Review: Vittoria Rubino Road Tyres

by Tim Wiggins

When you come to replace a tyre, it is probably the best time to gauge whether it has been a "good tyre" or a "bad tyre". As you lever it off the rim, you are probably either thinking about how many miles the tyre has racked up or how few punctures it has had (a good tyre) OR you are thinking how on earth has that side-wall exploded like that? or why are so many nasty little flints getting through this expensive puncture protection strip (a bad tyre).

Luckily, when I came to take the Vittoria Rubino Tyre off the rim of my winter/touring bike it was the former thoughts that were occupying my mind.

I put the tyre on the bike back in August of 2011, before I set off on our fully loaded touring trip through France and Spain.

The tyre managed the full 1400+ mile trip with only one puncture; and since then has remained on the bike since September, clocking in another 2000+ miles, without any more punctures!

By anybody's reckoning that is a pretty good life for a tyre that costs under NZD$70. It seems that either I have been very lucky, or (more likely) the puncture protection and durability of these tyres really is rather good.

The tread is good as well, the micro-dots seem to provide a good amount of grip for cornering, and the speed isn't bad at all for a winter tyre.

Another thing worth noting is their snug fit on the rim; which is something you definitely want to consider when descending an Alp on a fully loaded touring bike (a blow-out at that speed doesn't bear thinking about!).

Overall, these seem to be a great set of tyres; in my mind easily comparable to the significantly more expensive Continental Gatorskins that are found on many winter bikes. So if you are on a bit of a budget and looking for a good tyre to cover many miles this winter/spring, then these could seriously be worth considering, I will certainly be buying them again.

source: lifeinthesaddle