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review

Vee Tire Co Road Runner

9
£37.99

VERDICT:

9
10
Fast-rolling, supple tyre that offers confidence-inspiring cornering grip, and sensibly priced at RRP
Weight: 
210g

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Rubbing your thumb over the Road Runner from Vee Tire Co when it's in its box, you just know it's going to be grippy – the compound feels practically tacky against your skin. And it doesn't disappoint once you put tyre to tarmac.

The Road Runner comes in three sizes, covering all the options that are required by road riders these days. You get a choice of 23mm, 25mm or 28mm, although the UK website only shows the 23 and 25mm as being available.

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Buy this online here

Swapping the Vees with a set of the excellent Continental GP4000S IIs on one of my bikes, the Road Runners come up trumps in all areas. At 210g they're a bit lighter than the German brand's, with grip levels to match, and rolling resistance was pretty much identical with some simple roll down tests.

Vee, like most tyre companies, keep the details of their compounds secret, so all I can tell you is that it's called Continuum. In the dry the tyres really grip well and give you loads of confidence to keep banking the bike over. Mini roundabouts and the like can be taken flat out and I've yet to find the tyres' limits of adhesion.

The 185tpi (threads per inch) construction is pretty supple and about the normal thread count for a tyre of this kind. At 120psi (the middle of their recommended pressure range, 100-145psi), they don't feel overly harsh on rough road surfaces, and certainly match the aforementioned Contis and a pair of Michelin Pro 4 Endurance models I've been using.

When the ground is wet there is little change to those grip levels. You've got to take the bends a bit easier, like you would with any rubber, but the Road Runners don't break away without warning or feel skittish.

Puncture resistance is taken care of with a Kevlar belt, and while the majority of the miles have been clear, I did catch the tail end of hedge cutting season with no issues whatsoever. There are a couple of little nicks in the tread from flints and sharp stones, but nothing has made it through to the tube.

For added protection the tyres have Synthesis sidewalls, the composition of which Vee Tire Co have again kept secret. They are supposed to be more robust than the standard option, so I'm hazarding a guess at some sort of reinforcing material. Whatever it is, it doesn't seem to have made the sidewalls too harsh.

Wear rates seem pretty good so far after 400 miles, but I'll keep an eye on them and report back should anything untoward happen.

The Road Runners are folders, thanks to the Kevlar bead which hooks under the wheel rim for a secure fit. As far as fitting them goes, getting them onto a pair of Mavic Open Sports wasn't an issue at all after applying a decent amount of thumb pressure to get the last bit over the rim edge. And you can pop them back off without having to resort to a tyre lever.

Overall the Road Runners are very good tyres, easily matching the ride quality and grip of the Conti GP4000S II and Michelin Pro 4 Endurance models I pitted them against. The price is decent as far as RRP goes, but being able to get hold of the opposition at marked down prices could be a thorn in Vee's sidewall.

Verdict

Fast-rolling, supple tyre that offers confidence-inspiring cornering grip, and sensibly priced at RRP

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Vee Tire Co Road Runner Tyre

Size tested: 700C, 25mm

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

The Road Runner is aimed squarely at the road with no tread pattern whatsoever, bringing excellent grip and rolling resistance.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

*Continuum Compound

*185tpi

*Kevlar folding bead

*Kevlar protection belt

*Reinforced Synthesis sidewall

*23mm, 25mm & 28mm options

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

A brilliant set of race tyres for the summer bike, though they can handle the wet too.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The grip levels.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

At full RRP they're nearly 50 per cent more than the heavily discounted Continental GP4000S II.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

The Road Runners are excellent tyres in pretty much every aspect and are a pleasure to ride, especially in the bends. It all depends on whether you can swallow paying the full RRP, as I can't find any discounts to match those on the opposition.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 36  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: Kinesis T2  My best bike is: Mason Definition

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed

 

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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3 comments

Avatar
chaiyao | 6 years ago
0 likes

I have just bought the new road runner in thailand but the tpi is 120. It's not 185TPI.
Please correct the post ASAP.

Avatar
BikeJon | 8 years ago
0 likes

If these trump the Continental GP4000S IIs tyres then that is high praise indeed. I've just rolled over 1000 miles on my GPs and they are great. I have the 28mm versions and love 'em.

Avatar
Freddy56 | 8 years ago
0 likes

A far as I remember Vee make a lot of Specialized tyres, so prob the shape of the future where the factories push their own brand.

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