2010 Vittoria XM 320tpi tubular review

Note: I was not paid to do this review, nor did I receive these tires for free for review. I paid with my own money to purchase these tires.

Vittoria is typically not the first name you turn to for cyclocross tires. Most riders will turn to Dugast, FMB, Challenge and Tufo. Vittoria's tread patterns are on par with other offerings but their slick silver/grey rubber and not so supple casings left much to desire.

But that has changed. Vittoria has really stepped up their game this year with the new 320 tpi casing and new black rubber. This is not the first time I have rode Vittoria's new casing. I rode their Corsa Evo CX II during the road season and it was one of the best road tubulars I have ridden. I could only imagine back in the summer what this casing could do for a cyclocross tubular.

The easiest way to tell if a tire is the new 320 tpi casing is by looking at the valve stem. The 48mm red anodized valve stems quickly tell you that its the new casing. I do have mixed feelings about this new valve stem system. The aluminum stem unscrews from the base of the tube. Supposedly, Vittoria is supposed to release longer valve stems to accommodate deeper rims. For the time being, you are to remove the red stem, screw the extender into the tube and screw the red stem into the extender. There are a few downsides to this stem. The valve itself is non-removable. If you break off the nut, then you are screwed. You have to get a new stem and you might have to rip off the tire. Second, since you can't remove the core, how are you to inject stan's if you get a small puncture?

The first thing I noticed when pulling these new tires out of the shipping box is how supple the casing was. No stiff casing that held its shape. The casing is more supple than a standard Challenge tire and from what I have heard, on par with a Dugast. The new rubber is also a highlight. The new rubber is black and very sticky.

After your typical stretch and layers of glue, it was finally time to mount the tires. There really is nothing harder to mount than cyclocross tubulars. Often high end handmade tubulars are hard to get straight. This new XM was as easy as mounting a road tubular. The tires were easy to stretch over on the rim and they went on straight the first time! What? It went on straight the first time? Yup, try that with a Dugast.

I mounted the front as shown above and reversed in the rear for added forward grip. I emailed Vittoria regarding rotating direction and they told me there should be a rotation arrow, which there isn't. Sorry its still a little dirty from this weekend.

It isn't a Vittoria without the 1 foot long tire hot stamp.

Now how does it ride? I had the pleasure of taking it out on two muddy races this past weekend. The first race had about a 1/3 of a lap of mud and the other 2/3 lap ranging from dry to tacky. In a pre-ride, I had both XM's mounted. This tire grips and grips in the mud. You simply can just ride though stuff like it was dry. However once I left the muddy section, I instantly noticed that I was working harder than I should. The lack of a center ridge makes the tire pretty slow on drier ground. I compromised and ran a XM in the rear and Challenge Fango up front.

Sunday's race was a bit muddier. After sliding all over the place with Fango's I threw on the XM's for a test spin. The tires did what they were designed to do and gave me the confidence and grip around the course. I was able to take muddy corners at good speeds, climb up muddy hills and descend with confidence. But once again, on dry sections, I noticed I had to work a little harder. The tread design is more oriented slide through the corners rather than giving absolute cornering grip. Some people may not like this feeling and may be unnerving for beginner riders.

To wrap up, the new Vittoria XM is a great new tire. The advancements of Vittoria's casing and rubber compound puts them back into the game. I'm sure the other two tires in Vittoria's line with the new casing and rubber will preform just as well in their respective uses. The XM tread design is great, especially when it is muddy. However it is strictly a mud tire. It doesn't do so well when it is dry. Another concern is the treads are rather thin and add in the soft rubber, it may wear quick. I would avoid warming up on the road or trainer with this tire.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Price ~$100

Pros: New 320tpi Supple Casing, new sticky rubber, great tread for mud, new valve design

Cons: Rolls slow in dry conditions limiting use other than mud, thin treads may wear quick, new valve design