Vittoria Rubino Pro Tech Review... By Me! :d



Volnix

Well-Known Member
Feb 19, 2011
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Hi! :)

I had a look to find the reviews page, but didn't find it, so I will write a little review about these tires here. I haven't seen too many reviews about them on the webz... Most of the reviews are for the normal Rubino Pro's and not the Tech version of the tire.

I just got a pair of Vittoria Rubino Pro Tech's to replace a pair of GP4000SII.

The reasons for replacing where that the GP4000S II's got a nasty sidewall cut and some other nasty deep little cuts on the rear wheel.

So far on these tires (about 50km)

1. Handling:

They handle pretty well actually. The tech version is also supposed to have a different compound then the regular Rubino Pro's. I haven't tried them in the wet yet, but they do seem grippy. They are also supposed to be a winter tire or something. Mind you that this is a 150TPI tire and not a 330 TPI one or whatever...

2. Roll resistance:

They do roll pretty fast. Mind again that this is a 150TPI tire... They dont feel "heavy" at all.

3. Cut - Puncture resistance.

They something like "Italian Gatorskins". They say that they have a "wet weather compound" and they also have their sidewalls reinforced. I haven't tried them extensively yet but so far so good. They are just 240g's each for the 23mm version. Wanted to get 25's but they were not available.

4. Comfort:

Ok, here it goes... They ain't smooth. :p :D My butt hurts after a 20min ride... They are not smooth at all... Every bump is picked up, amplified and delivered with a vengeance to your rear... The don't "absorb" bumps... Maybe because they are 150TPI and not 330TPI? Maybe because of some other reason?
...and mind you that this is for 8bar - 115PSI inflation pressure, out of the maximum 145PSI... :D Wont be inflating them to 145 any time soon... :D

5. Other stuff

No directional arrow! 145 PSI sounds a bit on the extreme side. At 240g per tire they are pretty lightweight for a reinforced winter tire... :)


Overall:
Really, really nice. The price is just right and they roll fast. :)


Keep an eye for my "Vittoria's Sh^tty Secret" thread, which will be my next tire thread after "GP4000S(hit) II", when things go wrong... :p :D
 
I only trust angiesVolnixList for my tire reviews!

Vredestein has tires rated to 175 PSI, but no one does that. I can't even figure out why they put numbers like that on a sidewall other than bragging rights or trying to impress squids. Trying to run a tire at 145 PSI is asking for detonations.

Instead of a stiff 115 PSI ride, have you tried dropping to 100-105 PSI to see if it smoothes out?
 
CAMPYBOB said:
Instead of a stiff 115 PSI ride, have you tried dropping to 100-105 PSI to see if it smoothes out?

No... I think I'll just let them deflate to 100 PSI and check if they are smoother.

I will also go and apply a hydraulic suspension on my rear. :D
 
Volnix, great review! Not surprised that you found the ride of the Rubino Pro inferior to the GP4000s. You might be spoiled, now that you've ridden the good stuff:) Actually, the best ride I've found ever is the Vittoria Open Corsa CX.....they are magic. But if you have complaints about the durability of the Conti's, they may not be the best choice for you.

Second CB's suggestion to reduce pressures. You probably know that your pressure should be just a function of your weight and the tire width; it has nothing to do with maximum pressure rating on the sidewall. I like the Michelin tires, which give a range of 6-8 bar on the sidewall and a chart to show recommended pressures based on width and weight.

I'm also waiting for your first flat or cut in the Rubino Pros and the start of the anti-Vittoria hate rants. Believe they are pretty durable tires though; my buddy has been using nothing but Rubino Pros for years now, in 23mm. He weighs over 200 lbs (como yo, asi) , but rarely has a puncture on the road.
 
I never tried those Rubino Pro Tech tires but I have used the Rubino Pro Slick tire and really like them, they're not harsh riding, don't cut as easy as Conti GP4000's or other Conti's I've tried, no flats but had several with Conti's; sidewalls are superior to Conti as far as damage protection goes but the Cont's are more supple to ride on but I didn't think the Rubinos rode rough; tread life lasts longer than Conti's; handling is about the same dry or wet; are less expensive when found on sale than Contis can be found on sale for. After 3500 miles I have no cuts on the Vitt tires, the Contis were destroyed by then. I can't really say which rolls the fastest, I would have to do side by side comparison to get any thoughts on that and probably still wouldn't know which rolled the fastest.

Of all the tires I've tried Victoria are the best, but I'm in the beginnings of testing a set of Hutchinson Intensive so the jury is still out on those. If the Hutchinson don't cut the mustard I will definitely be going back to Vittoria Rubino Pro Slick tires and will probably stay with them for a long time. The only other tire I ever used in the last 20 years that worked pretty good was the Kenda Konstrictor, but I didn't like the handling as much as I liked other tires, but surprisingly they lasted a very long time despite having the thinnest thread thickness of any tire I've even tried and warded of flats very well-not sure how both of those was possible.
 
dhk2 said:
Volnix, great review! Not surprised that you found the ride of the Rubino Pro inferior to the GP4000s. You might be spoiled, now that you've ridden the good stuff:) Actually, the best ride I've found ever is the Vittoria Open Corsa CX.....they are magic. But if you have complaints about the durability of the Conti's, they may not be the best choice for you.

Second CB's suggestion to reduce pressures. You probably know that your pressure should be just a function of your weight and the tire width; it has nothing to do with maximum pressure rating on the sidewall. I like the Michelin tires, which give a range of 6-8 bar on the sidewall and a chart to show recommended pressures based on width and weight.
They are smoother on the road... I didn't really find them "inferior" but they are harsher. But if that means that I wont have the tubes swelling out of the sidewalls at 2000km, then, "I love stiff tires". :D I also saved around 30 euro with these compared to GP4000s's. I didn't try the Gatorskins yet...

Hmmm Open Corsa... :D Probably wont be using those... :D I might just go directly to tubulars. :p They have the same price anyway. :D

But the Open Corsa Pave, seemed interesting... But they are crazy expensive and still a race high TPI tire. So they might be more durable and be Ok for a few races, but I suspect that they are not as durable as a training tire...

I inflated them to 115 PSI (8BAR) on Monday, so I guess that they might be at round 110 - 105 PSI by now... I'm 80kg so the Michelin guide says to inflate to 115 PSI...



Froze said:
ICont's are more supple to ride on but I didn't think the Rubinos rode rough;
Maybe it's the first impression... Or maybe because they are new? :unsure:

At least I've had 5000km with the Conti's... :D But riding 3000 of them with a tire boot was a major turn-off. :D

If these Vittorias flop too, I think I will go 25mm at least. I wanted to get these Rubino Pro Tech's in 25mm but they were not available...


Oh, thing that I forgot to mention. They are cheaper then the normal Rubino Pro's! The normal Rubino Pro's are 35euro each, these are 30 euro each...