Vittoria Open Pave Evo CG review

I recently fitted a set of Vittoria Open Pave' Evo CG to my race bike.

I previously had a set of Continental GP4000S which I was pleased with in terms of reliability and handling, but never found particularly comfortable on British chipseal roads.

I was looking for a more compliant ride, with the same road holding characteristics in the wet, and the Vittoria's tyre description seemed to be what I was looking for.

I have now done about 300 miles on them, in wet and dry weather, and I can confirm that they are *exactly* what I was looking for.



Their section is ~24mm, which obviously varies depending on the rim section and inflation pressure.

They are just as tall as the GP4000S, so the overall circumference when at their nominal inlfation pressure is very similar, at around 2120mm

Fitting them on a set of Easton EA50 was troublesome at first. The front tyre, which I fitted first, took me a long time to fit, and was much more difficult than the GP4000S.

While fitting the rear tyre, I tried a different technique: use the tyre levers not to slide the tyre's side wall on, but to literally lift it into position, using the exact same movement as when initially dismounting a tyre, but in the opposite direction: the tyre wall does not _slide_ onto the rim, but instead I make it pass _over_ the rim, one bit at a time.

This technique allows me to mount and dismount the tyre in a minute or so.

Handling

The tyres handle beautifully. They can take much higher pressures than the Continental GP4000S; where I used to inflate the front GP4000S at 90 PSI and still find it harsh and nervous, I can inflate the Open Pave' at 110 PSI and still find the ride compliant, predictable and sure footed.

The tread is soft, just like the GP4000S, but not slick: it has dimples which apparently improve grip on loose surface roads (white roads) and on slippery stone surface (pave'), but do not seem to increase rolling resitance noticeably (if at all!)

In fact, I find I can ride faster on particularly bad surface stretches of road, because the more compliant ride quality, combined with higher pressures, ensures I do not get tired by the vibrations transmitted to my body and I get better grip.

Technical data

The Open Pave' weigh 250 grams each (240g declared). That's quite an increase from the GP4000S which weighed between 205 and 225 grams each.

What you lose in terms of rolling weight though, you gain in terms of performance.

If you look at the GP4000S, you will notice it has a _preformed_ deep rounded tread which probably gives more rubber and some puncture resistance, but it also renders the tyre less adaptable to the surface. On smooth tarmac, with fine chipseal, this might be less noticeable.

But on British coarse chipseal roads, it is very noticeable especially when climbing.

The Open Pave' instead has a flat rubber tread glued on to the casing, which is much more malleable and adapts to the road surface, giving increased grip.

The 320 TPI casing of the Open Pave' does make a difference compared to the lowly 110 TPI casing used in the Continental GP4000S.

Looks

As you can see from the picture, the green stripe in the middle of the tread does give an obvious sense of purpose to my red and black race bike.

The relatively inconspicous Vittoria labels also add to the _pro_ feel of this tyre.