The
Vittoria Randonneur Cross tires are the best rubber I have ever put on my rims. Hands down, no contest. I purchased these commuter tires almost a two months ago and have ridden nearly 700 miles on them.
To date, my Randonneur Cross tires remain unscathed.
Vittoria uses what they call a “Double Shielding” system in this series of tire. The first layer of the system is “a specially engineered hard rubber” that is designed to resist “most sharp objects”. I cannot explain the chemical composition of this rubber and what makes it different, but I can tell you this: the tread of these tires looked and even smelled different than other tires from the moment I picked them up. They had an
almost plastic sheen to them. I can tell you that there is a noticeable difference in the rubber in terms of both appearance and – more importantly – performance.
The second layer of the “Double Shielding” is a strip of nylon fabric that lives on under the tread. Its purpose is to prevent really sharp objects and really small objects from penetrating the tire and puncturing tube. The outer rubber of the my Randonneurs remain unscathed, so I do not yet have any first hand experience with how well the nylon works. However, given the overall performance of the tires, I have no reason to question it.
My previous tires (the Vittoria Adventure) did a fine job for the five months I was ro
lling on them, but the damage from road debris was evident from the beginning. The double layer of rubber this style of tire uses for protection seems intended to absorb damage rather than repel it. After a commute, I could easily spend 10 minutes scanning the tires and picking out the gravel, goatheads, and glass that were embedded in the rubber. I had glass puncture all the way through the Adventures on at least one occasion.
In dramatic contrast, my Vittoria Randonneur Cross tires have remained pristine. I ride the same route and the streets continue to collect the same clutter of debris. What’s more, as we dry out for the summer here in Albuquerque, the goatheads are just getting worse. These tires have handled these conditions wonderfully.
The Vittoria Randonneur Cross is available in two styles: 26 x 1.75 and 700 x 28. They weigh in at 590 grams and 500 grams, respectively. The pressure rating is 60 to 70 psi. Cost is about $28 per tire.
These tires are simply phenomenal. If you commute on a regular basis along the hard asphalt pathways of our Southwestern urban environment, the Vittoria Randonneur Cross is the way to go.
