VITTORIA TIRES
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2009 Vittoria Pavé EVO CG Tubular Tire
- Item: VIT114 Actual Weight:"Actual Weight" means we weighed this item ourselves. 323.0g
- $130.00
Some people call it the Hell of the North. Others call it the Queen of the Classics. Around here we call it the most beautiful and important race of the year because its savage cobbles and the zany weather and the heavy expectations of the most cycling-mad region of the world all converge to bring the hardest cyclists in the world to their knees.
Year in, year out you can count one thing at Paris-Roubaix: You'll see a fresh array of equipment concepts ranging from interesting-to-bad, all of which aspire to decrease rider mortality rate. Who could forget Johan Musseuw's full suspension Bianchi? And poor George Hincapie -- when his fork steerer wasn't snapping off, he similarly sacrificed both performance and style due to Trek's ham-handed attempts to infuse Rock Shox technology circa-1997 into their 2006 race bikes. You name it: Triple-wrapped handlebar tape, inline brake levers, cyclocross forks, etc, etc. Every year it's a new annum of passing fancies and good intentions. But truth be told, if you really, really want to win Paris-Roubaix, your equipment choices start here: You absolutely, positively MUST ride these tires. The Vittoria Pavé EVO CG tubular is your only option. It's what Mapei rode during their glory days. It's what Cancellara rode. It's what Stuey rode. And on. And on.
You can't ride clinchers in Paris-Roubaix. Period. Yes, yes, we know that Frederic Guesdon was allegedly on Michelin clinchers when he won the orgasmically thrilling '97 race. (We propose the rule, our customers find the exceptions, yes, yes.) But if you're a real contender (and Guesdon wasn't), you ride tubulars since they won't pinch flat on the babyhead-sized cobbles. And you certainly don't ride 23's since they, too, are ripe for flatting on the blistering farm roads of northern France. You need fat-like-Oprah tires like 24's or 27's since they provide true suspension and true puncture-resistance and true adhesion on wet roads (be it rainwater or cow shit). Pavé EVO CG tubulars: They're the Real McCoy. When you're preparing for authentic carnage, accept no substitute.
A practical note here: We offer these in 2 options: The 24c will fit on any bike without rubbing on the brake calipers, fork, stays, etc. But the wider option (arguably the more authentic of the 2 options) is a 27c width that won't fit on every bike. Perhaps do a bit of R&D on your bike with a 27c clincher first. Or, conversely, don't do any R&D and just store these sweet babies in the oak-paneled tubular humidor in your basement 'til the day comes when you buy that Cervélo RS or that dreamy Serotta with a long wheelbase or that authentic Dag-Otto Lauritzen Team Motorola-issue Eddy Merckx MX Leader (number peg and all!) off eBay. The reality of the matter is this: The US Vittoria importer will probably sell like 100 of these tires all year, and soon come to realize that there's no point in importing them to the US because no one is buying them. If you've ever wanted a set of these, the time is NOW to buy, since they are sure to be discontinued for US sales much sooner than later.
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