Rubber Meets Road: Vittoria Open Pave Review

Larger diameter tires are quick becoming the accepted standard in road racing, and have been the paragon of classics racing since time immemorial. With this in mind Vittoria produces it's Open Tubular (Clincher) in a 24mm diameter, and the tubulars come in 24 and 28mm varieties. A wider tire not only results in a broader more effective contact path but also a smoother ride over all surfaces, paired with an incredibly supple casing makes it an ideal tire for rougher road racing.

My test set of Pavés were 24mm open tubulars, and in testing proved to be ideal for rougher roads. While Tucson is a poor analog for the country roads of the Ardennes it did offer up plenty of shattered road and precipitation during the monsoon season, as well as the world-famous Saturday Shootout.

The first discernible difference of the tire came from sitting on the bike, a quick look down revealed the tire deformation was much more noticeable than similar race tires. This is an attribute of the cotton casing of the tire; while many manufacturers rely on the rubber carcass (outer skin) of their tire to be exceptionally tacky, Vittoria believes good grip should be more than skin-deep. Cotton Corespun K casings in the tires are a throwback to a time before synthetic fabrics dominated the market, and allow a more flexible and supple performance from the fully inflated tire, like a traditional tubular; they do add a bit to the price, but the performance of the tire is more than worth it. The K stands for Kevlar, as the Pavé is reinforced for more rigorous parcours with a hint of the ubiquitous ballistic material. The rubber, a standard silica and rubber mixture, on the outside of the tire is not like the smooth treadless patterns of Michelin or Continental, but a unique Twin Tread Technology. It features a series of small prisms in the center of the tread and a set of elongated prisms on the edges. This leads to enhanced cornering grip and water shedding. The pairing of this tread with an ultra-soft casing with the highest commercially available TPI provides, as the company claims, "A grip that never lets go."

The first true test of the tires came high up on the slopes of Lake Peak in Santa Fe; rain had left the road strewn with gravel, as well as a good bit of moisture clinging to the road. The tires not only maintained speed well, but also accelerated comfortably. The descent down the mountain was a dream, and the cornering capabilities really opened up on cracked pavement, with less of the jarring feedback typical of fully inflated race tire. They performed just as well in flat, smooth, and wide open racing on dry pavement.

While as a training tire it was not very resistant to cutting or puncture, and was susceptible to quick wear, the tire is not made for day-in-day-out use. This is a race-tire, which means it only comes out for race day, or the essential Saturday group-ride. Vittoria's Pavé EVO CG belongs in any riders arsenal, whether racing clinchers on rough rural roads stateside, or tubulars in the pinnacle of the European spring classics season.

Rubber Meets Road: Continental Grand Prix 4 Season Review

Since moving to Tucson durable tires have become a must for me; there's nothing I hate more than a flat during a good ride or a double flat leading to a long walk. My trusty Ultra-Sports had stood up to the Flagstaff winter, but were no match for the myriad of debris that lives on the roads of Tucson.
Continental sent us some nice Grand Prix 4 Season tires to test, so I pulled off my Gatorskins to give them a try. I was worried about switching to Four Seasons over the nearly indestructible Gatorskins, but was interested in a tire that is billed as a faster training option. They mounted easily enough and I got off to a good-start on them.

The first concern was that the test tire lacked the triple layer Poly-X-Breaker of the Gatorskin, but the 4 Season is actually a more robust and durable offering, with a double layer Vectran Belt and a Dura-Skin wrap over the sidewalls. The puncture resistance of these tires was phenomenal, and I found myself really trying to test them. I rode gravel, loose wood bridges, through some good size piles of glass, and of course plenty of small bits of metal. In 1,500 miles of riding I never had a puncture. I had one flat in the entirety of my time on the tires, when one of my tubes blew in the furnace like June weather. I normally replace my tires every 2,000 miles or when they wear flat, but after 1500 miles they still have visible mold lines. A long wearing tire can often let down on speed and handling, and these tires needed an appropriate test to dispell that dogma.

Luckily Tucson has some great race-pace group rides, like the infamous Shootout, to put tires to the test. I expected to suffer a little bit more because of rotating weight and more rolling resistance, but these tires upped the ante again. While they weigh in at 242 grams for a 700x23, one gram more than the Ultra Gatorskin, the real difference comes in rolling resistance. By no means do they roll as well as a Black-Chili Grand Prix 4000; however, there is a palpable increase in speed versus a Gatorskin. I was easily able to power up and roll along in the front group without a noticeable amount of drag unlike my normal training tires. The cornering and grip was also phenomenal for an all season tire; most tires in the same class are notoriously gummy and weak in corners. They stuck in the corners and descents almost as well as race tires, and the little bit of tread made them acceptable on a few dirt-road excursions

On the whole, the tires met and surpassed my expectations. The only flaw for me was that the ride of 700x23s was a little harsh, but 700x25 tires are available, so it's not a drawback at all. A platform with exceptional puncture resistance and rolling performance, that wears well is a rarity and a pleasure. I'll definitely be riding them as my training tire in the future, and as race tires in a pinch