Vittoria

Corsa EVO CX III - Tubular Tire

The Vittoria Corsa EVO CX III is the latest generation of the lauded Corsa EVO tire. And while personal experience told us that the original Corsa EVO was already at the top of its class, Vittoria's EVO III sets a new benchmark for a tire that has more wins than any other tire.

Vittoria's Corsa EVO III features a 320TPI casing composition, meaning that the sidewalls are comprised of 320 threads per inch. And if you're wondering why there are "threads," this is because the EVO CX is a cotton tire. Vittoria used a corespun, or "polycore," technique for the casing's construction. Essentially, this means that the casing fibers are made by twisting staple cotton fibers around a central filament core, creating one yarn from multiple fibers. As a result, the material is between 40 and 50% stronger than typically spun materials, while retaining a similar, if not lower, overall weight. Additionally, the 320TPI cotton casing provides the ideal stiffness-to-weight ratio for the CX. By this, we mean that the tire's weight hovers around 250 grams, depending on width, while still retaining a perfect level of flexibility for cornering.

Along these lines, you'll notice that the casing's high TPI equates to finer-grade fibers used in its composition. Accordingly, the fine fibers are more malleable than say, 220TPI casings, and this flexibility creates a more adaptable interface for the tire's rubber contact surface during cornering. So, this design provides a higher level of grip than rubber, which is why cotton casings are used on nearly every high-end tubular in the world. Additionally, the weave's density also absorbs a great deal of impact, while also contributing to a low-level of rolling resistance. This equates directly to both comfort and speed.

For this generation of the EVO, the tire receives Vittoria's newest rubber compound, ISOgrip. After several years in development, Vittoria is confident that it's set the benchmark for racing rubber. According to Vittoria, ISOgrip features equal grip in both dry and wet conditions and features its lowest rolling resistance to date. However, like any racing tire, these benefits arrive at the cost of a relatively low wear-resistance, but on race day, you're not going to be worried about wear.

The Vittoria Corsa EVO CX III Tubular Tire is available individually in either a 23 or 25mm width and in the color Black.