The newest version of the Vittoria Corsa Pro has been round (formally) since May 2023, although it was broadly used within the peloton earlier than this, and I initially rode them a month prior at a press occasion. Given the tyre’s heavy use within the professional peloton, together with wonderful testing ends in impartial rolling resistance checks, it sits squarely inside my information to the most effective highway bike tyres, however what are they really wish to trip?
Rolling resistance information can solely inform you a lot, and whereas for pure efficiency they definitely have their place, there’s extra to tyres than how briskly they roll on a drum mounted to a jig. I’ve been operating the Corsa Pros for over a 12 months on varied bikes now, and to be able to get an actual flavour for them, I’ve not solely ridden them within the de facto ‘regular’ 28c width, but in addition in a 32c possibility, to see how they fare in opposition to the newest and best in wider rubber.
The quick story is that I actually like these tyres, although as with virtually all the things ever, they aren’t with out fault. They’re completely stunning to trip, particularly in bigger quantity sizes, however I’ve suffered barely with how they fare when arrange tubeless.
The tread is an easy, completely slick central tread, mixed with shoulders sporting parallel sipes, all bonded to a cotton carcass in the course of the vulcanising course of. (Image credit score: Will Jones)
Design and aesthetics
The new Corsa Pro seems very very like the outdated Corsa. The tread, the truth is, is unchanged. A slick centre, with shoulder sipes (the technical time period for the cuts within the tread) operating parallel with the path of journey. In the earlier era, this tread was bodily glued to the 320TPI cotton casing, which meant that, over time, the sides of the tread may peel up. Here, for the brand new model, the tread is successfully baked into the casing in the course of the vulcanisation course of, making a glueless, everlasting bond. Fans of supple tyres (me, on this case) will be pleased that the 320TPI casing stays.
Not having glue between cotton and rubber – glue that’s much less supple than the supplies it’s bonding – has claimed advantages over the outdated tyre by way of rolling resistance, and ditching the stepped shoulder from tyre tread to casing has claimed aerodynamic advantages too.
Forgive the odd color ranges within the picture, however it’s with a goal – look carefully on the sidewalls and you may see the person fibres that make up the cotton sidewalls, that are key to how these tyres trip. (Image credit score: Will Jones)
The bead has additionally modified over the outdated mannequin, with a profile designed to play higher with hookless rims, one thing that also depends on correct wheel and tyre dimension compatibility, as this 12 months’s industry-wide debate on the security of hookless rims demonstrates.
Claims of being sooner (Vittoria claims the Corsa Pro is 12% sooner, with 18% higher puncture safety and 4% lighter than the outdated mannequin) by the model apart, impartial testing by Bicycle Rolling Resistance exhibits the Corsa Pro to be 0.8 watts slower than an equal sized (28c) Continental GP5000 S TR, however with marginally higher grip and puncture safety.
I do urge you to problem your preconceptions about wider rubber if you happen to’re nonetheless doggedly sticking to 28c. Going for a 32c, if you happen to can match it, actually brings out the most effective within the Corsa Pro. (Image credit score: Will Jones)
Performance
If you’re on the lookout for a superbly clean, quick, and grippy highway bike tyre, then right here you’re. I’ve actually loved utilizing the Corsa Pro, and given its prolific use within the professional peloton it shouldn’t come as a shock to learn that my efficiency abstract is simply “these are actually, actually good”.
Putting apart the rolling resistance and lab-tested puncture resistance figures, what are they wish to trip? And extra pertinently, how do they examine to the opposite benchmark tyre, the Continental GP5000 S TR?
The greatest precise tangible distinction between the 2 is by way of the trip smoothness fairly than in straight line velocity. Just holding the Corsa Pros in a single’s hand you may really feel how simply they deform. This ease of deformation imparts a buttery smoothness on the trip that I’m but to have overwhelmed.
The smoothness is such that it does have fairly an insulating high quality on the trip really feel, too. I actually get pleasure from feeling like I’m virtually floating above the tarmac, fairly than immediately related to it, however I think that’s as a result of Britain is cursed with such appalling highway surfaces that any disconnect is welcome. This is, as you may think, enhanced additional by choosing the bigger dimension. Having tried each the 28c and 32c widths, I’d persist with 32c with out hesitation. The weight penalty is negligible, the consolation is elevated, and tubeless setups work higher as a result of the pressures are barely decrease.
Cornering really feel is a tough one right here. On paper, the Corsa Pro has higher grip than the GP5000 S TR, however I don’t assume that is totally borne out on the highway. The cotton casings fairly than the tread itself, inclined as they’re to deform extra simply, felt rather less safe in cornering than these of the Continental possibility, although this actually is splitting hairs. If you need to go down the broader tyre route then I actually do really feel like there’s benefit right here in pairing them with a wider rim inner width – I’ve been utilizing them with a set of Hunt 48 Limitless wheels with a 22.2mm inner width, and I’d most likely go wider, as much as 25mm or so, to get the most effective efficiency.
What you might run into if you happen to go for a wider rim although is the tread rolls much less far across the tread, decreasing the lean angle required to start out cornering on the sidewalls. For mortals, this is not actually a problem, however it’s maybe a purpose why Visma-Lease A Bike have been noticed utilizing an unreleased 29c model.
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Durability is one other robust one, and the lab information means that the Corsa Pro has higher puncture safety than that of the GP5000 S TR, however this isn’t borne out by my expertise. I’m not suggesting that my remoted expertise is extra correct than lab checks that present the Corsa Pro to be extra in a position to stand up to being pierced by a repeatable sharp object check, however repeatedly I’ve observed with the Corsa Pro, and with different cotton tyres because it occurs, that small punctures stubbornly refuse to seal the place they might be no situation on a vulcanised tyre.
I had one small (round 1mm) puncture that will seal, however then repeatedly reopen as soon as ridden. I used the identical sealant I all the time do, and I think that the latex-coated cotton carcass maybe bonds much less readily with the sealant, or that its extra versatile traits imply wounds are extra vulnerable to reopening with using, or possibly each. Plugging with a good tubeless plug had no constructive impact, and truly made it worse by opening the opening additional, leading to a sudden failure of the plug, regardless of it being given over 24 hours in place, unridden, to mattress in.
This is, then, a tyre which is able to take cautious consideration. They are costly, among the many costliest in the marketplace, and whereas they’re certainly one of my favorite tyres to trip by way of the traits they’ll impart, there’s all the time a component of danger concerned.
Bringing a spare tube is a should, in addition to the understanding that you’ll have to swap to internal tubes sooner or later even if you happen to start with tubeless. If you do run internal tubes, do the first rate factor and use latex ones – if you happen to purchase these and run butyl tubes you might as effectively go for the extra sturdy Corsa N.Ext and save your self some cash.
Wattage values apart, these are tyres which are good for individuals who need the most effective by way of trip really feel. (Image credit score: Will Jones)
Value
As they’ve been out for some time it’s doable to get them for decrease than their £90 / $105 retail worth, however regardless, these are costly tyres for individuals who demand the utmost by way of efficiency. By the numbers, they lose out by way of wattage, by a hair, to the GP5000 S TR, however in the actual world you’re not going to note this. Given their fragility, there’s an argument that in addition to being costly, there’s extra of a danger of prematurely shedding your funding.
High-end tyres although are getting dearer, and these aren’t outlandish within the context of the market phase through which they sit. I’m not going to assert they’re a discount, however they aren’t a rip-off both simply by dint of being costly.
Verdict
Truly a fantastic tyre to trip, particularly in wider widths, with a supple, insulating high quality that imparts a sense of floating, however whereas they’re on paper a number of the most grippy tyres on the market, the extra versatile carcass doesn’t really feel fairly so safe in laborious cornering.
If you worth trip really feel above all else then purchase these, however be ready to roll the cube with how effectively they take care of punctures.
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Testing scorecard and notes
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Design and aesthetics
Minor tweaks for incremental features, however it’s a case of if it ain’t broke, do not repair it, for which I’m a fan.
10/10
Performance
In phrases of pure efficiency these are about nearly as good as tyres get, each on paper and in the actual world.
10/10
Tubeless setup
For a cotton tyre the Corsa Pro arrange fairly painlessly, and held its air higher than many I’ve tried. They nonetheless go down extra readily than vulcanised choices although.
8/10
Puncture resistance
Very a lot an ‘it is tremendous till it is not’ tyre. I’ve had very innocuous holes right here that would not be a problem on vulcanised tyres pose an actual problem. The puncute resistance is first rate, however it’s the way it offers with punctures once they do occur that is the difficulty.
6/10
Value
You pay a excessive worth however you get actually nice efficiency. The relative fragility knocks them down slightly right here, however they’re no rip-off.
