Hi everybody,

I have been using these tyres for commuting for some time and am generally happy with them.

However, I have a few questions. I noticed that the grip in the wet is kind of average, and I seem to remember that it used to be better. Given that my tyres have done around 6,000 km in 6 months (but are still in good conditions, they present cuts though), do you know whether I need to clean them regularly with soapy water perhaps to increase the grip? Is it possible that accumulated oil and general dirt (from the road) has diminished the grip? I inspected the tyres, they look quite clean.

I'm 69kg and inflate the tyres (for commuting) to relatively high pressure (110PSI). Is this perhaps the problem?

(For comparison, I used Gatorskin before the Vittoria and the Vittoria have better grip and comfort overall).

Thanks for the replies!

I'm pretty much washing my bike after every ride due to the weather in the UK at the moment!
At the very least I wash the wheels if it's been a rare dry day to remove salt.

I had some Vittoria Diamante Pro Tech tyres that I never felt comfortable with in the wet. I tried various pressures but was never confidant with them. Interestingly, they didn't wear much in the centre of the tread but started to fall to bits at the edges.

I am similar weight and when riding on wet roads I typically run about 90psi but that is a 25c tire also.
It seems to me that as tires get older, the rubber gets harder and lose suppleness. 6000km is a lot on a rear. These tires must be worn dead flat across the contact point of the tire, which is more than likely, contributes to the problems. Do you rotate your tires. I never move a rear tire to the front, but instead always try to buy tires in 3's. 2 rears :1 front.
I have used those in the past and found them, as all vittoria tires, tend to cut easily.

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TIME RXR

I used to have Rubino's as my training tyre but was never happy on them in the wet. On tighter corners, I'd feel them let go, or slip a tiny amount before gripping again. In some ways it was good as you knew you were coming to limit of traction but I didn't like it. Now using GP4000s which I think are much better in wet.

Have not experienced these tires, but might try dropping to 100 or even 90ish psi. I sometimes end up with 90 something if have not inflated for a while and i weight 90+ with clothing and stuff.

Thanks all for your kind replies, I actually run 100/105PSI (front/rear) on my racing bike when racing in dry conditions (Veloflex Carbons), 95/100 in wet, but on my commuting bike I was trying to avoid punctures by overinflating (personal theory, might be totally incorrect!). I guess I'll lower it to 100PSI and see how it goes. But I take it that the Vittoria tyre itself doesn't help in the wet.

Bizarrely enough the central thread is still fine - no major signs of wear (well, hard to spot them anyway as it's the central section of the thread is slick).

I can't comment on the current iteration of these tyres, but earlier versions were absolutely 4king lethal in anything other than a straight line!

I ride a lot at night down dirty greasy lanes, and after me and my mates had a few scares each, we ditched them.
Ribble used to sell wheel and tyre combo's with them; it got to the point where i said "keep the tyres"....

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Official cafe stop tester

Now it makes sense! I had to stop a few times yesterday to inspect the bike: fork, hubs, rim, front spokes, front QR etc as the Caad9 was completely unstable. I thought it was due to a particular cross wind, but when I stopped there was no cross wind! In particular when entering a curve - I can't keep a decent line. Difficult to describe. And i can't keep a line even when going straight now. Perhaps I reached their useful life even if they don't show signs of major wear?

On a different note, I have Aksiums on commuter (Caad9), and I find the Caad9 + Aksium + Rubino Pro too harsh! Will switch to Conti 4000s + Shimano RS20. Should make the Caad9 more enjoyable given my weight. And will lower the pressure to 100PSI too.

Could be a crack in the fork or frame that you can't see.

Quick update. There's something wrong with the headset, it doesn't steer as freely as it should. Something must have happened in the last few days.
Notwithstanding that I still believe that the Rubino have very poor grip and don't ride that well, the Aksium are overly stiff for my weight, and that 110PSI is too high.

I'm taking the Caad9 in for a check-up of the headset, will report back next Friday.