25c Vittoria Open Corsa SC - A Real World Review

[eBAUMANN]

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/361/19894028079_e29deb6b87_b.jpg

Ive always been a fan of Vittoria's Open Corsa range, particularly the 25c EVO CX - smooth, fast, light, and fill out nicely on a wide rim, hard to dislike really. So with a 2 week vacation in the French Alps looming, I knew this was my chance to finally try out my dream tire, the EVO SC, which I long assumed too fragile for general use in the greater Boston area.

Boy was I wrong about that. The sidewalls of the SC seem to be very well sealed up, at least as well as the EVO CX version. So while maybe not as robust at a standard rubber sidewall, the SC's seem to have an edge in durability over a Veloflex Master, for example. They also stay pretty clean, even through riding in the dirt and the wet.

Now, lets get one thing out of the way - What AREN'T these tires? These tires are NOT your 4k mile training rubber that will just go and go and get squared off and sliced and just keep on rolling. They have very little rubber on em compared to say, a Conti GP4Ks, a tire which I regard as being among the best out there in terms of striking a balance between durability and ride-quality.

That said, I took the SC's across just about every kind of road available here in the mountains and they have not let me down, not once. Perfect pavement, crappy pavement, dirt, cow paths, crushed gravel, BIG gravel (seriously gnarly 13% twisting descent with drainage channels in road), they took it all in stride. Even an ascent of Alpe d'Huez the day after the tour came through, which means broken glass everywhere. No issues.

They roll beautifully smooth, stick to the road in even the tightest switchbacks, are light enough to not hold you down on a climb, easy on and off most rims, 320tpi(!), actually measure AT LEAST 25mm wide, and look awesome on almost any bike. The only drawback is how hard they can be to find in stock so buy a couple sets when you have the chance ;)

Chapeau Vittoria!

Sidenote regarding latex tubes - this was my first time using latex tubes as well, my feelings are mixed. The ride quality is undoubtedly the best I have ever experienced in a clincher, but I did have issues with tubes losing air. The standard 10-20lbs overnight was fine, but one morning I came down to find the tire completely flat. So i pumped it up and waiting 15 minutes, it seemed to be holding fine so I hopped on and climbed Col du Glandon. By the top of the climb I had about 20psi in the tire. So I hand-pumped it back up and descended, swapping for a butyl tube that night. So yea, still deciding if that risk is worth the reward

Anyways, here are some photos of a few of the roads I encountered over the past 2 weeks...

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/366/19892841650_dd91e5f1d0_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/466/19894196229_201ea4baf7_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/433/19892902550_9c212c4c70_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/510/19894258799_980e2669e3_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/500/20080974585_3d6eff7fe0_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/464/20081004895_44b10b87f8_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/539/20080839355_662cdf9559_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/418/20086140951_dfe6b79961_b.jpg
^ Alpe d'Huez and Bourg d'Oisans

[phcollard]

Thanks for the review and the... woah... amazing pictures of amazing rides. So not only you ride fast but you are also a talented photographer. I hate you!

[marciero]

Sounds like an awesome trip! Very nice mix of roads. I love mixing gravel roads in with mostly paved roads and approaching as a road ride, with 25-28 tires and road bike. I know many here use 27-28 even on D2R2-type rides.
The Vitoria do have a yummy-gummy feel that I really like, esp when new.
Right now am considering Vittoria Pave 27 to replaceme the Schwalbe One 28 one one bike (having received two defective tires) The other choice would be the Compass 28.

[jwess1234]

Nice review, pictures, bike, and most importantly ride!

[Vamoots58]

Amazing photos!!

[zank]

Beautiful pics!

And the rubber looks HOT on your ride. Pretty fun ripping down the biggest mountains on a frame you built, isn't it?

[Tim Porter]

Nice review and amazing pics. Now, after that litmus test in the mountains, how are you liking the bike you built? Any lessons learned, things you'd change, things you nailed the first time, etc.? Sorry for the hijack, but it'd be interesting . . . . Tim

[Javaman]

Oh man! Awesome review! But I must admit I clicked your post for the pictures. :):banana:

[AngryScientist]

nice!

i must say that on a trip like that, you probably could have been riding armadillos and enjoyed the ride. bike looks great! can we expect a full ride report about the rest of the trip?

[stephenmarklay]

Thanks for the pics and review. Awesome. How is the SC different than the CX. Is it just sidewall color?

[guido]

Beautiful pics Eric! I still like my Compass tires though...

[rain dogs]

Seconded. I just put SC's on my bike on Saturday. I actually thought there wasn't really any difference in SC's and CX's other than sidewall colour and rubber surface compound (which I thought would only effect durability/grip)

But man, there is a difference. I love CX's. They are spectacular, but these SC's feel even better. I was surprised I even noticed a difference, but the difference (especially in how they roll), IMHO could not be more noticeable.

I'm sure I'm not going faster, (and I honestly don't really care) but it does feel like it. Get a nice big sh*t-eating grin riding these tires. :D

[CDollarsign]

More importantly, that spray painted dong on the sign in the first pic is super cool.

[bobswire]

Beautiful bike, roads,terrain.

[ANAO]

Fantastic, thank you Eric.

What are you shooting with?

[velotel]

You rode some good places. I'm guess the first shot is somewhere above the second shot which is just above Flumet, road to Saisies. Third and fourth shots no idea where, fifth shot north side Col du Joly, on the ski area roads, last three Col du Solude. Like I said, you did some very fine roads. Nice.

[OtayBW]

So while maybe not as robust at a standard rubber sidewall, the SC's seem to have an edge in durability over a Veloflex Master, for example. Durable in what way? I find the Veloflex Masters to have a much better tread life than the Vittoria Open Corsas with no more - or less - puncture resistance.

[eBAUMANN]

Zank and Tim - I feel beyond lucky to be able to test the bike in some of the most beautiful and demanding terrain in the world, not a mile goes by that it doesn't cross my mind. i didn't really do anything crazy with the geometry, pretty tried and true angles that just work, and man, do they WORK. Up over 60mph...stable as can be, it never felt sluggish on a climb, and always held a perfect line through a switchback. I put in 100+ mile days with around 15k feet of climbing (stage 19 of the tour) and could not have asked for more from the bike, might need to rethink the saddle choice for that many hours though ;)

ANAO - b&w shot with a ricoh gr, color was from iPhone 6

OtayBW - i may have to edit that statement, especially after an experience I just had in the hours immediately following the posting of this thread..stay tuned.

----

If there is interest in a ride-by-ride report, id be happy to put something nice together with pics and routes and info for you guys. Just finished up my last ride of the trip after around 12 days of consecutive riding, headed back to boston tomorrow morning.

[denapista]

I had a short stint on Corsa SC tubular tires. My 3rd ride I popped my front a block from my house.. So I just chalk that up to South Pasadena not keeping the streets clean, and my lack of running low PSI in tubular tires. I find that 80-90psi is the sweet spot. Also when it's blazing hot, I see that Latex tubes lose air faster than normal. One climb on FMB's, I kept losing air pressure. I was constantly pumping and losing air, due to the high road temps.

I've been riding Veloflex Master 25c clinchers, and I put these things through hell. Dirt road with huge rocks, etc. They've been holding up like champs! I'm now riding Vittoria Pave 27c (Black) and man these may be the best tires yet. So fast at 70psi and they're so plump on 25mm rims. Easy to mount as well. I really want to try latex tubes in the Pave's but I'm scared of the heating issues in LA. The road temps on some of the Mountain roads (GMR, HWY39, GRR) are scorching hot in the summer.

My next set of wheels (Tubular), I'm going with the Vittoria Corsa Elite tires. You can get them so cheap, and they still ride somewhat like 320tpi Corsa's

[dk2ck]

I usually use Veloflex Masters but maybe I'll need to try these Open Corsa SCs. Anyone have more ride comparisons? The Veloflexes are great and I have no complaints about them, but maybe some variety would be good!

[tv_vt]

I've been using both the Veloflex Master 25 and Open Corsa SC 25 this year. Both are great. The Vittoria SC is definitely a bigger tire. Veloflex almost look like 23's. But I have been surprised at how little tire tread wear there has been with both of these tires. They're lasting longer than I expected.

[denapista]

all I run are Vittoria and Veloflex tires. IMHO the Vittoria tires have a lower rolling resistance and they just feel faster all around. They wear faster than Master/Corsa tires, and they cut easily.

Veloflex tires are fast rolling, but not the same feel as the Vittoria Corsa tires. Possibly the 320tpi Vittoria gives it that feel. The Master/Corsa tires do get rocks stuck in them when riding, so pay close attention. Don't let a pebble work itself into your tire, which will cause a deep cut and flat. I think Master/Corsa tires are more durable off road wise. I've ridden long dirt trails, etc on the Veloflex tires and they've been running like champs.

Both tires are somewhat identical in terms of performance, with Vittoria having a better feel to them. That being said, Veloflex tires always pop up on sale, so that's mostly the reason I run them back to back. Biketiresdirect always has them on sale for under $30-40/ea

[soulspinner]

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/361/19894028079_e29deb6b87_b.jpg

Ive always been a fan of Vittoria's Open Corsa range, particularly the 25c EVO CX - smooth, fast, light, and fill out nicely on a wide rim, hard to dislike really. So with a 2 week vacation in the French Alps looming, I knew this was my chance to finally try out my dream tire, the EVO SC, which I long assumed too fragile for general use in the greater Boston area.

Boy was I wrong about that. The sidewalls of the SC seem to be very well sealed up, at least as well as the EVO CX version. So while maybe not as robust at a standard rubber sidewall, the SC's seem to have an edge in durability over a Veloflex Master, for example. They also stay pretty clean, even through riding in the dirt and the wet.

Now, lets get one thing out of the way - What AREN'T these tires? These tires are NOT your 4k mile training rubber that will just go and go and get squared off and sliced and just keep on rolling. They have very little rubber on em compared to say, a Conti GP4Ks, a tire which I regard as being among the best out there in terms of striking a balance between durability and ride-quality.

That said, I took the SC's across just about every kind of road available here in the mountains and they have not let me down, not once. Perfect pavement, crappy pavement, dirt, cow paths, crushed gravel, BIG gravel (seriously gnarly 13% twisting descent with drainage channels in road), they took it all in stride. Even an ascent of Alpe d'Huez the day after the tour came through, which means broken glass everywhere. No issues.

They roll beautifully smooth, stick to the road in even the tightest switchbacks, are light enough to not hold you down on a climb, easy on and off most rims, 320tpi(!), actually measure AT LEAST 25mm wide, and look awesome on almost any bike. The only drawback is how hard they can be to find in stock so buy a couple sets when you have the chance ;)

Chapeau Vittoria!

Sidenote regarding latex tubes - this was my first time using latex tubes as well, my feelings are mixed. The ride quality is undoubtedly the best I have ever experienced in a clincher, but I did have issues with tubes losing air. The standard 10-20lbs overnight was fine, but one morning I came down to find the tire completely flat. So i pumped it up and waiting 15 minutes, it seemed to be holding fine so I hopped on and climbed Col du Glandon. By the top of the climb I had about 20psi in the tire. So I hand-pumped it back up and descended, swapping for a butyl tube that night. So yea, still deciding if that risk is worth the reward

Anyways, here are some photos of a few of the roads I encountered over the past 2 weeks...

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/366/19892841650_dd91e5f1d0_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/466/19894196229_201ea4baf7_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/433/19892902550_9c212c4c70_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/510/19894258799_980e2669e3_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/500/20080974585_3d6eff7fe0_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/464/20081004895_44b10b87f8_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/539/20080839355_662cdf9559_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/418/20086140951_dfe6b79961_b.jpg
^ Alpe d'Huez and Bourg d'Oisans

Great pics.

[makoti]

Very nice. Great pics & nice review of the tires.

[icepick_trotsky]

Looking forward to many more photos, @eBAUMANN.

What kind of gearing did you have for those cols?

[stansarch]

Great photos! I too have used the Vittoria's with success, although after a 1,000ish miles in commuting they can develop pretty big gashes - but they still work fine for what I need.

I noticed the rims being carbon clinchers - sometimes latex tubes, warm weather and heavy downhill braking just don't mix and the heat causes them to fail in curious ways. The fact it wasn't inflating for long probably says as much. Just a thought, I could be wrong! :cool:

[tv_vt]

What wheels are those - Zipp 202 clinchers?

"IMSHICYCLES" on the down tube - care to explain the origin of your bike? Sounds like there's a story there.

[professerr]

I too use Vittoria Open Corsa and Veloflex clinchers.

I agree with the post above, and prefer the feel of the Vittorias. The Vittorias in 23 are actually very slightly wider than the Veloflex 25s on my HED wheels. The Vittorias have a more dampened ride. The Veloflex feel more "bouncy", which is surprising given the Vittorias are actually bigger.

The Veloflex seem to wear longer, but that just my general sense -- I never tracked it. The Veloflex seem to flat slightly less, but my sample size -- 2 or 3 flats a year -- is way too small to draw any conclusion.

As for the comments above about latex tubes losing air, well, if it goes flat over night or down to 20lbs during a ride, then you simply got a slow leak that's all.

[eBAUMANN]

all I run are Vittoria and Veloflex tires. IMHO the Vittoria tires have a lower rolling resistance and they just feel faster all around. They wear faster than Master/Corsa tires, and they cut easily.

Veloflex tires are fast rolling, but not the same feel as the Vittoria Corsa tires. Possibly the 320tpi Vittoria gives it that feel. The Master/Corsa tires do get rocks stuck in them when riding, so pay close attention. Don't let a pebble work itself into your tire, which will cause a deep cut and flat. I think Master/Corsa tires are more durable off road wise. I've ridden long dirt trails, etc on the Veloflex tires and they've been running like champs.

Both tires are somewhat identical in terms of performance, with Vittoria having a better feel to them. That being said, Veloflex tires always pop up on sale, so that's mostly the reason I run them back to back. Biketiresdirect always has them on sale for under $30-40/ea

Spot on! This is exactly what I was gonna say.

The 25c Veloflex tires look tiny compared to the SC's, even on a wide firecrest rim, they measure around 2mm narrower. They just don't feel as supple and smooth rolling as the Vittorias at the same pressure.

That said, the tread on veloflex master/corsa's seems to be thicker and made of a harder rubber compared to the SC's. Good for durability and resistance to road crap but maybe sacrificing a little comfort in the process, which isn't all that terrible of a trade off.

And this brings me to a quick follow up based on my ride today, or rather, everything that happened before my ride today (right after I posted this thread up).

I went down to grab my bike off the rack and the rear tire was flat, 2nd time this has happened in a few days. I pumped it up and listened...slow leak. So I took the tire off and tried to find whatever might have caused the puncture, didn't see anything suspicious. Put a new tube in, pumped it up and off I went. Everything was going great and them PSSSSSSSSSTHHHHTTTTTTTT, rear tire went flat after a mile of descending.

This wouldn't have been as big of a deal had the spare tube I was carrying also not had a slow leak (smart move on my part, I know). So I put the less-busted of the 2 in the tire and climbed a mile back home, stopping 5 times to top up the tire. It sucked.

So, convinced there was some phantom glass in the SC, I swapped it out for a fresh veloflex corsa I had brought along as backup, grabbed a new tube, and I was finally in business.

I could immediately feel a difference in the ride. It was striking. The front maintained that smooth SC feel but man, the rear just felt hard, like I was riding on a 23c at 120psi instead of 25c at 105. It was ok, don't get me wrong, it just lacked that magic carpet feeling of the SC's.

So, moral of the story: SC's seem to hold onto road crap in a rather devious way, leading to a lot of swearing...but they just ride so damn nice.

[eBAUMANN]

What wheels are those - Zipp 202 clinchers?

"IMSHICYCLES" on the down tube - care to explain the origin of your bike? Sounds like there's a story there.

202's yep.

Bike info is HERE (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=170131).
Long story short - I made the frame ;)

[sailorboy]

Nice review, thx Eric. And yea, I saw how you rubbed that trip in our faces there...

:mad:

[Tickdoc]

I don't care what kind of tires you ride that is an awesome bike and the pics are lovely. Must get there some day. Was it a pain and/ or expensive to pack the bike?

[bicycletricycle]

Unfortunately those pictures aren't of my "real world"

:)

[eBAUMANN]

Unfortunately those pictures aren't of my "real world"

:)

Me neither haha, that actually occurred to me after posting. But again, I probably wouldn't ride SC's as an everyday/"real world" tire, just not enough meat on em. After 670mi the rear center tread has worn off and is showing a few mild cuts, so even in relatively ideal conditions these tires sacrifice mileage for ride quality. Which is a trade I'm willing to make for 2 weeks in the Alps, but probably not back home.

[eBAUMANN]

I don't care what kind of tires you ride that is an awesome bike and the pics are lovely. Must get there some day. Was it a pain and/ or expensive to pack the bike?

Hah thanks! Ive been using a trico sports iron case so it's always a pain to pack, yea. Just bought a new case a few days ago from the CC sale so hopefully this is the last I'll have to use this one.

We flew aer Lingus this time around and they don't charge for bikes on international flights, which was pretty nice.

[thwart]

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/500/20080974585_3d6eff7fe0_b.jpg

Chapeau, Eric.

[tuscanyswe]

This is my 3rd corsa cs this has happened to. Lots of thread left but unfortunetly rdy for the bin :/ getting annoying and expensive.

[juanj]

Great review, fantastic photos. My experiences with the Corsa SC are similar to yours. It's a tire that feels light and nimble, especially on climbs and rollers. I've been riding Corsa SCs all spring and into summer, and after a brief stint with some 28mm Schwalbes, I reinstalled the SCs and noticed a difference in how they are able to accelerate and maintain speed.

I think it's a tire that can foster a love/hate relationship. You love them when they're rolling, but hate them if you are unlucky to get too many flats too quickly. I got two flats within a week of installing them in the spring, and that was frustrating. Now I haven't had a flat in 3-4 months.

Regarding Vittoria SC and CX, what are the actual differences between these two tires, beyond the tan walls of the SC? The product descriptions on Ribble and other sites are kind of vague.

[teleguy57]

Sidenote regarding latex tubes - this was my first time using latex tubes as well, my feelings are mixed. The ride quality is undoubtedly the best I have ever experienced in a clincher, but I did have issues with tubes losing air. The standard 10-20lbs overnight was fine, but one morning I came down to find the tire completely flat. So i pumped it up and waiting 15 minutes, it seemed to be holding fine so I hopped on and climbed Col du Glandon. By the top of the climb I had about 20psi in the tire. So I hand-pumped it back up and descended, swapping for a butyl tube that night. So yea, still deciding if that risk is worth the reward



I find that 80-90psi is the sweet spot.I'm now riding Vittoria Pave 27c (Black) and man these may be the best tires yet. So fast at 70psi and they're so plump on 25mm rims. Easy to mount as well. I really want to try latex tubes in the Pave's but I'm scared of the heating issues in LA.

My next set of wheels (Tubular), I'm going with the Vittoria Corsa Elite tires. You can get them so cheap, and they still ride somewhat like 320tpi Corsa's


I went down to grab my bike off the rack and the rear tire was flat, 2nd time this has happened in a few days. I pumped it up and listened...slow leak. So I took the tire off and tried to find whatever might have caused the puncture, didn't see anything suspicious. Put a new tube in, pumped it up and off I went. Everything was going great and them PSSSSSSSSSTHHHHTTTTTTTT, rear tire went flat after a mile of descending.

This wouldn't have been as big of a deal had the spare tube I was carrying also not had a slow leak (smart move on my part, I know). So I put the less-busted of the 2 in the tire and climbed a mile back home, stopping 5 times to top up the tire. It sucked.

So, convinced there was some phantom glass in the SC, I swapped it out for a fresh veloflex corsa I had brought along as backup, grabbed a new tube, and I was finally in business.


Wow, can't believe I missed this thread until now. Amazing photos, Eric. Thanks for sharing them. And I appreciate all the comments on the SCs.

I just put a set of SC 25 tubs on my Aeolus D3 3 tubs and wow, they do ride nice. 80 front, 85 rear is really a sweet spot for my fat butt.

I have Corsa Elites tubs on my Nucleons for training, and would have gone with those had they come in tan sidewalls, but very happy I went with the SCs.

I also have 27mm Pave tubs on my Nemesis, and they only measure out at 26.5 so I don't think they do significantly more than the Corsa Elites in 25.

BTW, Eric, did you check the valve core when you were losing air with the tire? I've found more often than not when I have leaks as you described it's the valve core has loosened from the pump head going on and off -- just enough to hold air for a while, but also to allow a slow leak.

This is my 3rd corsa cs this has happened to. Lots of thread left but unfortunetly rdy for the bin :/ getting annoying and expensive. Wow, looks like the issues I had with Challenge Strada tubs. Sorry you're having that experience. I think some across the hall also were getting frustrated with their Veloflex experience. I'll keep a close eye on my SCs.

[Cicli]

This is my 3rd corsa cs this has happened to. Lots of thread left but unfortunetly rdy for the bin :/ getting annoying and expensive.

I know Veloflex warns about the sharp edge on the hook of some carbon wheels. Maybe Vittorias have the same issue?

[CampyorBust]

Gorgeous pics, sweet bike, great review, amazing trip! I wish there were more threads like this.

I am trying to wrap my head around how you got splatter paint to fade?