Vittoria is an Italian bicycle tire manufacturer, headquartered in Madone, Italy. Established in 1953, the company is one of the leading bicycle tire and tube manufacturers in the world, and produces around 5 million tires annually. We got the opportunity to test their Rubino Pro 700x25c road bicycle tire and here is what we thought.
The Vittoria Rubino Pro Control has been built with the G+ graphene triple compound (3C), a very light and strong form of carbon fiber that is proven to enhance longevity of the tire, improve gripping on all surfaces and reduce the rolling resistance, it is a stronger version of the older Rubino Pro and is made to tackle even the toughest of road conditions. The tread that wraps the tire from bead-to-bead has been reinforced with a thicker layer of rubber and the sidewalls have been beefed up with an extra layer of the PRB anti-puncture layer inside the casing that dramatically reduces cuts, punctures, and general wear of the tire.
The Rubino Pro control is designed to be an all-season tire that can be used anywhere from hot, tropical conditions to extremely cold conditions. The tire offers superior mileage, protection and grip, while the speed, rolling resistance and weight take a hit due to its thickness. All these factors make the Rubino Pro Control an ideal choice for everyday training.
The Rubino Pro Control comes in three different configurations of it’s foldable bead tire model, namely 700x23C, 700x25C and 700x28C. The one we tested was the 25C width, which weighed around 305 gms and is not the lightest of the lot, but was totally expected of any tire that offers this level of puncture protection and reinforcement.
The tire can be inflated up to a maximum pressure of 145 psi and thus able to reduce the rolling resistance by increasing the tire pressure to the maximum. As expected from a tire that offers better protection, rolling resistance is a bit on the higher side at around 17 watts at 120 psi tire pressure. The thickness of the tire at the center of the tread is 3.3 mm and the sidewall thickness is 1.05 mm, a bit higher than most tires of this segment. This increased thickness of the sidewalls is the result of an extra layer of casing inside the tire.
Overall Rating
The thicker tread, reinforced sidewalls and 3C graphene compound that provide higher mileage and better grip and protection make the Rubino Pro Control a decent option for everyday use. This is one tire that wouldn’t have me worrying about punctures even when riding without an inner liner. But the high rolling resistance and increased weight and thickness of the tire make its racing qualities virtually null. Priced at Rs. 1,990, the only attractive feature of the tire is its Graphene+ 3C compound.
Prices are subject to change by the brand, without due notice.