Vittoria is a brand long synonymous with racing. Founded in 1953, they have been the rubber of choice for many world champions and have a pedigree few can argue with. Vittoria is expanding their offering this year getting into both carbon and aluminum wheels and introducing rubber into the lineup with a Graphene additive claiming to increase traction, decrease rolling resistance, and improve durability.

Vittoria Open Corsa G+ Initial Impressions

Out of the box, the new Vittoria Corsa’s feel similar to the previous generation of their tires. What is different is the tread. It is more linear than the familiar ‘arrow sipened’ versions which was the benchmark previously. The general feel of the tires is very supple, which is a feature that supports the theory that it is better to have a lower PSI, fatter tire gripping the ground, then the previous idea that narrow and hard is faster.

I mounted them on a set of H Plus Son rims, which offer a wider inner rim width(23mm inner). This tends to offer more tire performance compared to the traditional 17mm rims offered in the past. The wider rim allows the tire to have a more ‘flat’ profile when leading into the brake track, instead of a ‘balloon’ shape.

Riding the Vittoria Open Corsa G+

The tan sidewalls are a striking feature that leads to a ‘love it or hate it’ attitude with most people. Personally, I think it ads some class to otherwise muted bikes, and provides a distinctive look. Riding the Open Corsa is fantastic. They provide almost tubular-like quality, and with the help of the 25c width, offers a heavenly ride. The grip is fantastic. Whether it is from the Graphine compound or the wider 25c width, I was never in a spot of concern.

The Graphine feature Vittoria is exclusively using claims to lessen rolling resistance unlike any other tire on the market which of course leads to free speed. This is difficult to feel during real riding situations, but testing from independent testers confirm Vittoiras claim.

With over 1500km on the Corsa, it has had normal signs of wear and tear. Keep in mind this is not an all weather training tire but rather a speed-at-all-cost tire for racing. Corsa of course means “Race” in Italian. Because of this, durability is expected to suffer slightly. Over my time on these tires I experienced a single half inch cut on the tire, but continued to ride on them. The cut has remained the same size, and it didn’t result in a flat. Overall, I feel that their durability and wear are on par, or better than most other tires on the market in this range, and I wouldn’t hesitate to BUY a set for myself.

The Open Corsas looks, proven speed, durability, and weight, point them to being one of the best tires available on the market that can improve your ride.