# Vittoria Open Corsa EVO CX......why?



## bikewriter (Sep 2, 2002)

Read the recent threads about the great sale prices.
Did a search and found many, many remarks about poor longevity, cut resistance and great suppleness and feel with some latex tubes. Plus the tire is actual size or even wider: a 25c is 27mm on a 23mm wide rim!

Even for a raceday tire why would someone take the chance of having a tire puncture or cut easily?

Are the reports of poor durability isolated?

Seems a viable alternative with much greater flat resistance is a GP4000S.


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## cmg (Oct 27, 2004)

i got about 1200 miles on my last set of open corsas. that's pretty good. i have to sets of tubulars so will see on how long they last.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

bikewriter said:


> Did a search and found many, many remarks about poor longevity, cut resistance and great suppleness and feel with some latex tubes. Plus the tire is actual size or even wider: a 25c is 27mm on a 23mm wide rim!
> Even for a raceday tire why would someone take the chance of having a tire puncture or cut easily?
> Are the reports of poor durability isolated?


I've used them exclusively on my summer bike and its two sets of wheels for 3 years. I've had a grand total of 4 flats in those 3 years. At least one was caused by a faulty Conti tube (meaning nothing came through the tire). None have been sidelined due to tread or sidewall cuts. I have probably 5000 miles on those two sets. I remember replacing one rear tire because it wore out; maybe two.

They feel excellent with my Conti ultralite tubes (50g). They measure 26mm wide on 19 & 19.5mm rims. Their actual weights have ranged between 208 & 230g - that's weighing 8 samples (some still in my stockpile). At the moment, unless I find a good reason, I won't buy anything else.


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## Fireform (Dec 15, 2005)

I and my circle of riding buddies have had a lot of flats on the tubular version and no longer buy them.


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## martinot (Aug 14, 2009)

There always will be reports like that about almost any product.

Yes, the tire will not last thousands of miles but it handles really well (if not great) on most surfaces with exception of wet ones. Not a single puncture over some 15K miles (latex tubes on clinchers) - I was on open and tubular Corsas CX for 2 seasons. Really good tires.

Race day tire: well, you can race on just about anything or you might want to maximize the chances of getting on the podium or placing someone on the podium and get the most suitable stuff for the race - here, durability will not be of a concern in most circumstances.


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## zone5 (Aug 21, 2012)

Grips well on dry but it's gets hairy even on foggy days. Big no no in rain! Mileage wise, I got about more than 3K of mixed road and rollers. 

I bought the CS version with the new compound and tread design but I have not ridden it in the rain.


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## WeakSister (Oct 30, 2009)

It depends on what you want out of a tire. The Conti is more flat-resistant, but does not have the ride quality of the Corsa CX. Also, all this talk about the Corsa performing poorly in wet conditions is overblown.


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## gibson00 (Aug 7, 2006)

I've had really good luck on both the tubular and clincher versions.
I do believe the older, lower tpi version of this tire from a couple years ago was more prone to flats. Seems to be a lot less complaints about the 320 tpi versions now out.


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

i'm considering picking up a pair and putting them on my "MUT" bike. wish the 25's were on blowout for $34/tire.


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## martinot (Aug 14, 2009)

Does anyone know what difference there is between Open Corsa EVO CX and Open Corsa EVO CX II? Both seem to have the same tpi.


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## bikewriter (Sep 2, 2002)

Was thinking the same thing, but since I run 23mm wide rims reports point to the 23c version being about 25.5 wide which would be fine with me especially the sale price.


charlox5 said:


> i'm considering picking up a pair and putting them on my "MUT" bike. wish the 25's were on blowout for $34/tire.


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## Fireform (Dec 15, 2005)

All my flats have been with the 320 tpi evo cx.


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## Mtn2RoadConvert (Aug 28, 2006)

I have not tried the clincher version but ran the tubulars this past season mainly racing crits and road races. With probably a total of 1,000 miles the rear is starting to show some wear while the front looks in great condition, and all without any punctures. The ride is fantastic and feel much more supple to the Michelin Pro 4 Race clinchers on my training wheels. I heard latex tubes make a big difference, but still running butyl at the moment.


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## Special Eyes (Feb 2, 2011)

Worrying about 'flat reports' is a waste of time. A piece of wire or thorn will flat any tire. Road cleanliness conditions are variable and never consistence enough for a test. I'll get a few flats in a month and then go for 6 months with none. Doesn't matter what tire I'm running. These Vittorias grip the road, but it takes a softer rubber to do that. So, wear may be quicker. Don't worry about it.


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## Fireform (Dec 15, 2005)

If I ride tire A for 6 months and have 6 flats and then ride tire B for 18 months on the same roads over the same range of conditions and have one flat, I feel justified in concluding that tire B has substantially better flat resistance than tire A. 

YMMV, apparently.


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## martinot (Aug 14, 2009)

BTW, I just inflated my Corsa EVO CX II tubulars (in preparation for picture taking and sale; they are almost brand new and awesome but I want to ride on the tires I sale) and measured their width. The 23mm tubbies measure 21mm. Strange that the clinchers measure more than their advertised width.
Any takers for the tubular set with maybe 150 miles on?


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

I absolutely love my Open Corsas. Wont run anything else.


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## tom_h (May 6, 2008)

Open Corsa + latex tube = about 12 watts power loss @ 25 mph.

GP4000s + butyl tube = about 17 watts @ 25 mph.

About 10 watts less power loss for 2 Open Corsa tires @ 25 mph.

Significant for a TT, probably less so for a mass start race. I think the Open Corsas handle better on tight, high speed turns, too.

Used to use Open Corsa as everyday tire, but switched to GP4000S. Fewer flats and lasts longer. Still using Corsa tubulars for races -- never flatted during a race.


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

picked up a pair from ribble, in search of the magic carpet ride. i figured for so little money it was worth a shot.


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## Pitts Pilot (Dec 5, 2011)

I threw on a set (coming off of GP4000s) and found that I really liked the improved ride quality. I'm not too concerned about longevity, so thought I had found my new tire. The deal breaker for me is traction in wet conditions. The Open Corsa will slip in very steep, straight-line climbing even on perfect pavement if it's wet and steep enough. I do a lot of that, so the tire didn't work for me. But they felt really nice. I gave them away.


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## eickmewg (Feb 11, 2012)

I have been riding the Open Corsa CX tires for about 6 months. I really like them. The first thing I noticed was the reduced road noise vs. Michelin Pro 3 tires they replaced. I have Michelin butyl tubes in them and some day I would like to try latex tubes. But for now, I really like the ride quality. I will admit that like Pitts Pilot, the rear tire can slip on steep, wet roads. However, I have two new Veloflex Corsa 23 mm tires waiting to replace the Vittorias when they wear out. In fact, you might argue that the Veloflexes are "real" Vittorias and the Thailand Vittorias are mere imposters. My 23 mm Open Corsa CX tires actually measure a hair over 25 mm on A23 rims.


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## metoou2 (Mar 18, 2009)

WeakSister said:


> It depends on what you want out of a tire. The Conti is more flat-resistant, but does not have the ride quality of the Corsa CX. Also, all this talk about the Corsa performing poorly in wet conditions is overblown.


I'll send ya pics of my scars. 
Went for (5) years with no, none, zero, out of competition crashes. I just had to try out the Vittorias after reading all the reviews. (clinchers)

They let go in the wet with no warning. It makes for an ugly crash.

First was in a complete downpour. We all backed off on the speed a bit. We were on black asphalt. There was a slight, linear depression in the pavement. My tire followed the depression and the front let go (while I was traveling in a straight line), and bam, I'm on the ground.

Second crash was (5) months later. No rain at all. It was heavy dew covering black asphalt. Slight bend in the road and again the front let go. It took quite some time to get that 'feeling' out of my head. 

Turn the page; for a sunny day tire, Vittorias can't be beat. They roll fast, smooth and will hug a corner better than any tire I've been on.


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## gibson00 (Aug 7, 2006)

metoou2 said:


> I'll send ya pics of my scars.
> Went for (5) years with no, none, zero, out of competition crashes. I just had to try out the Vittorias after reading all the reviews. (clinchers)
> 
> They let go in the wet with no warning. It makes for an ugly crash.
> ...


I believe you, but I also believe you'll read the same sort of reports for all tires, just like you'll read about folks getting punctures (bad luck sometimes) with all tires.
I actually found that with clinchers, Conti GP4000S tires felt the most slippery on wet roads, like they were swimming around underneath me. The Vittoria's felt the best to me, I jut found that they seemed to hug the road more, wet and dry, due to their suppleness. Michelin Pro 3's and 4's......garbage IMHO. Just hold them in your hand, they don't even feel like rubber, more like a hard plastic...
This past Summer all my riding was on the tubular version of said Vittoria's, including a lot of wet riding. No flats, no falls, felt great.
Different strokes...
I should add that, I weigh about 178, so probably weigh a bit more than some folks here, and maybe helps keeping the tires from slipping... 
Cheers


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Right now at Ribble - about $28 each if you spend over $55. The best I usually see is around $40 each.


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## stringcatt (Jun 20, 2009)

*If you still haven't figured it out*



zone5 said:


> Grips well on dry but it's gets hairy even on foggy days. Big no no in rain! Mileage wise, I got about more than 3K of mixed road and rollers.
> 
> I bought the CS version with the new compound and tread design but I have not ridden it in the rain.


These tire are DIRECTIONAL.


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## Notvintage (May 19, 2013)

I absolutely love them and have used them exclusively year round. They are stellar performers and it's the only tire I will buy. Do they last like Conties? No, but life is too short to ride mediocre tires.


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

stringcatt said:


> These tire are DIRECTIONAL.


This is riveting.


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