Vittoria has added a 38mm and a 42mm tyre width to its Corsa Pro Control tyre range. The Corsa Pro Control was previously available in widths from 26mm up to 34mm in 2mm increments, so the two wider tyres extend the number of options to seven.
Vittoria claims the new tyre widths cater for road, endurance and gravel riders and provide race-level performance on cobbles and fine gravel without compromising speed while also increasing comfort on tarmac.
It reports that lab testing and rider feedback show the optimum tyre width for speed, efficiency, comfort and control is between 28mm and 30mm, widths now usually chosen by the pros. But as more bikes offer significantly wider clearance and are engineered for optimum performance with wider tyres, it says that there’s a market for tyres with increased width, particularly to ride on less smooth surfaces.
‘With the introduction of the 38mm and 42mm sizes, Vittoria expands the performance scope of Corsa Pro Control, responding to how riders actually use modern road and gravel-race bikes today,’ says Vanessa ten Hoff, Vittoria’s chief marketing and innovation officer.
If you’re heading to more technical off-road, Ten Hoff recommends the recently updated Terreno tyre range.
As with Vittoria’s other Corsa Pro tyres, the Corsa Pro Control has a 320TPI cotton casing. But the Corsa Pro Control tyre range has a tread that’s 30% thicker and 13% wider than the Corsa Pro, to increase puncture protection and durability.
The new widths share the existing Corsa Pro Control range’s tread pattern with a slick central band, with herringbone siping on the shoulders for grip and stability through corners. They also use the same graphene-silica compound.
Vittoria isn’t the only brand to have launched an extra-wide road tyre, with Pirelli now offering its P Zero Race TLR in a 40mm width. When we reviewed the 40mm P Zero Race TLR last year, we were impressed with the super-plush ride and greater speed compared to a gravel tyre on tarmac. At the same time, we found it felt ponderous on smooth roads, in part due to the 460g weight, 125g more than a 30mm P Zero Race.
Vittoria states a 420g weight per tyre for the 38mm width and 480g per 42mm Corsa Pro Control tyre, up on the 360g weight of the previously widest 34mm. As with other widths, these are tan sidewalls only and Vittoria manufactures the tyres in a carbon-neutral factory.
All widths of the Corsa Pro Control tyre are priced at €95.95 / $106.99.