical I felt more at ease, and I gained in power with less effort, and without losing anything in control.
Curiosity on the strings that you recommend: the Tour Bite Soft with what caliber? 1.20 or 1.25?
Hi Jonas. Love your content! I play with RS Lyon 1.25 in Blade 98 18×20. If I want same feel but more spin, should I try TB Soft 1.25 or TB in thinner gauge?
Hi Jonas, I very much appreciate your reviews ? After reading your review I bought the Wilson Ultra Tour. Would you recommend the Tour Bite Soft for the Wilson Ultra Tour?
Hi Stephan,
Thanks! Yes, the Tour Bite Soft would be a good choice for the Ultra Tour!
PS. If you feel like my advice is really useful, please consider becoming a patron for $2 or more at patreon.com/tennisnerd DS.
Hi,
Yes, try it in 1.20 and you will feel a difference! Cheers / J
I tried for the first time the Radical Pro with Head Lynx 1.25 strings: excellent feedback, great power (without too much effort as instead the Speed ??Pro required me) combined with control and a good spin. Then try your setup – Solinco Tour Bite Soft – but at 1.25 and not 1.20 as you suggest now. And compared to the Lynx the racquet seemed to me, as it were, more dull, less reactive and less powerful. They are only subjective sensations that depend on my tennis, or instead to go from 1.25 to 1.20 would fill the differences I felt with the Lynx?
PS: it must be said that with the Lynx I felt a little discomfort in my arm, perhaps it made me feel all the rigidity of my racquet …
I think you will feel a difference with a different gauge of string. You have to experiment a bit and see what works for you. The best way to mute vibrations from a racquet is by using a stiff and heavy racquet with a low string tension.
Thanks for the answer … Following the hypothesis of experimenting, how do you see the Solinco Hyper G? Still on the new Radical Pro of course. And possibly what gauge? I am also tempted to try Head Velocity to gain in power and comfort…
Love Hyper-G. Try it in 1.20 gauge.
Jonas, Love your reviews. Thanks for doing them. Just finished testing the Wilson Clash Tour from TW and believe I am ready to go with it. The demo had Luxilon 4G at 51 lb. When I called them yesterday, they recommended the new Technifibre Ice Code White -16g. Do you know anything about this string and how it might compare to the Tourbite and Tourbite Soft?
Thanks a lot! I have heard good things about Ice Code White and one of my tennis friends are doing a review for Tennisnerd as we speak. I haven’t tested it myself so can’t really comment on the playability, but seems like a good string!