Vittoria Rubino Pro Slick: A tough, high-mileage classic with its Kevlar Endura 3D Compound. PRB puncture protection. Updated tread pattern, with "dot C.O.M. Vector" design. Nylon 120 TPI casing. 700x23 Grey sidewall.
Strengths: Long lasting, rolls smooth and fast, corners decent, good flat protection. PRICE.
Weaknesses: Slick, so not great in rain or wet, equally not great in extreme heat when pushed hard in corners. (But then what is?)
Bottom Line:
In the middle of Summer 2011, the Turbo Pros that came stock on my new Specialized Tarmac began to fall apart, but at the time money was tight. I went to Performance thinking I would get a tire on sale that would last 1K miles or so, enough to get me past a planned double century around Lake Tahoe.
The Vittoria Rubino Pro Slick was on sale for $24.99, so I thought, “Could a tire this cheap really last 1K miles”. Well, it was in my price range, so I decided to try it out.
The tire felt pretty good. It didn’t corner quite as well as the Specialized Turbo Pro, but I expected that. It did feel better than I thought it would, and it rolled wonderfully.
It did have an immediate draw back I noticed right away. First off, it’s a slick tire. As in, it’s slick. Bald. Smooth. Not meant for wet rides or rain. That should be obvious by it being called a “Slick” in the first place, but reading other reviews here, maybe not so much.
However, it gets nearly the same reaction when the pavement is hot hot hot. Descending form Henry Coe Park in 95+ degree heat, I could feel the back tire sliding just a bit when I really dug into a corner. Not to the point of danger, but enough to put my mind on it. Of course, that was also when it was brand spankin’ new, so it could be that it needed a couple hundred miles in it to settle it in. And the pavement was probably 120+ that day, so I’m not sure any tire would really stick to it without movement.
I was also worried that a cheap tire would give me lots of flats. Not so much. No more than the Turbo Pros over 2K miles, or my old Hutchinson Fusion 2’s over 2-3K miles.
When I bought this tire, I figured it would last 500-1K miles and need to be replaced. Well, yesterday’s century put it over 3,200. And it still felt like new, cornered the same, rolled the same, and the flat resistance was very consistent between new and old. Over the life of the tire, I had 8 flats. 3 in the front, 5 in the back. Over 3,200 miles. Not perfect, but definitely good, and MUCH better than expected from a $25 tire from Performance.
I’ll be honest, it looks like crap right now. After yesterday’s ride, some beads are starting to appear through the rubber, and there are cuts and scrapes all over it. Even with that damage and it falling apart, I still have not had a flat since Feb 11, and that is the only one so far this year.
If you’re on a budget and are looking for a tire that performs “pretty good” and has “pretty good” flat resistance look no further, ESPECIALLY if you happen to find it for $25 again. (It’s $35 right now)
Weaknesses: none... these are a performance tire so short life is expected; starting to square off the rear tire.
Bottom Line:
excellent tire. mine are the 25c width. I use these on my scattante sc-r scandium road bike with dt swiss R1900 wheels and think they are supple in feel, excellent grip, roll quite well and are comfortable. no flats in the past 750 miles. lots of little cuts all over as they are a soft compound. I also have tubular wheels and a disc on my TT bike which i ride at 140/145 psi and yes, that bike rolls out insane, but the vittoria rubino pro slick clinchers are killer in all respects. I also have some conti gatorskins; the feel is terrible. although i do like conti tires. I am going to get some vittoria paves for the winter rides and commute as i think the slicks are best for fair weather; when it comes to the twisties anyway.
peace in san diego
Strengths: I haven't noticed any handling problems
Weaknesses: Constant flats - I think I get one every time I ride. I am scared to ride over anything but the smoothest tarmac, since anything and everything seems to cut right through the tire and into the tube
Bottom Line:
They feel nice, but the number of flats has been very discouraging. I can't rate them as a value because they don't really function to keep me on the road.
Strengths: Smooth, Stable Ride
Good Grip
Good Value
Weaknesses: Terrible Grip in Wet Conditions
Bottom Line:
I have one of these as my rear tire in conjunction with a GP4000 as my front tire. The Vittoria Rubino Pro Slick has great stability and holds the road extremely well when it's dry out, but everything goes out the window when the roads are wet. I would recommend these tires to anyone who needs good, reliable grip from a moderately priced tire. I would suggest these only for fair weather riders, though.
Strengths: They do the job and they are a great bang for the buck
Weaknesses: Wet cornering.
Bottom Line:
Everyone gets a bad tire now and then, even expensive tires. However, I have used these exclusively for the past few years and found them to be a real value tire. I was getting them from PBK for mid $20's (thats gone). I have probably purchased 10 tires and I think that I had one that ended up with a cut sidewall which could have been due to the gravel. Other than that I have gotten good mileage of 2000 or so miles. I ride on rough rodes and therefore get small cuts that I hit with some superglue, which will take care of the small ones. But that happens to any tire, regardless of price. The only problem with these are on wet roads. YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL but that is true with any tire. I weigh 175 and generally get 2000 plus miles per tire. And except for one have only disposed of tires that had threads showing thru the tread.
