Vittoria Corsa G2.0 TLR review

Pushing the boundaries of tyre and rubber technology and gaining a place in this years Editor’s Choice, Vittoria is on to a winner with the latest Corsa G2.0 TLR tyre. This Graphene enhanced race tyre has improved on what was already an outstanding tyre.

Vittoria's Corsa has always been the company's go-to race tyre and has been the choice of more pro teams than it's possible to list. And now Vittoria has introduced a brand new version featuring a new improved graphene compound. Vittoria has been extolling the virtues of graphene as an additive to its tyres for quite a while now. This wonder material boasts an almost unbelievable list of attributes and uses. For cycling, particularly when used in tyres, Vittoria claims that graphene can increase durability whilst decreasing rolling resistance; two attributes that are normally mutually exclusive – you can't have one without affecting the other.

Buy now: Vittoria Corsa G2.0 TLR from Evans Cycles for £58

Vittoria has moved with the times and is now producing the Corsa in this TLR tubeless-ready version we're testing here as well as the standard clincher version. The tubeless version adds around 70g to the overall tyre weight. However, factor in the loss of inner tubes and even with sealant added the weight difference is marginal. Typically the thicker carcass and bead of the tubeless-ready version does make mounting onto rims a little harder than a standard tyre and this is still the case with the Corsa. It isn't the hardest tyre of this type to mount by any means and slipped onto the rims of our test Hope RD40 wheels with just a little teasing with some tyre levers.

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The Corsa has always been one of the faster-rolling tyres on the circuit and this new version is no different. Mounted on the Hope aero wheels their ability to skim along and maintain speed is nothing short of impressive. Even set up with tubes and allowing for the added weight the Vittoria Corsa G2.0 TLR felt light and responsive. Descending and that extra weight makes them even faster. Running them tubeless and the lower pressure (I ran around 65-70psi) made them feel more confident still.

This was also the case for the grip levels. The new compound – well, four really as Vittoria is the only tyre manufacturer to use four distinctive rubber compounds within each of its higher end tyres – has a grip level that is really only limited by your own bravery. I rarely felt or heard that butt-clenching noise and rumble that often accompanies a tyre pushed to its limits and there were times when I really wasn't sure how I got away with it, but every time the Vittoria Corsa G2.0 TLR had me covered. Ride comfort is also very good thanks to a supple, high 320tpi carcass and the ability of this tubeless version to run at lower pressures without compromising performance.

Buy now: Vittoria Corsa G2.0 TLR from Evans Cycles for £58

In the past Vittoria Corsa tyres have almost always had the same Achilles heel – durability. This latest version is the best yet in terms of puncture resistance and wear but bear in mind that this tubeless version has a thicker carcass and this goes someway to making the Vittoria Corsa G2.0 less afflicted by cuts and slices when compared to its predecessors. Puncture resistance is also much better. With regard to life expectancy, this is still a thoroughbred race tyre so don't expect thousands of miles from it. But during that life you can expect a performance level better than almost any other tyre out today.