Hi,
I expected the Vittoria Evos to ride smoother than the Contis... but I didn't experience it. I would need to do a blind test on the same section or road and switch back and forth several times.
Many years ago I did these kinds of experiments just so I had a feel of whether or not claimed and tested stuff was corelating with what is experienced on a road.
My conclusion was that if you put a bog standard butyl inner tube in a Vitto Evo CX much of the advantage of its high TPI casing is going down the drain. Especially so at highish tyre pressures.
Put in a latex inner tube a la Vredestein, which is structurally very similar to what you'd find inside a high-end tubular, et voila, all is plush and comfy.
Do the same with a Conti clincher and the only thing you may notice is the lower weight of the latex inner tube. Vredestein hits the scales at a meager 55g, not all latex inner tubes are that much lighter than a standard butyl one.
I tried literally dozens of various latex inner tubes, basically anything I could buy, the most comfortable one was by far one made by or for Pariba (a defunct company bought up and chilled by Vred IIRC). It wasn't light at all weighing 80g a piece or thereabouts but it sure made the latex effect obvious.
I'm no longer preaching (People like Casran, Sharkman, Kraaf, et all can testify) the use of latex inner tubes as a general cure as I'm and always have been well aware that their use is not really universal in that they need the utmost care to mount and are by no means ideal for descending at high speeds among other things when mate to wheels of the clincher persuasion.
Still, for the courageous ones, the benefit is there to be had.
So, knowing all this I switched to tubulars where, in my mind, I could have my cake and eat it too.
Well, yes, I admit I am very lucky to live in Europe where we can source the creme de la creme of tubs without paying through the nose.
Where I do my shopping a Conti or Schwalbe would cost me 10 to 20 % more than a Veloflex Carbon so why bother?
A totally different situation from the US and even here the numbers of good sources are dwindling.
That being said, perceptions can be misleading sometimes. There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that even the stiffish Contis would show a reduced Crr when outfitted with a latex inner tube. Latex being that much more compliant than butyl it should. Just plain common sense.
Not sure anyone would feel the difference with the possible exception of the carbon saddle/thin chamois crowd perhaps. Still, if it's measured than it is there....
Point is, when in doubt measure it. All test results I've ever seen always turned out to be in favour of latex inner tubes.
Whether or not one actually feels the difference then becomes rather irrelevant.
Common sense says latex rules.
Common sense also dictates higher tpi casings should perform better in the real world under the same circumstances as lower ones at the same pressures and increasingly so when pressure is lowered or load is increased. No ?
Sometimes I get the impression that some tyres are purposely designed to measure well but do not perform all that well in the real world.
OTOH I know tyres that do not care much about measurements but that have traditionally performed extremely well in the real world.
I'm well aware it all seems pretty contradictive but as explained before the blindingly fine test results of some tyres may well stem from elsewhere.
Hence perhaps the intuitive reaction of some to the obvious?
Quod erat demonstrandum.... Or Pandora's box reloaded.
Ciao,
FLASH:
http://www.bike-eu.com/Home/General/2013/1/Vittoria-Opens-Nanographyte-Compound-Factory-1153769W/?cmpid=NLC|Bike%20Europe|22-jan-2013|Vittoria%20Opens%20#8216;Nanographyte