Review time...

Okay...
I haven't done a product review for a long time, but I think that this one is necessary. I'm a Vittoria tire guy. Always have been, and won't make apologies for it! I'm not talking the low/mid level tires either. If it doesn't say Open Corsa CX on it, I won't ride it. Sure, they're more expensive than other tires, so what? I ride good, high dollar wheels, ergo, I'm going to ride good, high dollar tires. I don't understand the whole idea of riding a great set of wheels, and then putting $25 crap tires on them. Oh, I run latex tubes too...
Anyway, about 4 weeks ago, I was set to pull down on more Vitts, but PBK was out of them in black (not riding colored tires...sorry!), and I'm NEVER going to pay full metal retail for ANYTHING, so getting them at the LBS was out of the question.
I decided to get some Veloflex Master 700x22 rubber. Never heard of Veloflex? Well, here's quick primer...
When Vittoria moved it's production of tires to Thailand several years ago, they basically just left. All of the employees and equipment were left behind. The Italians, much to their credit, decided to start making tires on their own, thus Veloflex was born.
I'd ridden Veloflex Paves in the past and liked them, but didn't fall in love. Well, the new Veloflex Master tire is out, and it's a bit different animal. Sure, it's the same size at 700x22, but the fine folks at Veloflex upped the TPI count to 320.
The Masters are a mix of new school technology and old-school flavor. Kevlar anti-puncture band and kevlar bead, but cotton casing and natural rubber tread. Plus, the sidewall is a truly old-school natural blonde!Yeah, yeah, yeah...here's the ride report!
Smooth like butter on a bald monkey! Like mentioned earlier, I run Michelin latex tubes. This pairing makes for a sublime ride. In fact, at one point this morning, I truly thought I had a rear flat because it seemed that I was floating along. They even make the sh*t tar-and-chip roads around here seem...well...less bad. Sure, they aren't Vitt Open Paves, but not many tires are...
Considering they are smaller volume (22c) than Vitt OC CX or Pave, they still deliver an outstanding ride.
As the pic shows, they are good for 7-10 bar, which is 110-145 pounds in old money. The only time I'd ride them harder than 120-ish is in the time trial, and seeing that there aren't any of those in my immediate future, 8 bar seems to be perfect.
They Masters roll extremely well. Diving into a turn is something that becomes an afterthought. Throw the bike in, and the tires just stick and track without drama. I think it may have a little to do with the fact that the profile of the tire is round, just as the Vitts always are. Between the natural rubber, the pliable 320TPI casing and that profile make for a tire that can really do no wrong.
Only ONE drawback comes with all of these positives...tire life. Let's be straight here, these are fast trianing/race tires. If you go into it knowing and actually acknowledging this fact, you'll be just fine. Too many people buy tires like these (or the Vitts) and expect them to wear like a Maxxis ReFuse. Sorry, it just ain't gonna happen!
Even taking this ONE fact into account, the positives far outweigh the negative. And @$40 shipped from England, it's hard to beat the price. At that price point, you're usually stuck with something that just cannot deliver anywhere near the same performance!
the ONLY tire that I'd ride over these is the new Vittoria 320TPI OC CX, and the only reason is the fact that they have a bit more volume, even at the 23c size. @25c, they are crazy plush!
To the new Veloflex Master, I say...