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Newly released wide tires from VELOFLEX25.06.2018

Veloflex tires may be seen as a high end product dedicated to competitors or expert cycling fans. But indeed it is a wrong belief. Veloflex tubulars can – I’d like to say should – be used by any cyclist who is looking for performance and comfort.

I tried the new Veloflex products:

  • Open tubulars Master 28 - 700 x 28c (28 - 622) - Gum sidewalls
  • Open tubulars Corsa 28 - 700 x 28c (28 - 622) - Black sidewalls
  • Tubulars Raven - 28” - 27mm (700x27c) - Black sidewalls

For 6 months during winter and spring – over a total of 20,000 km – in order to carry out a complete and accurate test in terms of performance and durability.

VELOFLEX Corsa 28mm ride through the French Alps

Unboxing

Open tubulars Corsa 28 and Master 28

It is always a pleasure to remove Veloflex tires from their box since I love the perfect quality and softness that make the product so unique. The tires are built with the same design and material of other Veloflex products with a 320 TPI (Thread Per Inch) casing and a natural rubber tread. You can take pleasure in smelling natural rubber as Veloflex is among the last tire manufacturers to use such high-end materials.

The tires weigh 235 gr, as the specification reports, which is very light for a 28mm one.

Tubulars Raven

Veloflex has improved the labeling of tubulars with detailed information attached to them. The Raven offer the same feeling in terms of softness and quality of the Vlandereen with a 320 TPI and natural rubber tread.

I have weighed the Raven and they weigh exactly 300 gr, as indicated in the specifications.

VELOFLEX Raven production finalization

On the road

Open tubulars Corsa 28 and Master 28

I found out that these wider tires were slightly more easily to mount than the Corsa 25mm. I was able to mount them without using a lever, which is nice. I rode the Corsa on both 19c and 21c wheels and the tires are close to the specifications in terms of dimensions since they measured 27.8-28.0mm on 19c rims and 28.3-28.5mm on 21c.

The Corsa 28mm provide the well-known unique Veloflex ride feeling. The tires offer a significant increase in comfort compared to the 25mm ones, which were already the best high quality products of this range. The ride is so smooth as most road asperities are filtered by the tire.

Of course, comfort is very dependant on inflate pressure. I weigh 75 kg and used to inflate the tire to 7 bars. I would recommend inflating the 28mm to 6.5-7.0 bars for similar cyclist weight, since it offers the best compromise in terms of comfort and responsiveness. Below 6 bars the comfort increases but the ride becomes a little ‘thicker’, which, on the other hand, may be appreciated by cyclists willing to have better comfort avoiding rough rides. The tire remains very fast, with a low rolling resistance and a good dynamic performance during cornering and acceleration.

Even if cornering is not so sharp if compared to the 25mm the tires remain very agile allowing quick turn movements. I had ridden wide tires of other brands and they never offered such a high level since they gave me more of a “dead feeling”. Besides, the comfortable and fast ride, the 28mm are stable and extremely safe, especially for bad or wet road with a very good grip on both dry and wet roads. Indeed, I also rode on snowy and icy roads and 28mm Corsa prevent from any slipping. In fact, they provide the perfect width for disc brakes bike which needs wider tires because of the higher braking power. In terms of durability they perform as the 25mm, I used each rear tire for more than 3,000 km and I still could have gone further.

In conclusion, I found these 28mm Corsa are great value for money, providing a unique road feeling, very close to a tubular performance, as well as greater stability and responsiveness with a good durability and puncture resistance. The perfect choice for disc brake bikes and an optimal choice for rim brake bikes for those looking for more comfortable and safer rides than 25mm tires without having a slow, thicker dead tire.

VELOFLEX Corsa 28mm after 3000 km rides

Tubulars Raven

After spending a few months using the tire, I realised riding Raven tubular leads to a major improvement in terms of speed and comfort. I inflated them up to 7 bars so as to get a more dynamic ride, especially during acceleration and swinging the bike from left to right during climbs.

The road underneath feels like ‘cotton’ and I love how the tubular rides and the benefits from the tire and the lighter wheel. The performance during the ride is similar to the Veloflex Vlaanderen, i.e. fast, safe and comfortable. The durability is the same as all the other products and I did not puncture within 3,000 km, which proves that Veloflex offers great puncture resistance.

The Raven is an improved ride type compared to the Master 28mm, offering a significant improvement in terms of responsiveness and a slight comfort, even with an increased tubular pressure so as to be more reactive and agile without decreasing the comfort.

To sum up, the Raven tubulars are also a perfect solution for disc brake competitive rides and rim brake looking for the unique feeling and performance of wider tubulars.

Olivier Brunel – Official Tester @ Veloflex Team

I am an intensive rider with almost 50,000 km per year under all weather and road conditions, so I need durable tires that offer also a good compromise in terms of getting a real-road feel; till now I am fully satisfied with the Veloflex tires, which last more than 3,000 km rear and 6,000 km front combining said unique read-road feel.

I used to ride with 25mm wide tires and tubulars which, by experience are the best compromise between grip, comfort and responsiveness, so when Veloflex released the new 28mm open tubulars and the 27mm tubulars I was very curious to test them.

Veloflex tires can be ordered online from our supporter www.starbike.com.

Comments

  1. Joris Ermens says:

    Great write, the
    Can you compare the tires to other types, say gp4000s, 😀

  2. C says:

    This guy has no clue what he is talkin about. Braking performance is tyre limited and not limited by type of brake calipers. The statement about braking power makes no sense at all.

    “In fact, they provide the perfect width for disc brakes bike which needs wider tires because of the higher braking power”

  3. Peter says:

    Thank you for your post about VELOFLEX

  4. placebo p says:

    placebo effect 🙂

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