Aero wheel specialist Zipp has today announced its first entry into the road tubeless tyre market with two new offerings, the 25mm RT25 and the 28mm Tangente Speed RT28.
Modelled after Zipp’s existing R28 tyre, the new rubber claims (naturally) to have the lowest rolling resistance and the best cornering grip vs. the competition, and the choice of widths is a recognition that many roadies are moving to bigger tyres.
Although tubeless has yet to achieve widespread acceptance in the road world, plenty of riders have already embraced the technology, citing the ability to run low pressures without risk of punctures as its principal advantage.
Key features of the new tyres are:
- MSRP of £71 / $74 / €84 per tyre
- 25mm and 28mm widths
- 292g and 302g claimed weights
- 127TPI nylon casing
- Max pressures of 115psi (RT25) and 100psi (RT28) - we’re more interested in their behaviour at low pressures, since that’s a key advantage of tubeless
- Tyre levers not needed (or recommended) for installation
- Polyamide puncture protection layer under tread
- A ‘water-siping’ tread pattern
Zipp already offers three tubeless-ready wheels, the 303 Firecrest Carbon Clincher Tubeless Disc-brake, the 30 Course Disc-brake and the 30 Course rim-brake, so it’s fair to say the brand is taking tubeless seriously.
The RT25 is set to be available in June, with the RT28 to follow in August.
