In the last few decades we have seen definite improvements in tire design and the materials used to optimise everything from ride quality, to longevity to handling characteristics. These changes have also been seen in wheel designs and the materials used to optimise similar performance parameters.
I should quickly point out, that not all changes have been good in the world of wheels and we have to be careful about what we embrace as improvements. We all can succumb to great sounding advertising hype at times and not realise that we have been duped.
But generally speaking the good ideas get recognised by those who are truly in the know.
This article is about the importance of good tire choice and why it matters. If we spend a bundle on a fabulous set of hand built wheels that have been crafted with all our specific riding idiosyncracies in mind, but tire selection has not been considered properly you may end up with a set of wheels that are simply not performing all that impressively.
On the other hand, should you carefully consider tire choice and purchase tires that will certainly work best with all the other choices that went into your wheel design you’ll have the best of all worlds.
If we step back in time to the hay day of super fine hand made tubular tires we will see why the best racers in the world would pay whatever it took to get those phenomenal Clement Criterium Seta Extra tires! Every one of those incredible tires were carefully and methodically hand stitched by tire artisans with gorgeous 100% silk side walls and ultra light latex tubes.
This effort produced an absolute cloud nine ride that once experienced was never forgotten! I remember my first pair of “Seta Extras” as we used to call them and it was true a revelation in performance. Every other tire after that felt like crap by comparison.
Is there a modern day tire that has some of these special attributes?
The closest thing I have come across would be the Vittoria Corsa Contol 2.0 Grapehene.
No, it does not reclaim the high honours of the Seta Extra, but man it’s an incredible ride for a clincher tire, especially when it’s paired with the new ultra light TPU tubes like those made by Revoloop, Tubolito, Schwalbe, Vittoria and Pirelli.
The Vittoria Corsa Control 2.0 Graphene. Super fast and light with incredibly low rolling resistance.
The new Vittoria Corsa Pro Control. Another fabulous graphene infused tire with 320 threads per inch cotton sidewalls for superb comfort and speed. Available with contrasting tan sidewalls! The new protection strip apparently assures a 19% increase in puncture resistance.
Pirelli’s bright yellow Zero Smartube. Light weight and quite puncture resistant.
Vittoria has two elements to this tire that sets it apart from the competition. First is their use of high count 320 tpi cotton side walls. This invites a very comfortable ride quality even at fairly high tire pressures like 100psi. Maybe not quite as lovely as 100% silk, but pretty close. The next thing is the graphene infused rubber. To my knowledge Vittoria is the first company to put out a bicycle tire that contains graphene, which helps extend the life of the tire as well as giving it a unique feel on the road. Even with a very fine tread it seems to hug the pavement very well. This tire also has been tested independently and it has a very low rolling resistance making it one of the fastest tires available.
I have been using this particular tire for a few seasons now and I must say it’s a joy to ride. I am recommending it for all of my custom road builds these days. It’s the perfect match for the style of road wheels that I build. I always try to impart a very lively ride quality into my builds and I think the Vittoria Corsa Control 2.0 Graphene compliments this perfectly.
I have also thoroughly enjoyed their line of gravel tires. My go to choice for Ontario gravel is their Terenno Dry. I love the tread design which incorporates an overlapping fish scale pattern in the centre of the tire for good speed on pavement, but uses a proper set of raised knobs on the side to support you in light sand and gravel. I also use these tires with TPU tubes to great effect. Vittoria’s “designed in Italy and “made in Thailand” situation seems to be a perfect combo. Their tires are super high quality and are quite consistent. They are also very easy to instal which is a huge plus in my books. They work fine in a tubeless set up or with a tube.
I have found these particular gravel tires to compliment my custom gravel wheel builds ideally. A great tire choice is really the crown on the top of a great set of hand built wheels.
If you have any questions about what tires may better suite your riding style and your custom wheels, just give me a call and we’ll discuss!