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Review Vittoria Corsa Evo CX III Tubular tyres

onm

Sep 2, 2009
5
0
vitt_corsa_evo_cx_09_m.jpg


Got these to put on my new carbon tubular rims, and have put in over 1000km on them on a variety of terrain, so thought it would be good to give impressions.

Price; A lot of money, at around 7000-8000yen, depending on where you buy them. The exchange rate at the moment means they are about the same price buying internationally online.

Fitting; Easy enough with Miyata tape, which I have so far not had any problems with. Takes a bit of attention to details to get them bang-on straight, but nothing 20 mins of work can't do.

Use; Weird, compared to clinchers (I was running the Vittoria Open Corsa Evo CX IIs previously, so good to compare). They have a softer feel, even when running at very high pressure. I have been running these at 140PSI, and they still feel smooth and soft, and don't knacker me out with harshness.

Handling is amazing - the more I use them, the more I feel I can lean these babies riiiiight over. I feel my descending has improved as a result. Perhaps not externally observable, but I feel way more confident in myself with these tyres, which is what really matters I suppose.

They are downright bloody fast too. I feel like I am flying on these, really.

Downers; They are expensive, yeah. Also, I snapped a valve core in half, but got the tyre replaced by the shop as this was a freak occurrence, and I really don't think it should be taken as an indication of the quality of these tyres. The valve as a whole, is not replaceable like on previous models of this tyre, instead Vittoria have bonded the valve directly to the tyre body, so getting longer valves, etc, is a different process. I just run a standard length one and put an extender on it to pump it up. No problems there.

So there you go; premium, expensive, but lush to ride. They don't appear to show any real signs of wear at all, despite riding them over some pretty rough ground already, too.
 
If you like those, then you'd probably love their elder brothers, Veloflex. Even more supple, faster, lighter and better constructed. I've been dabbling with the Soyo seamless as an alternative improvement - but honestly, nothing I've ridden has been better than a Veloflex except for Clement Setas, which haven't been produced in more than 20yrs. I'd prefer a Dugast under some conditions due their amazing traction and compliance characteristics , but overall day in and out, the Veloflex are the best. Period.
 
This review thing isn't really going to plan is it?

Every time somebody posts a review of something, somebody just posts a load of alternatives that are deemed to be better. LOL.
 
Aren't all reviews subject to comment and comparison? I find EVO's pretty decent tires and better than most on the general market. Vittoria has done a good job with their marketing and mfg scaling - especially by co-opting factories in Thailand for the majority of their production whilst maintaining reasonable quality. Your review corresponds with my experiences with these tires and it's good to hear other's as well.
 
Or maybe a good idea is to close comments on all review threads? Sorta self muzzling.
 
Haha, no I don't want to stop comments on anything, obviously. Just find it amusing that the reviews seem to be replied to with alternative suggestions, rather than anything about the actual product being reviewed.

All good though, so on you go.
 
vitt_corsa_evo_cx_09_m.jpg


Got these to put on my new carbon tubular rims, and have put in over 1000km on them on a variety of terrain, so thought it would be good to give impressions.


Price; A lot of money, at around 7000-8000yen, depending on where you buy them. The exchange rate at the moment means they are about the same price buying internationally online..

Try www.xxcycle.com, one of the cheapest places on earth for SIDI and Vittoria

Fitting; Easy enough with Miyata tape, which I have so far not had any problems with. Takes a bit of attention to details to get them bang-on straight, but nothing 20 mins of work can't do.

Save your money on the Miyata rim tape, it's an over priced. I actually spent the winter months researching this product and not only did I find the exact same thing for less, I also found an even better product which is not only cheaper but wider as well. 10m for about 1,000 JPY.

They do it in several thickness this one being 0.5mm which is perfect for my new 23mm rims, if you're running the old 20mm width I would go for something a little thicker like the 0.8mm or 1mm thick tape. I have been running them at 120 psi without issue.

photorxg.jpg


I can only recommend this exact tape though, I rolled some of the others and I used this tape yesterday at a Japan Elite Tour Criterium where I was hitting constant left hand turns at serious speeds.


Use; Weird, compared to clinchers (I was running the Vittoria Open Corsa Evo CX IIs previously, so good to compare). They have a softer feel, even when running at very high pressure. I have been running these at 140PSI, and they still feel smooth and soft, and don't knacker me out with harshness.

You are running them at too high a pressure - They are rated to take 200 psi which is for use on the velodrome not the road. Here is the weight/Pressure chart which should make things a little easier for you.

vittoria-tyre-psi-guide.jpg


Also you might want to be careful on the pressure as some carbon rims are only rated to 150 psi.

Handling is amazing - the more I use them, the more I feel I can lean these babies riiiiight over. I feel my descending has improved as a result. Perhaps not externally observable, but I feel way more confident in myself with these tyres, which is what really matters I suppose.

They are downright bloody fast too. I feel like I am flying on these, really..

One of the reasons why they are heavily used in the Pro Peloton, one of the best all round racing tires on the market. If you want the ultimate ride feel then glue them using Mastikone. :D

Downers; They are expensive, yeah. Also, I snapped a valve core in half, but got the tyre replaced by the shop as this was a freak occurrence, and I really don't think it should be taken as an indication of the quality of these tyres. The valve as a whole, is not replaceable like on previous models of this tyre, instead Vittoria have bonded the valve directly to the tyre body, so getting longer valves, etc, is a different process. I just run a standard length one and put an extender on it to pump it up. No problems there.

So there you go; premium, expensive, but lush to ride. They don't appear to show any real signs of wear at all, despite riding them over some pretty rough ground already, too.

They come in both removable and fixed core type, I'm actually racing these tires with the removable cores.

Glad you are liking them - Although my opinion is rather biased due to sponsorship. However when I paid for tires and tubs I always went Vittoria!

photo1uan.jpg
 
Nice one for the PSI info.

Also, yeah, I have the ones with the removable valve core. The head of the core snapped off inside the main valve tube, making it basically impossible to get the bottom of the core out.

Anyway, I am really enjoying them, and look forward to riding them around like a maniac a lot more.
 
Second that on the pressure. Good call , FE, it may actually increase your Crr by raising too high. And you lose the compliance. FYI, Miyata tape from Miyata is priced OK. It's just the wonky distributor channels that increase the price absurdly. I do, though, second the Scotch tape. Actually I used Scotch hi-tack for years. They have it in spray cans too!
 
Nice one for the PSI info..

My pleasure mate - you'll find that the tires last longer too.

Also on not so silky smooth roads you are losing wattage through bounce. Running the tires at your correct weight/psi will mean that all the power you are putting out goes into driving the bike forward.

Tim, Miyada is never going to be as cheap as carpet/tile laying tape, for the simple reason is that more people are laying carpet/tape than sticking tubs to rims. My local hardware store does 20m of this stuff for 1,800 JPY compared to 10m of Miyada for just over 4,000 JPY - Also the bond of the the tape I posted above is MUCH stronger than Miyada, no way in hell I can run a CX tire at 35 Psi with Miyada without it rolling - with the SCOTCH tape I can.
 
My pleasure mate - you'll find that the tires last longer too.

Also on not so silky smooth roads you are losing wattage through bounce. Running the tires at your correct weight/psi will mean that all the power you are putting out goes into driving the bike forward.

Cool. I will heed the advice and keep the tyres at the correct PSI. Having them last longer will be a bonus. I winced last time I buggered a brand new Open Corsa, and would rather have them lasting than dying.

Cheers :)
 
:eek:

yeah but you want the bloody stuff to come off when you need to swwitch out tires!
 
Haha! For sure! That's what I always hated about the old 'gutta' - when it was done right, you had to literally airchisel the tire off. The other case was the tire would 'suddenly' depart on it's own merry path - generally opposite the way you were going! At least the tapes allow a much easier 'release'. But definitely a good call on the 3M product!

:eek:

yeah but you want the bloody stuff to come off when you need to swwitch out tires!
 
i use the clincher version of the corsa cx tire for the front wheel on both my fixed gear bikes. paired with a latex tube they're the most supple tires i've ridden by far. they're plenty grippy in wet and dry conditions which is very important for me as my front wheel is my main breaking wheel. they've been holding up extremely well for coming up on 2 years.

normally they're pretty expensive but occasionally you can find the clincher version on sale for under 4000 yen. i found a few for around 3200 yen at Y's and nalsima a few months back a bought a couple for stock. they're great.

i don't use them in the rear on my fixed gear bikes because i'm harder on my rear wheel and want something a little more durable.
 
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