First Impressions: Vittoria Morsa 29×2.3″ Tyres


The not-so-minor details

Product

Vittoria Morsa 29x2.3 Tyre

Contact

GKA Sports
www.gkasportsstore.com.au

Price

AUD85.00

Weight

935gm

Positives

G+ graphene compound makes big promises about grip and durability.

Negatives

935g is on the heavier end of the spectrum.

First impressions?

This tread definitely looks promising. The siped side knobs are reminiscent of a Maxxis Minion DHF, and the lower profile centre tread that reminds us of a Specialized Purgatory, both of which are which are great tyres, so that’s a good starting point.

The tyre is tubeless ready of course. The sidewall recommends a minimum tubeless pressure of 29psi, which is much higher than we’d usually run, so we’ll see how that plays out.


What’s special about it?

The big selling point with this tyre lies in the compounding. There are four different rubber compounds used in the tread layup,  to provide the right blend of support, protection and compliance, as well as the magic ingredient of graphene. Don’t worry, we had to Google it too. Most of what we read went over our heads, but the key point is that it’s super strong (200 time stronger than steel apparently) but also perfectly flexible.

So, nutshell here, the use of graphene apparently allows Vittoria to make a tyre that is durable and fast rolling but without resorting to using hard, inflexible rubber compounds to achieve that longevity. It’ll definitely be a good trick if it works as promised on the can! The compound certainly feels nice and malleable – let’s see how it likes a bit of punishment from Sydney sandstone.

Size options? 

We’re running the 29 x 2.3″, but there are options for 27.5 wheels as well, with a 2.3″ or whopping 2.8″ widths. Our tyres tip the scales at a reasonably heavy 935g, but they do have a pretty robust looking sidewall which bodes well for resistance to damage. Expect a full write up soon once we’ve logged some miles,

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