Vittoria has officially revealed its new flagship Corsa Pro TLR tyre, which arrives with the claim of a 12 per cent reduction in rolling resistance compared to the outgoing model.
The new Corsa Pro range replaces the existing Corsa line-up and contains three tyres, the aforementioned Corsa Pro, the Corsa Pro Control for racing on rough roads and, arriving in 2024, the time-trial-specific Corsa Pro Speed.
Built around a 320 TPI (Threads Per Inch) cotton casing, the Vittoria Corsa Pro range uses a new construction method dubbed 'light vulcanisation' to marry the characteristics of traditional cotton tyres with those of vulcanised ones.
Vittoria claims this brings big improvements to a number of key performance characteristics, including puncture resistance and weight, as well as rolling resistance, compared to the previous-generation Corsa G2.0 TLR range.
Having originally been spotted on Team Jumbo-Visma’s team bikes in late 2022, the new Corsa Pro tyres have since been used to win multiple WorldTour races this season, including Monument Classics such as Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix.
BikeRadar’s senior technical writer, Simon von Bromley, headed to Vittoria Park in Bergamo, Italy, for the press launch, so click through to read his first ride review of the new Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR.
Vittoria Corsa Pro range highlights
- The range includes three new high-end road models: the all-round Corsa Pro TLR, the Corsa Pro Control TLR for racing on rough roads and the time-trial specific Corsa Pro Speed (coming in 2024)
- New 'electrical vulcanisation' construction method
- Vittoria claims new tread compound boasts significant improvements to rolling and puncture resistance
- Only available with tan sidewalls
- RRP is £89.99/$99.99/€94.95 per tyre
Light vulcanisation
Vittoria’s Corsa tyre range has traditionally used a high-thread count, unvulcanised cotton casing paired with a tread that was glued on top.
In contrast, most modern bicycle tyres are made from nylon casings with the tread attached seamlessly via a process called vulcanisation.
Vittoria has long maintained that unvulcanised cotton tyres can offer superior performance to vulcanised tyres.
This, it claims, is because the high-thread count cotton casings can be lighter and more flexible than nylon ones. Vulcanisation also causes the rubber used in the tyre tread to harden.
While nylon casings and harder rubber can offer improved durability (this was Vittoria’s key pitch behind its vulcanised Corsa N.EXT TLR tyre, which launched last year), Vittoria argues they are detrimental to ride feel and rolling speed.
The new Corsa Pro range, however, is manufactured using what Vittoria is calling 'electrical vulcanisation' or 'electrical curing'.
Where traditional vulcanisation methods use hot gases, Vittoria says its method uses electricity to heat and cure the tyre with greater precision. The process is also said to be more environmentally friendly than standard vulcanisation techniques.
The result is a tyre which appears to combine a traditional-style cotton casing with a tread that is attached seamlessly like on a vulcanised tyre.
According to Vittoria, this enables the Corsa Pro range to offer the best of both worlds – the supple ride feel and speed of cotton tyres, alongside the improved durability of vulcanised tyres.
Vittoria hasn’t quoted a mileage range, but puncture resistance is claimed to have improved by 18 per cent on the Corsa Pro TLR, 7 per cent on the Corsa Pro tubular and 19 per cent on the Corsa Pro Control TLR, versus the previous G2.0 versions of each.
Nevertheless, the Corsa Pro TLR, Corsa Pro tubular and Corsa Pro Control are also claimed to be 4, 4 and 2 per cent lighter, respectively (again, compared to the previous versions).
Our size 700 x 28c Corsa Pro TLR samples weigh 274g per tyre. That’s 21g lighter than the claimed weight of 295g and 41g lighter than the Corsa G2.0 TLR we tested in 2021.
Our Corsa Pro Control TLR samples weigh 314g per tyre in the same size, 6g less than the claimed weight of 320g.
Graphene + silica compound tread
Vittoria has championed the use of graphene in its tyre compounds for almost a decade, claiming it offers improvements to rolling resistance and puncture resistance.
For the new Corsa Pro range, Vittoria has adopted the compound formula that debuted on the Corsa N.EXT.
This sees silica added to the mix, which is claimed to improve grip and the tyre’s wear life.
The combination of the two substances is also claimed to offer significant gains in terms of rolling resistance versus what Vittoria calls “normal compounds”.
Compared to the previous-generation tyres, Vittoria says rolling resistance has improved by 12 per cent on the Corsa Pro TLR, 14 per cent on the Corsa Pro tubular, and two per cent on the Corsa Pro Control TLR.
The improvement is smaller on the Corsa Pro Control TLR because it has increased tread thickness for improved puncture resistance and wear life.
A table comparing the Corsa Pro TLR’s performance in both lab and real-world tests compared to benchmark competitors (Vittoria hinted strongly the yellow competitor is the Continental GP5000 S TR, while the blue competitor is the Schwalbe Pro One TLE) claims it matches or exceeds both in a number of key areas.
It notes the Corsa Pro TLR isn’t quite as competitive in terms of weight, though our sample tyres (274g each, as previously noted) are actually lighter than the Continental and only 10g heavier than the Schwalbe tyre.
In terms of tread patterns, the Corsa Pro TLR and Corsa Pro tubular use the same parallel grooves as on the previous-generation tyres.
The Corsa Pro Control TLR, though, sees added fishbone textures on the shoulders of the tread. Vittoria claims this feature improves the tyre’s “handling feeling” when cornering, although it notes this isn’t a quantifiable metric.
Vittoria Corsa Pro range overview and pricing
Of the three tyres in the range, the Corsa Pro TLR is Vittoria’s flagship road bike tyre, designed for racing and fast road riding.
The Corsa Control TLR is Vittoria’s top tyre for racing on rough roads. Vittoria says it gives up a little speed and weight in return for greater puncture protection and grip – not dissimilar to the Continental GP5000 AS TR.
The time-trial-specific Corsa Pro Speed (a successor to the Corsa Speed G2.0) is still in development and is slated to launch in 2024.
All are tubeless-ready and compatible with hookless rims in sizes 700 x 28c or larger, to a maximum inflation pressure of 72.5psi / 5 bar.
RRPs for the tubeless tyres is £89.99/$99.99/€94.95, while the Corsa Pro tubular costs £119.99/$135.99/€119.
A tubular version of the Corsa Pro will also be available, but there are no clincher versions in the range (though the tubeless versions can be used with inner tubes if desired).
In an unusual turn of events, the new Corsa Pro tyre range is only available with tan sidewalls, or “para sidewalls”, as Vittoria calls them.
Vittoria Corsa Pro
- Type: TLR or tubular
- Price: £89.99/$99.99/€94.95 (TLR) or £119.99/$135.99/€119 (tubular)
- Casing: Corespun 320 TPI
- Compound: Graphene + silica
- Sizes available: 700 x 24c, 700 x 26c, 700 x 28c, 700 x 30c, 700 x 32c
- Claimed weight: 265g, 275g, 295g, 300g, 320g
- Actual weight: 274g, size 700 x 28c
Vittoria Corsa Pro Control
- Type: TLR
- Price: £89.99/$99.99/€94.95
- Casing: Corespun 320 TPI
- Compound: Graphene + silica
- Sizes available: 700 x 26c, 700 x 28c, 700 x 30c, 700 x 32c, 700 x 34c
- Claimed weight: 295g, 320g, 325g, 350g, 370g
- Actual weight: 314g, size 700 x 28c
