I am trying a pair of Veloflex Master Clincher Tires (700x23c) for a while. Frankly, Continental GP4000s is my favorite tire. Or might I say it “was”?
After reading the reviews about Veloflex Master clincher tires here, I decided to give them a try and bought a pair of them.
Veloflex Master – handmade in Italy
First impression was nice. You can feel the “Handmade-in-Italy” quality when you handle them. Feeling the softness and the smoothness of the natural rubber is great. But what about the feel to riding on them?
I put 120 PSI in them and hit the road (they can be inflated up to 145 PSI, I like high-pressure tires). And… It was beautiful. Riding on the Veloflex Master’s is a great feeling. They’re rolling really good, and cornering very well. You feel very safe when cornering, even downhills, even on the bad surfaces.
I have tested Veloflex Master clinchers on bad, really bad road surfaces for miles and miles, and have had no problem at all. Puncture protection is really good, I didn’t have a flat until completing 2,000 kilometers.
The only negative point is, they wear out a bit quickly. Specs say front tire wears after 6,000 km (3728 miles), and rear 3,000 km (1864 miles). But I think they wear out quicker than that. I can say 4000 km (~2500 miles) for front, 2000 km (1250 miles) for rear. So maybe it would be better to use seasonal training tires like Continental 4 Seasons or Vittoria Zaffiro for fall/winter conditions.
Bonus: The natural rubber smells great!
For racing, I don’t think that I will use any other tire than Veloflex Master. For training, especially winter training, they’re a bit expensive.
Veloflex Master clincher tire specifications
- Weight 195 grams ±10%
- Rolling Resistance (each) 15 watts
- TPI 320 Threads Per Inch (120/cm)
- Pressure 7/10 bar (100/145 psi)
- Protection Belt anti-puncture layer
- Casing Compressed Pes/Co corespun
- Rubber tread Natural rubber exclusive compound
- Beads KEVLAR® inextensible yarn
- Mileage Front 6,000 km (3728 mi) – Rear 3,000 km (1864 mi)
Pros
- Natural rubber
- Great feeling and rolling resistance
- Grip well
- Puncture protection is good (after wears out, there is no protection though)
- Durable
- Excellent tire for road racing
Cons
- Expensive (for training, for racing-the price is OK).
- Wears out quickly (for training, for racing-it is OK).
- Hard to mount on the rims.
My overall rating: 5 stars/out of 5
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