Vittoria’s new tyre pressure calculator provides personalised results for all bikes, setups, riding styles and terrains, based on a ‘scientific approach’.
Available on Vittoria’s website, the tyre pressure calculator is said to help you find the right level of inflation for any riding discipline – from road cycling to downhill mountain biking – using a unique formula.
Vanessa ten Hoff, Vittoria’s chief marketing and innovation officer, says: “One of the most asked questions to us, by both pros and amateurs, is what pressure should they use?”
With optimal tyre pressure becoming a greater focus for many riders seeking extra comfort and performance, Vittoria was inspired to develop its new online tool.
A scientific approach
“We started analysing all the tools that are in the market and we realised there are actually quite a number of gaps. They are not scientifically optimised,” ten Hoff says.
Unlike the unnamed competition (Silca and SRAM have calculators), Ten Hoff says Vittoria used a “scientific approach” to develop its tool. This process took more than two years and, starting from what Vittoria understood about road bike tyre pressure, it compiled the factors that impact tyre pressure.
“We worked with all our professional teams and the amateurs we collaborate with to understand this,” ten Hoff says. “And then we started formulating our hypothesis – our idea of which factors are impacting tyre pressure.”
The result is a tool that asks you for a myriad of details. These include: tyre type; wheel size; tyre size; the combined weight of you, your bike and any accessories; riding style; skill level; whether you're riding an electric bike; terrain; and weather. The tool also asks whether you’re using inner tubes, tubeless tyres or tyre inserts.
As a result, the recommended pressures are highly specific and the tool even suggests individual pressures for your front and rear tyre.
Validated results
Vittoria says the results are validated by testing completed at its labs and outdoor test centre at Vittoria Park, near Bergamo, Italy.
When BikeRadar visited the labs and testing centre, Vittoria’s CEO Stijn Vriends explained that no other bike tyre brand has an outdoor facility like this.
Opened two years ago and costing €10 million, Vittoria uses the Park to test tyres across terrains, including tarmac and gravel tracks. It can also test tyres across the cobbles found at Paris–Roubaix and Flanders, which are subtly different in shape.
Ten Hoff says: “We started testing in the laboratory and in the Vittoria Park this formula to really optimise for all the categories and all the settings that one can imagine.”
Once Vittoria had finalised its tool, ten Hoff says Vittoria double-checked its findings. “We went back out again and tested with all our teams and with the amateurs to really have a very solid support for our consumers when they're looking for tyre pressures.”
She says the tool can be used for Vittoria’s tyres and bike tyres from other brands.
Pro endorsement?
Tommaso Capella, Vittoria’s project manager and team liaison, says one story sums up the tool for him.
This year Vittoria started working with Team Cofidis, which previously used Michelin tyres. Capella says the team was unsure of what tyre pressure to use with the new tyres. So at a dinner with the performance manager and mechanics, Vittoria used the tool to establish which pressures each rider should be using.
“The next day, every rider came back from training with a huge smile on their face, super happy about the performance. And since then, the pressure has never changed,” Capella says.
