Italian tyre powerhouse Vittoria revealed a complete line of road and mountain bike wheels at Interbike that will start arriving in stores as early as next month. We've already requested some test samples for review, and Vittoria says racing fans will see some of the new wheels under top teams next season.
High-tech for the road
Vittoria has apparently jumped into wheel development head first, infusing much of its road range with cutting-edge features. The Qurano carbon road tubulars will be offered in 80mm, 60mm and 46/42mm depths, all with 23.5mm-wide rims that are reinforced with graphene – the newest composites wündermaterial that Vittoria claims yields lighter and stronger rims than conventional carbon fibre materials.
Vittoria says its graphene-reinforced rims are stronger and lighter than what would otherwise be possible with conventional carbon fibre construction
All of the Qurano wheels are built with straight-pull bladed stainless steel spokes in 14/21h front/rear counts, with the rears featuring a two-to-one lacing pattern and offset spoke beds to balance tensions. Claimed weights for the Qurano 46, 60 and 84 are 1,298g, 1,409g and 1,573g, respectively.
Vittoria says that carbon clinchers are under development but in the meantime, the Fraxion will use an aluminum rim and a carbon fibre fairing and mixed 45/50mm front/rear depths to help balance aerodynamic efficiency and crosswind handling. Both rims have semi-wide 17mm internal widths intended for use with tyres up to 22mm across. Claimed weight for the set is 1,698g.
As compared to the all-carbon Qurano (left), the Fraxion (right) will use an aluminum/carbon hybrid rim construction to reduce costs
Riders looking for a premium all-around, all-aluminum wheelset might take interest in the Elusion Nero, which uses the same 17mm internal rim width as the Fraxion but with a shallower 26/28mm front/rear rim depth. More notably, Vittoria has treated the rim with a plasma electrolytic oxidation surface treatment – more commonly known under its trade name, Keronite – plus it's tubeless-ready, too.
In addition to giving the Elusion Nero its characteristic all-grey look, Keronite – the same treatment Mavic uses for its Exalith rims – lends incredible durability to treated surfaces, unlike standard anodization, which is easily prone to brake pad wear. And just like Mavic, Vittoria claims its Elusion Nero rims will provide better braking performance in both wet and dry conditions.
We're looking forward to riding Vittoria's new Keronite-coated Elusion Nero clincher wheelset
Accompanying the Elusion Nero is the standard Elusion, which shares identical virtually identical specs save for the Keronite coating. Claimed weight for the Elusion Nero is 1,576g while the standard Elusion tacks on another 15g courtesy of brass spoke nipples.
All of the above wheels will be built around Vittoria's novel SwitchIT hubs, built with cartridge bearings, oversized rear driveside spoke flanges, and interchangeable aluminum freehub bodies that can easily removed without tools. All of those models will come with wheelbags, brake pads and internal-cam skewers, too (save for the standard Elusion, which doesn't require special pads).
No tools? No problem
For riders on more of a budget, Vittoria's new road range will round out with two entry-level models. The Alusion will use the same 17mm internal rim width as the other clinchers but with a 33mm depth, brass spoke nipples, and more conventional hubs for a total claimed weight of 1,791g. The shallower Session, meanwhile, gets a 26mm-deep rim but is otherwise identical for a claimed weight of 1,763g.
Full collection of off-road models
Sadly, Vittoria didn't have on hand at Interbike its flagship XC racing model – simply called Race – which will be built with a 25mm-wide, 30mm-deep graphene-reinforced carbon fibre tubular rim for a claimed weight of 1,552g in the sole 29in diameter.
That said, the more trail/enduro-oriented Deamion looked interesting enough with its 23mm-wide (internal width), 21mm-deep asymmetric and tubeless-compatible alloy rims, all laced with 28 spokes front and rear to cartridge bearing hubs that use Shimano's Center Lock rotor interface. Claimed weight for the 27.5in version is 1,676g; the 29ers come in at 1,747g.
Vittoria will have off-road models, too
The more XC-oriented Reaxcion shares similar specs to the Deamion but with narrower 21mm-wide (internal width) rims. Nevertheless, the switch to brass from alloy nipples keeps the claimed weights of the 27.5in and 29in version nearly identical at 1,706g and 1,787g, respectively.
Finally, there's the entry-level Creed with 21mm-wide (internal width) rims and heavier hubsets built with steel cassette bodies. Unlike its more expensive brethren, the Creed will be offered in all three common wheel diameters with claimed weights ranging from 1,819g to 1,950g depending on size and axle configuration.
All of Vittoria's off-road clinchers feature tubeless-ready profiles
Pricing for all of Vittoria's new wheels has not been announced.