11/6/15 12:12 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvcR5xSmkG0

http://www.vittoria.com/tires/road-tire/page/1/
http://www.vittoria.com/tires/road-tire/page/2/

11/8/15 7:43 PM

Just about the only thing I buy without concern for price is Open Pave tires. Yes, there are a lot more options for slightly wider tires these days, but the Open Pave tires ride sooooooo gooooooood, wear really well for a high end tire, are reasonably flat resistant, and are just a really good tire. IMO, the best tire Vittoria ever made. I've been riding them since they were called "Open All Weathers". When I'm done typing this I'm going to find someone still selling them online and buy 4 pairs. Am I a retrogrouch? A curmudgeon? The Open Pave is a really great tire. Based on the new lineup of tires this might be the last time I buy Vittorias and I've been a diehard Vittoria user for 15 years. So sad.

11/8/15 9:35 PM

Agree, have Paves on the Strong green machine and on the copper Reynolds 753 bike.
27/27 on the disc bike and 25/27 on the 753 bike. They ride sweet to be sure. Have one extra too. ;) I may order a few before they are gone totally...


EDIT: $39.00 @ Probikekit.com BTW. Just ordered some...

11/9/15 10:00 AM

Yeah, don't grouch too much. Open Paves are cheap now for a bit as they're discontinued. And from what I'm hearing, the new Vit's might be very, very good, if pricey.

11/9/15 11:27 AM

I look at the CX EVOs from time to time when on sale. But last time I put on a pair I the rear wore faster than anything I have ever ridden. Now there is the 25mm CX I wonder if I should try some again. But I have a good stock of the GP4KS Chili in a drawer...

11/9/15 5:01 PM

I don't know about the Paves but I've had great performance and durability from Vittoria's Rubino Pros and Rubino Pro Slicks. If I catch a sale they are about $25 each. In 700-23 they weigh about 220 grams, ride and handle very well, get very few punctures and give me 4000+ miles as a rear tire.

11/9/15 5:25 PM

I have some 25C Rubino Pro folding non slick, but find them slick in the grip dept. I have blown lines pushing turns fast honestly. They ride nice, cost nice, etc. But I can't feel confident on them for aggressive moves. Had some of the slick ones I put on a bike to sell, They stuck nice but got cuts on the first ride. So I think those are not for me. I opt for spending for the GP4Ks... But going form the Paves to the GP4Ks the ride difference is evident...

11/9/15 5:37 PM

As to fast tire wear, you have to be sure that the tires have been aged properly. Back in the day (and to this day) racing tubulars were aged to get the rubber to fully cure/harden. Tires that wear really fast might be "fresh from the mold" and the rubber might be quite soft. Great traction but super fast wear. Tires that have been in the supply chain pipeline for a few months might wear a lot better than those fresh from the factory.

11/9/15 6:22 PM

Agree on aging. I have a bunch of tires in a drawer in the garage, mostly GK4K 25mm. The Paves I just ordered won't get used until late 2016 earliest.

I find they cut less and pickup flints and shards less when aged. I still have a few Axial Pro 25C new, and a few I mounted that have no cuts. And back in the day when I used them new I recall cuts always.

11/9/15 6:37 PM

as i understand it, vulcanized tires are "fully aged" when you buy them.

aging is more for old-school tubies (and open tubies) where the tread is glued to the carcass.

11/9/15 6:54 PM

So do you think my observations are due to something else instead?

11/11/15 5:03 PM

While it is true that tires come from the factory "fully vulcanized" that does not mean that they won't continue to age. The rubber will harden with time due to oxidation. Plus there is a trace of residual vulcanizing compound in the rubber that can react slowly. I have never heard of an actual study on this, but there is little doubt that tires harden with age.

11/11/15 6:46 PM

I'm torn.

I don't believe in stockpiling any more, but they've gotten rid of all three tires that I currently favor: Open Corsa CX (summer rear), Diamante Pro (winter tire), and Diamante Pro Light (summer front).

11/11/15 9:33 PM

no debate, vulcanized tires certainly do age.

aging non-vulcanized tires brings their hardness/durability up to "good" or desireable hardness.

aging vulcanized tires takes them from "good" into hard and brittle.