Released by Vittoria today is the CORSA N.EXT, in both foldable tubed and tubeless versions. This tire is interesting to me mostly because of its tubeless version and because it’s good for hookless rims at its 28mm size and up. I no longer ride any tires thinner than this for any kind of riding I do on pavement, and in that 28mm size it models well aerodynamically with the kinds of wheels I ride. More on that later.
This tire might be interesting to you if you’re not like me, and most of you aren’t. We’re polling this right now, and for your next wheelset for pavement riding most of you indicate you’ll remain on a tire + tube system. Why would this tire work for you, tubed or tubeless?
My go-to tire for most of my everyday riding on a wide range of tubeless wheels has been the Schwalbe Pro One. Acknowledging that the Continental GP 5000 S TR is a very worthy option, most of my riding is not racing; it often includes rideable dirt; and the Pro One (not the Pro One TT) has been a great mixture of fast + reliable and flat-free (remaining careful to spike the football on that). This new tire from Vittoria is in that same class as the Pro One, and may exceed the Pro One in certain performance categories. I’ll be interested to see what Bicycle Rolling Resistance, Aerocoach, and other drum and aero sensor testers might say about this tire.
A lot of the bikes you might buy new these days come with Vittoria Rubino Pro as original equipment. This is the non-racing race tire, that is, it’s cheap enough to spec OE, and you can race on it, and it’s not a Gatorskin (not that slow; not that puncture resistant). The Corsa N.EXT is a vulcanized tire that exceeds the puncture resistance you might find in Vittoria’s Corsa Control, which is saying something because Vittoria considers this its Spring Classic tire. What Vittoria publishes is the performance of the N.EXT against the Rubino (see graphic above). Just, before you get too excited realize that the Rubino is a great value, but isn’t a world class race tire. (What I would have liked to see from Vittoria is that same kind of comparison, just against the Corsa Control.)
The tubeless version is made in widths from 24mm to 34mm, in 2mm increments (see that in the pricing image below). All sizes other than the 24mm and 26mm widths can be ridden on both hooked and hookless rims. One thing I appreciate that Vittoria has done is embed the max tire pressures for both hooked and hookless use in the sidewall (above), and they’re both printed on the heat stamp (below).
One thing about that heat stamp. If you get a flat and you have a question about how to fix it (or a question about how to mount the tire for first use), if you point your phone’s camera at the QR code on the tire the use intructions pop up. While less charming this might be more user friendly than other methods of tire change instructions.
About the aero performance, I wrote in the opening paragraph that it “models well aerodynamically.” I chose my phrase strategically, because I don’t know how well it performs. I only know that Slowtwitchers are – until convinced by new and compelling data – devotees to the Rule of 105, which says that the width of the outside of the rim should be 105% (or more) the width of the tire. When ridden in its 28mm size this tire just about exactly hits that 105% threshold on most of the rims I’m riding now, from ENVE, Zipp, CADEX, Shimano, HED, Bontrager, because all these wheels – hooked and hookless – are built with 22.5mm to 25mm internal bead widths. These wider rims all are about 30mm to 32mm wide on the outside (to my calipers), and this tire inflates to about 29mm in its 28mm size.
This is a vulcanized tire, as opposed to the Corsa Speed and other Vittoria tires that have cotton casings. The big disappointment is going to be this choice of construction versus a cotton sidewall. The cotton tires are faster and always have been, going back many decades. Why make a slower tire as your first hookless-compatible offering? Fair question.
This is the sweet spot in the marketplace Vittoria felt it wanted to exploit. The closest current tire Vittoria makes to the N.EXT is the Corsa Control. According to Vittoria, the N.EXT is a noticeably, measurably more robust tire than the Corsa Control as regards puncture resistance. Take IRONMAN racing as an example, Vittoria felt like the typical racer won’t appreciate the short lifespan of the cotton sidewall tires, and the greatly increased likelihood of flats. The Corsa N.EXT offers the durability that the Conti Gatorskin crowd wants, but the rolling resistance that’s closer to what you’d get out of the Schwalbe Pro One. (But, again, we’ll need to see independent data on this.)
The tire is not cheap at $85 (tubeless), but I would hazard a guess riders will get 3x the mileage out of a N.EXT versus the cotton sidewall models of tire Vittoria makes for racing. Because it’s vulcanized it’s not going to exhibit sidewall leakdown. It gives hookless wheel riders a very important option, sitting alongside the Conti GP 5000 S TR, Schwalbe’s Pro One series, and tires by Veloflex, Pirelli and Specialized. All that said – and with all-due gratitude that this new tires exists – that “high tech bead” in the tire construction graphic above placed in a cotton sidewall tire, in a 28mm size, might be the basis for a pretty compelling race tire for the new breed of hookless wheels. I would like to see that tire.
Here’s more about the Vittoria Corsa N.EXT.
