New Vittoria Corsa N.EXT tire review: Classic Corsa, now nylon - CyclingTips

When it comes to high-performance tires, a cotton casing — or more generally, a polycotton blend — is the perfect place for an appealing mix of suppleness and low weight. Unsurprisingly, that’s what Vittoria uses for every model in Corsa’s high-end road tire lineup.

Well, to this day, that’s how it is.

With the introduction of Corsa N.EXT, Vittoria wanted to bridge the gap between Corsa Control and Rubino Pro, with a new high-performance case and tread design that it claims (naturally) provides the best overall performance of any nylon. road tires to date. It’s no cheaper than the popular Corsa Control, but Vittoria says it provides greater durability and cut resistance for riders who spend a lot of time saddle, but still want fast roll and excellent grip.

Anatomy of Corsa N.EXT

Vittoria offers the Corsa N.EXT in tube-type and tubeless-ready versions. Both use 100 TPI (threads per inch) nylon fabric arranged in three layers under the tread for puncture protection, but only two on the sidewalls for more flexibility to reduce rolling resistance. There is also an additional puncture-resistant belt under the tread cap.

The tube-type Corsa N.EXT tires are equipped with conventional aramid beads, while the tubeless tires are made with a more stretch-resistant Zylon material. Tubeless-ready tires also get an extra layer inside the casing to help with air retention.

The nylon case has two layers on the sidewalls and three under the tread, plus a puncture-resistant belt. The tube type model uses aramid folding beads. Photo: Vittoria.

The tubeless-ready models get an additional layer of material to aid air retention, and the aramid beads are replaced with non-stretch Zylon ones. Photo: Vittoria.

The tread design is borrowed from Corsa, but the rubber compound is supposed to be new, with a compound containing silica in the center, and one containing graphene at the shoulders. According to Vittoria, the new combination results in a slight increase in roll resistance and puncture resistance compared to the company’s current graphene-only compound, but a greater increase in grip (which shows me that this new configuration will quickly find its way into other Corsa models). . Convenient wear indicators are printed directly into the tread.

Vittoria offers both versions of the Corsa N.EXT in six sizes, from 700x24mm to 700x34mm. The claimed weight ranges from 190-240 g for tube-type tires, and 260-340 g for tubeless-ready variants. All but the narrowest 700×24 mm tubeless ready Corsa N.EXT are also officially compatible with hookless rims.

The retail price for the tube-type version is US$75 / €60; TLR is slightly more expensive at US$85 / €70. Prices for other regions are yet to be confirmed.

Riding a Corsa N.EXT

Vittoria didn’t mince words about how good the Corsa N.EXT was, describing it as “best in class in terms of puncture resistance, comfort and wet grip.”

But is it really? I’ve only put together a few rides on my test sample at this point, but the experience so far has been encouraging.

In your hand, the Corsa N.EXT is incredibly flexible and soft — just amazing for retreading nylon tires. It’s not quite on par with cotton-casing open tubes in that respect, but it’s very close, and slightly better than most high-end vulcanizing specs on the market. On the road, that suppleness delivers a fast, stretchy feel, with incredible feedback on what’s happening at the contact patch — almost as if you were running your own finger across the asphalt to gauge the texture.

The dry grip really inspires confidence.

The dry grip is absolutely amazing. You can really push the Corsa N.EXT hard in the corners, the early turn-in response is great, and that great feedback offers plenty of indication to your hand if you push it a little too hard. I can’t comment on how this is in the wet—it’s been very dry here in Colorado recently—but on dry asphalt, it certainly inspires a lot of confidence. Unfortunately, I can’t say at this point whether the grip comes at the expense of wear, and I can’t comment on how resistant the new Corsa is to punctures. That said, any purported improvement in that regard over Corsa Control would be welcome.

However, in terms of installation, make sure you have tire levers. The Corsa N.EXT tubeless-ready tires I tested weren’t too strong to fit onto the rims, but the Zylon beaded material really won’t stretch. Good technique is the key. But on the plus side, they inflate easily, and it’s okay to make beads appear on most tubeless compatible rims with just a standard floor pump. Air retention is also quite good, without the low-level seepage that sometimes accompanies cotton casing Corsas. And in terms of measurement, the 28mm wide Corsa N.EXT (print width) is almost right when mounted to 19-21mm wide rims.

Hot patches on TLR tires include special pressure limits for hooked and hookless rims.

Overall, the Corsa N.EXT is one of the best retread pathfinders I’ve ever used, and it fills an old hole in the Vittoria lineup that I honestly can’t believe has been around this long. The Corsa N.EXT feels fantastic, rolls really well, and grips well. Admittedly, it may not feel as luxurious as the standard Corsa Control or Corsa, but it’s certainly much better than the underwhelming Rubino Pro, and ends up providing a more direct head-to-head competitor to tires like the Continental GP 5000, Special S-Works, Pirelli P Zero, and so on.

Only time (and more collective experience) will tell whether Vittoria’s claims of increased durability and longevity relative to Corsas polycotton will prove true in the long run. But assuming all of that holds up—hopefully—the Corsa N.EXT is a welcome addition.

More information can be found at www.vittoria.com.

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