A new tire will always be a bit stiffer. Perhaps you are equating your initial ride on the Zipp with a past experience on a Vittoria EVO (which is indeed the basis for the tire). I'd wager with some more miles on it, it will feel more like the Vittoria ride you know. That being said, tires are a funny thing. Everybody has strong opinions about tires...

The reason for the short valve stem is that it makes it easier to inflate when used with a disc, where a short valve stem will sometimes let you get a pump head (rather than a crackpipe) onto the valve.

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

You do know that "road" does NOT equal "rode", right?

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"Lemond is cycling's version of Rev Jessie Jackson." -johnnyperu 5/18/07
"Just because I suck doesn't mean my bike has to" -rickn 9/2/08

But they are dimpled!!!

Compare the Tangentes you have with other Tangentes. Your comment about the valve stem length leads me to believe you have very, very old tires. Older versions had short valve stems. Newer versions have a differnt (longer) valve stem in addition to other changes. check that out.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Actually, I think Tom has that backwards. The very earliest Tangentes had long stems.

From the Zipp site:
Please note:
The 50mm valve connector on the first batch of Tangente tubular tires is too long to work with older style (pre 10/06) Zipp discs with a shallow cut-out. You will need to find an alternative tire with a 32mm or 36mm valve connector to fit comfortably and still be able to apply air using our disc floor valve adaptor, e.g. Velofllex 36mm. All subsequent shipments have 36mm connectors.

http://www.zipp.com/...ctName%2cProductName

Tom had something totally wrong? Holy crap! Next you're gonna be telling me that Lance is gonna run marathons!!! ;-)

I've kinda been round and round with Tangente tubulars. You can search for my posts on the topic. You'll find plenty.

But now that I've gotten settled in with a set on my race wheels and they have some miles on them, I'm starting to like them quite a lot. No doubt they're more substantial than a Veloflex Carbon. I'm hoping that's a good thing as some of my racing is done on sub-par roads. But I've done a couple of races this season on the Tangentes and the results have been quite pleasing. Maybe it's the hundreds of extra miles I've ridden so far this year. Maybe it's the tires. Maybe it's both or neither.

The funny thing is, my gripes and compliments are almost the opposite of yours. I think they corner great. But I give them low marks for roundness. I have six Tangentes. (That's a long story you can read about if you search my posts.) Of the six, I wouldn't say any of them are round and I struggled to find two that I considered acceptable. I don't feel the out-of-roundness that much on the bike, but you sure can see it as the wheel goes through the cutout on my P3C. (This is NOT a mounting issue.)

Don't get me started on latex on the base tape.

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Bob C.

The "science" on any matter can never be settled until every possible variable is taken into account.

You are correct. I did make an error. I did not notice at first that the tire is not round it is recessed by the valve stem. I don't mind the latex on the base tape so much but I did not like how the tire stretches. It sounds like threads are being ripped.

The two tires I setup at the start of last season were as round as any clincher I have used. No rubbing on the cutout and no visual wobbles, etc. I feel cornering performance is very good as well.

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"I really wish you would post more often. You always have some good stuff to say. I copied it below just in case someone missed it." BarryP to Chainpin on 10/21/06