Vittoria has overhauled its XC Race range with all its tyres now available in greater widths and promising a faster, grippier ride.
Launched at Eurobike, the range includes Vittoria’s familiar tread designs: the Terreno, Peyote, Mezcal and Barzo.
But the Italian brand has also introduced a new model, the Torrente XC, which offers “extreme grip” and a “self-cleaning design for the harshest muddy conditions”.
Vittoria’s brand and communications manager Bruno Tecci says the Torrente XC was the “only missing piece in the XC Race range”.
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A new race casing
Vittoria's new cross-country mountain bike tyres feature a new race casing, which debuted last year on the Mezcal and Peyote tyres and is now available across the line-up.
Previously, the tyres had a 120 TPI nylon casing. But the new casing halves that to 60 TPI. Vittoria says this helps give the tyres a supple feel to reduce rider fatigue and increase “race-day reliability”.
The casing is capped with Vittoria’s Graphene and Silica Race compound. Vittoria says this means the XC Race range has 11 per cent more grip and is 3 per cent faster.
The new mountain bike tyre range is also said to have greater puncture resistance in the tread by 10 per cent) and in the side wall by 37 per cent.
Mix and match
All of Vittoria’s XC Race tyres now come with black or brown sidewalls. The brown replaces Vittoria’s paler, tan sidewalls and is said to look clean for longer.
Tecci says the consistent colours mean you can mix and match any of the XC Race tyres.
Tecci says the updated range is: “The first big occasion we have to talk about mixing and matching, based on feeling and riding style".
“It’s common to use something aggressive in the front and faster at the back,” he says, adding that it’s common for riders to combine the Mezcal and Peyote tyres.
New Torrente XC
What differentiates the XC Race tyres is their tread, with Terreno designed for smooth, dry hardpack and then the Torrente XC at the other end of the spectrum.
Designed for the “harshest muddy terrains”, the Torrente XC has wider tread spacing, which Vittoria says clears “peanut-buttery mud” on each revolution.
There is an alternating centre ridge on the tread to maintain speed and provide sharp edges for traction.
Each lug also has siping for grip on wet roots and rocks that might surprise you from underneath mud.
The tyre has already proved successful in pro racing, with Simone Avondetto using it to win the incredibly wet and muddy 2024 European Mountain Bike Championships.
Tecci says riders might want to mix and match the Torrente XC with the Barzo tyre.
Wider widths
Previously, the XC Race range was available in three widths: 29x2.1in, 29x2.25in and 29x2.35in.
But now the range will be available in just two widths, 29x2.25in and 29x2.4in.
Vittoria says this is to cater to market demands, which has seen MTB tyres increase in width.
Pricing is the same for all the tyres, across models and sizes, at $103.99 / €77.95.
