Vittoria Open Pavè Evo CG Tires

Photo: bicycletires.com

Let me start by saying the roads surfaces in Scotland are horrendous, horrific, horrible, horrifying, hazardous, miserable, uncomfortable, primitive, and tire-eating. In some cases, I hesitate to even call the mapped paths roads they are so poor. That being said, I feel the Vittoria Open Evo Pavè's make the best of a bad situation. Developed on and for the brutal cobbles and roads of Northern Europe as well as the region's inclement weather, they have performed admirably in an extremely adverse environment. Potholes, rocks, broken pavement, and some phenomenon where the road appears to have a rash (the A917 just past the auto repair place is the best [or worst, in reality] example) had effectively eaten through my go-to racing and training tires, Michelin ProRace 3's. With winter coming, I decided to invest in a heavy-duty tire. While perhaps not as nuclear-bomb proof as something like Continental GatorSkins, the Vittoria's have some attributes none of those tires could ever hope for: feel, comfort, and suppleness. Without getting too technical, Vittoria makes their tires with the highest TPI on the clincher market, which means that they can get much more contact with the ground while still being soft enough to absorb bumps and vibration. They corner brilliantly, always steady, but when they do let go, they give you plenty of warning to let you correct and make sure you don't crash. With their tread I think they might even perform better in the wet: I have never felt like I was losing grip even on the rainiest of days. Pressure is always important in determining comfort, but at a range of pressures I feel these absorb much more of the awful roads than my former Michelin's did; their 24mm width might help slightly on that front. At the lower end of the pressure range (100/105 psi f/r, I weigh around 170 lbs) I glided over the Pavè du Market with significantly less discomfort than ever before. The Vittoria's also give you excellent flat protection, I received my first one ever today since buying these tires over 3 months ago. Tires are your bike's only contact point with the ground, for that reason alone I always believe in making a good investment when it comes to outfitting your wheels. The Vittoria's are expensive, if you can find them on sale online, they are well worth it. Even if you end up paying retail, the subliminal ride makes their value incalculable. Highly recommended. Official Site