veloflex corsa 22 vs. pro3 race - first impressions

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neeb
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by neeb

I've been running Michelin pro3 race for a couple of years now but just fitted a set of veloflex corsa 22s for a change. These are supposedly very high quality, high thread count (320 TPI) tyres.

First impressions on a quick 45 mile run today - on flat surfaces they feel wonderful. It's like you have the silky feel you would get if the tyres were at a lower pressure than they actually are, and yet they still feel taught and fast. Overall speed for the run was very similar to the Pro3s.

However as the ride progressed I found myself not liking the feel in some situations - I got the impression that I was losing energy on certain road surfaces, with the tyres feeling subjectively sticky and a little slow. And when out of the saddle on short, sharp ascents they somehow felt less responsive than the Pro3s.

So I haven't decided yet if I like them better than the pro3s or not. Objectively they seem to be just as fast, but the supple feel seems to be a bonus in some situations but a drag in others.

Wondering if anyone else has extensive experience of both of these tyres and which they prefer.

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Burning Dogma
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by Burning Dogma

They should be more comfortable than the Pro 3 and very grippy in corners (the Pro 3 also are), but I doubt they role as nice as the Michelin's. At least according to some tests, Michelin's were just a little bit better, but I can't say if it's a noticeable margin.

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neeb
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by neeb

That fits.

The veloflexes are brand new of course, I guess that will influence things a bit.

lcoolb
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by lcoolb

Have used both Pro3's and Veloflex. The Pro3's roll very well but scared the sh*t out of me in the rain. So ain't using them anymore.
Veloflex are very grippy, and can indeed feel a bit too sticky and hence, sluggish when brand new. As with tubulars, it's best to take them out of their box after purchase and wait a few months before using them. They'll be less sticky and you'll have less chance of flats too. Oh, and use latex tubes, makes a world of difference!

Robroyski
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by Robroyski

Hi, I used both a lot and the difference in "feeling sticky and slow" comes down to the fact that Pro 3 are much harsher riding tires. A lot of people think / feel that when the tire wheel is stiff and gives them a lot of vibrations it actually goes faster, which is not true.

I personally think that veloflex clinchers and tubes are one of the best riding tires out there and at the end of the day if I am comfortable riding the tire and get a great grip cornering = I will go faster then on sketchy tires that feel fast.

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neeb
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by neeb

Robroyski wrote: A lot of people think / feel that when the tire wheel is stiff and gives them a lot of vibrations it actually goes faster, which is not true.

That would be me to some extent, :wink: although I'm prepared to accept that it's mostly a feeling and doesn't mean anything in terms of overall speed.

I wonder however about short out-of-the-saddle efforts on hills - maybe if the tyre is more deformable / supple it has more resistance in these limited situations when there is a lot of pressure going through the front tyre.

I guess I could try running them at higher pressures than the pro3s.

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theremery
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by theremery

CRR for veloflexes would be well and truly under that for Pro3's, I'd have thought. Try them with Latex tubes....fantastic. When you retry the pro3's, I think you'll consign them to the bin and go back to the veloflexes pretty quickly. Wet cornering on veloflexes is absolutely fantasic. If anyone one else is still upright, you are going to be fine!
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Zigmeister
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by Zigmeister

Are we talking tubulars or clinchers? People are mentioning both from a quick read in the thread.

I don't know, but Contador seems to do OK on his Veloflex tubulars.

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Zak
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by Zak

What about puncture resistance between the veloflex and Pro3?

Burning Dogma
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by Burning Dogma

Zak wrote:What about puncture resistance between the veloflex and Pro3?


That's my main fear and the reason why I never bought open tubulars. Pro3 are unbelievable reliable for a top of the line tire. I think it's a fabulous compromise between reliability and performance.

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fa63
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by fa63

I am guessing I have a little over a thousand miles on my Veloflex Corsa, and I have only gotten one flat so far, from a sharp metal object which would have probably punctured any tire.

Robroyski
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by Robroyski

I have approx. 2000 km on my current set and no punctures on roads that are covered with all kinds of gravel after winter. What is interesting is the fact that there is no small cuts on the thread at all where Pro 3's would have a lot of shallow cuts (not puncture).

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neeb
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by neeb

OP here with an update... Well, they're not slow. I just did my fastest time ever for this early in the season over a regular route. I started out with the corsas pumped way up to 130psi to see how they would perform at high pressure. Got a puncture within the first 5 miles, so ended up doing the run with the rear at 130psi and the front at about 100. Seemed to work really well like that, and didn't feel any of the stickiness I thought I could feel on the last run (maybe it was just the wind..).

Think I'll stick with them but keep the rear at a really high pressure and the front at about 115.

Slightly concerned about the puncture though - it was a little bit of glass embedded in the casing, and the first such small cut (2mm) the tyres have had. My pro3s are full of those types of cuts but very rarely puncture, but the first little bit of glass I get in the corsas goes straight through. Maybe the 130psi had something to do with it, or I could have just been unlucky.

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jmilliron
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by jmilliron

I just tossed a rear Pro3 last month that was full of cuts. Two all the way through the tire. No punctures though! Might have more to do with the Mitch latex tubes then anything else.
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fdegrove
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by fdegrove

Hi,

Zak wrote:What about puncture resistance between the veloflex and Pro3?


Veloflex tyres benefit from maturing in a dry cellar away from U.V. rays.
I know it sounds like a cycling myth but just try it, it just redifines puncture resistance no end.

As for latex inner tubes, Vredestein are by far the best currently available. Light, comfy and fast.

I don't think there are any better nor have there been any better over the past fifty years. A gem.

Ciao, ;)
Being a snob is an expensive hobby.

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