As I was flipping through my new issue of Triathlete and drooling over the new Felt DA Carbon, I noticed the tire spec: Vittoria - Triathlon EVO-CS.
Is this a new tire from Vittoria? What makes a tire triathlon-specific, or is it just a marketing thing?
What makes a tire triathlon-specific, or is it just a marketing thing?
It’s more expensive and it’s got carbon in it.
Actually, tri bikes and road bikes ride differently, so tri-specific tires make quite a bit of sense. When road racing, you are dealing with lots of accelerations, but in triathlon you tend to ride at a steady pace. A traditional tire has a malleable contact patch, which accomodates the road racing style better. A tri specific tire would have a less malleable contact patch, making it more efficient when ridden at a steady pace.
So is that the difference b/w the Pro 2 Race standard and the “Ironman” version? Or is that just a marketing gimick on Michelin’s part?
and it is a whole lot lighter than the corso cx. only comes in 700c, seems vittoria didn’t know triathletes still used 650 tires.
OH Lord… the responses on this one are going to tilt the crap-0-meter
Actually, my earlier post was complete marketing BS - pulled it straight out of my butt. It wasn’t that hard, either. Maybe I’m in the wrong line of work.
Yes tri specific, because the road triahtletes ride are different than the roads that cyclists ride.
This is a new tire, but sadly does not come in a 650c version as mentioned above. It is very light owing to a different base tape in the samples I’ve seen. The tread appears different as well: perhaps it may share some of the concepts developed with Zipp, but that is a guess.
Once their site is updated, I’m sure it’ll have further explanation.
-SD
with your post #3 in this thread you get my vote for post of the year. funny. try adding numbers and you might get a call from companies that would be interested to hire you in their marketing dept.
“malleable”
Maybe we could get Stephen Colbert to do a “Word” segment on that one…
You know, I have spent more time than is necessary thinking about, researching and testing tires. For the life of me, I cannot for even one fleeting moment imagine what could possibly make a tire “triathlon-specific.” Except perhaps printing “Triathlon” on it. I have a Timex watch that says “Ironman” on it. Does that make it “Ironman-specific?”
Sure, there are tires better suited to various functions. But, is a triathlon bike ride somehow different from a road race or time trial – from the perspective of *tires? *
Maybe it handles better running with the bike in transition.
Maybe the front one is designed to be stored with the front wheel off the ground while the bike is in a transition rack.
Maybe it has special Gatorade-proof tread compound for when you spill some trying to drink in the aerobars.
Maybe it has sensors that beep when you get 5 meters too close to the bike in front of you.
Maybe it’s tack-proof for doing IM Canada
Maybe you can fill it with fluids for a hands-free drink system
Or, maybe it’s just a way to get you buy that tire instead of another one.
There is some info in THIS article.
…Maybe you should work for the Onion, a satire newspaper in the Midwest, instead of the Wall Street Journal.
I enjoyed the commentary.
“It’s more expensive and it’s got carbon in it.”
Post of the day in my books! Thank you.
That just about sums up the Tri-bike market. Make it in carbon and make it expensive and you have a winner!
Fleck
“Actually, tri bikes and road bikes ride differently, so tri-specific tires make quite a bit of sense. When road racing, you are dealing with lots of accelerations, but in triathlon you tend to ride at a steady pace. A traditional tire has a malleable contact patch, which accomodates the road racing style better. A tri specific tire would have a less malleable contact patch, making it more efficient when ridden at a steady pace.”
Really. Why then have all the top triathletes for years used the best road racing tires for racing? In my 25 years in the sport I have never heard of a “Tri-specific tire”
Fleck
Gotcha!
See post #7 in the thread.
Thank you, MC, I’ll be here all week.