VITTORIA TIRE REVIEW
BY BEAR ADVENTURE
We were recently given the chance to try out a pair of Vittoria Tires of our choice for our adventures around California. To match our style of riding, we decided that the Vittoria Martello 29x2.6 would work the best upfront, and the Vittoria Agarro 29x2.35 would work best in the back.
Vittoria Martello 29x2.6 Front; Vittoria Agarro 29x2.35 Rear on a 2020 Santa Cruz Hightower 140mm.
A LITTLE ABOUT US
Ashley and I work hard at our jobs during the week so we can drive out and explore during the weekends. We live in the middle of Northern California where we have a wide variety of riding options to choose from throughout the year. We love doing all-day rides in the mountains around us exploring the backcountry that is out of the radar from most people. Usually, our rides take all day and include hours of pedaling up to enjoy about an hour of glorious downhills, we ascend and descend thousands of feet in one ride. Our rides have usually an equal mix of rock and chunk with sand and flow. To state the obvious, tires matter to us and our riding style!
Ashley riding the Vittoria tires on sandy terrain.
VITTORIA MARTELLO 29x2.6" FRONT
We chose the Vittoria Martello 29x2.6 because we want the grip up front no matter what terrain! Whether it be rocks, roots, or mixed terrain, Vittoria said that this tire can handle it all. When mounted the 2.6" tire on my rim, the width turned out to be narrower than the previous 2.5" tire I was running before and it is also 100 grams lighter. We have ridden around testing it on soft/loose dirt to rocky and rooty terrains and so far this tire acts on its promise. It just keeps on asking for more! It feels stable in every kind of corner we throw at it, no matter how far we lean it over or how bad of a line choice we make. The knobs are spaced out enough to find grip in the loosest and rowdiest conditions while being close enough to still provide great pedal efficiency.
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VITTORIA AGARRO 29x2.35" REAR
We chose the Vittoria Agarro in the rear because we wanted the grip and toughness of an enduro tire but the light weight of a cross country tire for maximum pedaling efficiency. The first thing we noticed about Agarro was that it is fast! We switched to this tire and we immediately felt like we were able to pedal sections of trail (or even pavement) at a much faster pace. We took it down some loose and rowdy sections of trail and it just played along while maintaining grip over the rocks and roots and staying predictable. The Agarro has a lot of low profile knobs which allows the contact patch to be spread out on more knobs, meaning more grip, while ensuring pedaling efficiency.
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Nathan testing the grip of the Vittoria tires on a steep rock face.
Nathan testing the grip of the Vittoria tires in a high-speed lean test.
We have to admit that before testing these tires Vittoria wasn’t high on our list of tires to consider for mountain biking. I’ve heard great things about them for road riding, but never really heard much about them for mountain biking. After slapping these tires on the rims and taking them out for their first ride, we immediately noticed a positive difference in our ride. The first thing we noticed right away was the pedaling efficiency. The tire combination just felt much easier to pedal than a few of our previous tire setups on the trail and pavement. These tires just wanted to roll, no matter what terrain we threw at them, but especially on the technical sections of the trail. The width and the grip of the Martello gave us confidence through any corner whether hard or loose and on any beefy section while staying predictable. The Agarro, a lightweight enduro tire, just follows right behind the Martello while maintaining grip and never complains.
Pinch flats have been a huge problem in the past, especially the rear. (No joke, Nathan got a pinch flat more times than we can count on both hands last year). Vittoria uses their APF (anti-pinch flat) technology which adds an extra rubber insert over the bead to prevent pinch flats. With all the sharp rock gardens we have taken these tires through we have yet to get any pinch flat. Vittoria also adds two layers of nylon protection to their sidewall casing to prevent sidewall slashes. After taking these tires down some of the gnarliest rock gardens in the area, these tires just kept on going no matter what line we chose.
SHOP VITTORIA MOUNTAIN BIKE TIRES
Ashley riding a loose sandy trail on the Vittoria tires.
The Vittoria Tires did great in the rock garden, pinch flat, and sidewall testing.
THE VERDICT
After trying 3 different brands and tire setups on our Santa Cruz Hightower and Juliana Maverick, the Vittoria Martello upfront and the Vittoria Agarro in the rear has become our favorite set up for our rides in the mountains so far. With the high pedaling efficiency and reliable predictability of these tires, our rides have become more enjoyable with the new speed and confidence we have with our bikes.
Nathan & Ashley
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