The Vittoria Corsa N.EXT is the Italian tyre manufacturer’s most recent high-functionality street bicycle tyre. It enters the Vittoria assortment just below its namesake, the Corsa Graphene 2., and just over the Vittoria Rubino Professional, and is obtainable in tubeless (hookless and TLR) and clincher varieties, and in 24mm, 26mm, 28mm, 30mm, 32mm and 34mm sizes.
Crucially, the N.EXT is a Corsa-sort tyre with graphene in the blend as well, but as a substitute of a 320tpi cotton casing it has a 100tpi nylon casing, and the construction method is vulcanisation, not hand-gluing, making it considerably much more equivalent to common tyres like the Continental GP5000 and Schwalbe Professional One particular than the current Corsa versions.
Rate-wise, items appear very good for the Corca N.EXT as nicely. The tubeless version retails for £64.99 versus the Schwalbe Professional Just one at £74.99 and the Contintental GP5000 TR at £75. The tube-form Corsa N.EXT is much less expensive all over again, at £54.99.
To some the introduction of the Corsa N.EXT may well look odd – did Vittoria require yet another tyre? But to Vittoria the option was inescapable, and the outcome is an outstanding tyre that blends the speed and suppleness of the Corsa 2. with the hardiness of a Rubino Professional. Here’s how.
Vittoria Corsa N.EXT tyre: What is it?
‘We know our Corsa 2. is the quickest clincher,’ states Vittoria product supervisor, Tomasso Cappella, ‘But our good friends in yellow and blue have quite preferred tyres that are incredibly superior. The yellow one particular is really quite fantastic. We have manufactured a tyre that we feel problems our rivals and, in many parts, outperforms their tyres.’
Cappella is conversing of training course of the Continental GP5000 and Schwalbe Pro One particular, very long-time market favourites, especially where tubeless is concerned. The Vittoria Corsa N.EXT has been despatched to vanquish these foes, and if Vittoria’s promises are genuine, it stands a extremely fantastic possibility.
In the broadest of strokes, Vittoria claims the Corsa N.EXT is ‘aligned’, ‘better’ or ‘much better’ than the GP5000 and Professional A person in almost everything area help save for rolling resistance, where the N.EXT outperforms the Professional 1 but is bested by the GP5000.
This pertains to the tubeless version of every, when the clincher variation is mentioned to be as fantastic or superior in each individual place (believe bodyweight, rolling resistance, puncture security, grip and suppleness – the previous criterion right here staying adjudged on rider suggestions, the relaxation by independent or interior lab exams).
There’s also a host of information – numeric this time – on how the N.EXT perfroms following to the Rubino Professional, and of class it is improved throughout the board. And so it should really be, the tubeless N.EXT is a tenner additional than the Rubino, £54.99 verses £64.99 (or £44.99 verses £54.99 for the clincher versions of every).
Curiously at the launch we weren’t supplied with comparisons with the Corsa 2. (£64.99 clincher £74.99 tubeless), but a single would count on that tyre to be more quickly and a lot more supple, if possibly not possessing very as good puncture safety. It is a lightweight race tyre following all with out an more breaker layer beneath the tread.
We’ll dive into the theory and tech of the Corsa N.EXT after the crack, but if chats about threads per inch aren’t your bag, skip to the evaluate segment of this article. Or if you really do not have time for that, just know the Corsa N.EXT is a large tyre that is genuinely well worth considering – up there with the bext nylon thread tyres on the sector.
Vittoria Corsa N.EXT tyre: Tyre tech deep dive
The vital component in this article is the design. Vittoria has designed its name on fast, supple cotton cased tyres – that is, the strands of fibre woven together to make the tyre’s carcass (on to which a rubber tread is glued) are cotton. Continental and Schwalbe, having said that, have carved their status with nylon casings.
Nylon is additional sturdy, it is harder than cotton and is not prone to rot from h2o nonetheless it is thicker and consequently less threads per inch – tpi – can be applied, and it does not slide so nicely versus by itself.
Suppleness is directly derived from how versatile a casing is, therefore high thread rely cases of slidey cotton are usually viewed as to produce the supplest tyres. Suppleness also immediately influences rolling resistance (it lessens it by decreasing electricity lost deflection and friction of tyre deformation), convenience and grip. We want supple!
But nevertheless nylon is wonderful much too. It is less complicated – examine: less costly – to get the job done with and has the capacity to past longer. It also responds very well to vulcanisation, a course of action in which pressure and warmth cause a chemical response in which many compounds in a tyre homogenise.
Restoring an inner tube with an aged college patch is an illustration of vulcanisation, with the patch properly getting portion of the tube.
The GP5000, Pro Just one and now the Corsa N.EXT are all vulcanised tyres, the main reason becoming speed of manufacture and tyre longevity – substances this kind of as carbon black or silica are included to natural rubber to make tread compounds with longer everyday living expectations.
The draw back is vulcanised tyres effectively appear out of the procedure tougher, stiffer and a lot less tacky, ie a lot less supple and grippy. Suppliers such a Continental have produced rubber compounds to compensate for this this kind of as BlackChili, but the ideal cotton tyres – hand-glued together working with natural rubber compound treads – have historically experienced the edge in grip and suppleness, but not longevity.
That is terrific for race tyres and execs, much less very good for superior-mileage tyres and us amateurs. Which brings us back to the Corsa N.EXT. You aren’t likely to see this tyre at the Tour in the similar way you will not see a GP5000. But there’s each individual motive why you want these Corsa N.EXTs on your day-to-working day street bike.
Vittoria Corsa N.EXT tyre: Trip overview
I can’t quantify any of Vittoria’s promises conserve for two. First, I weighed a N.EXT TLR (ie tubleless prepared) tyre at 302g in a size 28mm, earning Vittoria’s promises practically exact (see desk above for more measurements and weights).
This does make them 20g heavier than the claimed fat of most current GP5000 S TL. But be aware the ‘claimed’ – I have not weighed a 28mm GP5000. Apparently, it really would make the Corsa N.EXT TLR lighter than its far more costly brother, a Corsa 2. TLR is a claimed 310g (the clincher is lighter by even much more, 210g vs 270g).
2nd, these are most effective suited, suggests Vittoria, to 19mm internal-width rims, and on said rims the WAM – ‘width as measured’ – really should match the width said on the tyre label. And it does. Really should you care about that bit? Perfectly it’s troublesome when a tyre inflates to a various width than mentioned, primarily when clearance is an problem. At minimum you know what you are receiving. But on with the driving.
I’ll be genuine, I like tyres, I try to pay out a whole lot of focus to tyres, and I seriously want to stand by my outdated pals the Corsa 2.0s and everything I have mentioned about cotton vs nylon and say, ‘But certainly, you see, the N.EXTs are extremely fantastic but the suppleness of the Corsa 2.0’s cotton casing is outstanding.’ But I’d be lying.
I’d also be lying if I reported these tyres have been as supple. The explanation is the margins show up to me so fantastic, the variables so diversified, from bike set up to terrain to temperature, that it is just not attainable for me to inform.
I say this in the hand-on-coronary heart expertise that I could tell you the change in between a GP5000 S TL and a Vittoria Corsa 2. TLR. There is a big difference. I swear. I consider. I feel I do.
In any case, point remaining the trip excellent of the Corsa N.EXT is supreme, I wanted for nothing – a lot of volume for ease and comfort and outstanding grip. (On that note, individuals grooves are intended so that when the tyre deforms at an angle in a corner, the groove permits the tyre to flex into a flattened shape to maintain surface area region as significant as doable – really don’t allow your mate notify you the grooves are for damp weather conditions grip.)
In point, I needed for nothing at all. The tyres even mounted quickly, tight but not excessively so – could roll them on with my hands, albeit with optimum huff-puff – and they went up with a monitor pump (eagle eyes will location the wheel they are on here isn’t tubeless, fairly this is a screen wheel, as it were being).
I just can’t attest to extensive time period durability, I just haven’t ridden the N.EXTs ample. But I’d wager life expectancy would be as excellent as the opponents, and far better than the cotton cased Corsa 2.0s, which are the defintion of summertime race tyres.
Supplied all this, and what I’ve stated about fantastic margins, I also just cannot convey to you Vittoria has in fact overwhelmed its level of competition. However that isn’t to consider everything away from the Corsa N.EXT. It is each and every little bit a deserving contender for the best nylon-casing tyre out there. Experience it and you will see.
But a person past point – can we have this is in tan wall please?
Tyre impression credits: James Spender
Graphs/charts courtesy of Vittoria