First Trip: Vittoria Mazza Enduro Race Mountain Bike Tire

The Vittoria Mazza, Mota, and Martello mountain bike tires are actually out there in a premium Enduro Race mannequin, with a tread sample made up of a softer, single-compound rubber, and a extra supple 1 x 60 TPI casing building. They every bear the identical respective tread patterns, however with an all-new tremendous comfortable, low rebound rubber that mixes Graphene and Silica to provide what is claimed to end in maximal grip and damping at each lean angle.

Vittoria place the brand new tires as their most performance-oriented tire for gravity riders.

The Mazza is the Italian model’s hottest tire for path and enduro utilization. We take a look at it right here within the new Enduro Race casing.

Vittoria Mazza Mountain Bike Tires: An Overview

Earlier than we expose our first experience impressions, it’s pertinent to grasp the vary in a bit extra element. The Vittoria Mazza line-up (and Mota and Martello, for that matter) now includes the next three tires:

• Mazza Path: 1-ply 120 TPI building with an anti-puncture breaker belt beneath the tread, and sidewall reinforcement supplied by a layer of nylon and an anti pinch-flat insert
• Mazza Enduro: 2-ply 120 TPI building with an anti pinch-flat insert within the sidewalls
• Mazza Race Enduro: 1-ply 60 TPI with an anti-puncture layer beneath the middle tread and a shorter anti pinch-flat insert on the sidewalls

That is significantly better understood by wanting intently on the cutaway profile of every of the casings; variations between the three are most clearly seen on the sidewall.

Whereas the Path and Enduro Casing tires have a tread sample made up of Vittoria’s 4C Graphene rubber, comprising 4 rubbers of various durometer (or hardness), in a bid to steadiness grip with sturdiness and rolling velocity, the brand new Enduro Race is fashioned with a rubber of a single durometer.

Not like some tire producers, Vittoria doesn’t expose the precise Shore Hardness of their rubber compounds, however we’re advised that the one comfortable compound on the Enduro Race tire is softer than any of the 4 compounds that go into the 4C Graphene layup.

The Vittoria Mazza is just not a brand new tire to me. I’ve beforehand examined it within the 2-ply 120 TPI Enduro choice – evaluation right here. To summarize, I acquired on very well with the tread sample, discovering it predictable in corners with good mud clearance in sloppy circumstances. I notably appreciated the way it carried out as a rear tire; the 4C rubber is comparatively fast-rolling, and the stepped vanguard center-tread appeared to offer wonderful grip on steep, moist, technical climbs.

I do, nevertheless, recall some “pinging” sensations when driving the tire at 18psi, an undesirable attribute that I put right down to the very stiff sidewalls. When dropping stress to as little as 15psi, the tire burped air and sealant to the purpose the place it wasn’t actually a viable choice.

The ultimate feedback in my evaluation of the Mazza Enduro are: “Whereas Vittoria’s 4C Compound is a top quality fast-rolling hard-wearing rubber compound, it’s the solely compound they provide. A softer, tackier, decrease rebound compound could be a welcome addition to their line-up, permitting the model to essentially tackle the large names in mountain bike tires”.

I requested, and Vittoria has produced.

First Impressions: Vittoria Mazza Enduro Race

In my palms, the tread blocks of the Enduro Race tire really feel a bit softer and, most notably, rebound to the unique form far more slowly than the tread blocks of the 4C Compound Enduro tire.

Dealing with the cut-down carcass of the 2 casings, the distinction in stiffness on the facet partitions is important. The sidewall of the Mazza Enduro is barely foldable thanks the a lot thicker anti pinch-flat insert, whereas the sidewall of the Mazza Enduro Race is way extra supple, with out being fairly so versatile because the Mazza Path casing.

I examined the Mazza Enduro Race as a entrance tire solely, in 27.5″ x 2.6. On our Park Device DS-2 scale, it weighed in at 1,336 grams, which is a not-insignificant 121 grams heavier than the claimed weight. The 29″ x 2.6″ weighs 1,393 grams, barely lighter than its 1,400g claimed weight. Nonetheless, it’s a very good bit heavier than a 29″ x 2.5″ Maxxis Assegai within the DoubleDown MaxxGrip selection (1,313 grams).

The Mazza Enduro Race measured up a lot narrower than its marketed 2.6″ width on the 33mm inner width aluminum rim of the Hunt Enduro Broad V2 Wheelset; our Park Device calipers measured the width at 2.45″. The tire was simply wrangled onto the rim. I seated it tubeless with use of a compressor, purely as a result of I used to be in a rush.

Terrain-wise, the Mazza is a little bit of an all-rounder, however Vittoria recommend it performs greatest in blended, free, and damp-to-wet circumstances. The 2 banked rides I’ve on this tire cowl that spectrum properly. My native trails of the Tweed Valley, particularly these recognized affectionately because the Golfy, have every part from quick, shale-like loose-over-hard tracks, to comfortable loam of the contemporary minimize selection.

My first experience impressions are good. Excellent, truly.

Path circumstances are intermediate proper now, although drying out quickly. Lengthy stretches of dependable tackiness give technique to small patches of moist, greasiness, however these are few and much between. The Vittoria Mazza Enduro Race has been flattering at each flip.

Simply as I remembered, the Mazza corners with good to wonderful predictability, with no emotions of vagueness because the bike is leaned over into turns. I’m in no hazard of bar dragging, however I discovered the tire to ship constant grip at moderately excessive lean angles in flatter corners.

Below braking, the tire may be very responsive. It’s not abrupt by any means, nevertheless it does appear to chunk a bit of extra firmly into the filth than the Continental Kryptotal Entrance it changed.

At 16psi, the tire was offering plentiful stability on rockier, free terrain, and was holding its form properly in corners with extra compression on the apex. Proud of that, I constructed the boldness to drop the stress to 15psi, and have since skilled no sick results of doing so. I’ve no tire burp incidents to report, no lack of traction, nothing remotely destructive, the truth is! I reckon I may most likely go decrease.

The tire has held some good root-ridden, off-camber strains via the loam. It’s not defying the legal guidelines of physics or something; I’ve felt some sliding sensations on the odd shiny root, however actually I can’t complain. The tire is sufficiently supple to deform to most options encountered, and supplies a constant degree of traction that’s, to this point, nearly as good as a Continental Kryptotal, and Maxxis Assegai of the MaxxGrip taste.

Having solely ridden the tire on two events, it’s in fact very early days. However, to this point, I’m actually stoked on the degrees of grip and luxury supplied by the softer compound and extra supple casing of the Vittoria Mazza Enduro Race. I’ve no want to modify it out for any of the aforementioned; I imagine this one has many a contented lap forward of it.

Pricing & Availability

For my part, Vittoria’s tires supply actually good worth when it comes to their efficiency, notably when in comparison with Maxxis pricing. The Mazza Enduro Race examined right here, in addition to the Mota and Martello equivalents, retails at $89.99 / £64.99 / 72.95 € in Italy.

Vittoria.com