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review

Vee Rubber Rail Tyre

8
£39.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Great gravel tyres that roll quickly and bite in the corners
Weight: 
491g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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Vee Rubber's Rail tyre is designed as a fast gravel/CX choice for smoother or drier conditions, and it excels at that. It's not bad on the road either, with the closely spaced tread keeping it from feeling too draggy. The shoulder tread is aggressive enough to give you a bit of confidence on the loose stuff and they're big enough to take some fairly big hits.

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Vee Rubber makes a big range of tyres for every sort of riding, and this one sits in the gravel/cyclo-cross range of three tyres. It's definitely at the gravel end: a 40mm carcass is designed to give you some cushioning and the tread is designed for fast rolling on hardpack rather than grabbing in the mud.

It's a dual-compound tread: the large file-tread centre section is harder, and the larger shoulder knobs softer. That means you get fast rolling and a bit of bite in the corners. It's not the most aggressive of tyres but when you start to lean the bike over on looser surfaces you can certainly feel the shoulder tread start to bite, when more rounded gravel tyres such as Schwalbe's G-One are more inclined to drift.

Vee Rail Tyre -3.jpg

Fitting the Rails was easy enough, with both tyres up and sealed within about 20 minutes. They weren't an especially tight fit on my WTB rims so they required one more wrap of rim tape, but that's not uncommon. I ran them at around 40psi and that seemed to be about optimum for comfort and keeping the bigger hits from dinging the rims. I didn't have any issues with them losing air either through the carcass or burping out of the bead/rim interface. I used Orange Seal Endurance sealant, which is pretty good at gumming things up.

Overall I've put about 400km into this set of tyres, half of that at the Dirty Reiver, and they're excellent on mixed hardpack surfaces, especially in the dry. They roll well and they're not so heavy or soft in the tread as to feel stodgy or draggy.

Vee Rubber uses its Synthesis woven casing for these tyres, which is lighter and more puncture-resistant than its standard casing, and it gives the tyres a pretty supple feel. They're not super-light at just under 500g, but for the size they're certainly not bad.

Vee Rail Tyre -2.jpg

There are no obvious holes that sealant has fixed after the Reiver, but what is plain to see is the wear on the tread: the centre file tread has worn significantly, especially on the rear tyre. There's plenty left but the compound is relatively soft, so you'll get through them. That's a trade-off for the amount of grip you get, and I reckon the balance is about right here.

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On the road the Rails are decent enough; they're certainly not as quick as Schwalbe's G-One, which remains my favourite all-use tyre, and the raised shoulder makes them scrabble a bit when you lean them over. It depends what your priorities are: if it's mostly road riding with the odd drove road or towpath thrown in, you'll probably be better off with a rounder, slicker big-chamber tyre. But if you want something predominantly for riding off the tarmac, these should be on your list. They'd make a good summer 'cross tyre too. They're pretty good value as well.

Verdict

Great gravel tyres that roll quickly and bite in the corners

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Vee Rubber Rail Tyre

Size tested: 700x40c

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?

Everything about the Rail was designed for speed. From the specialty center and transition knobs for lower rolling resistance to the tapered cornering knobs for quick maneuverability, this cross country tire offers a fast ride.

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

* TUBELESS READY Yes

* COMPOUND Dual Control Compound

* TPI 120 TPI

* BEAD Folding Bead

* RECOMMENDED PRESSURE 45-85 PSI (3.1-5.9bar)

* ETRTO 40-622

* DUROMETER 48 +/- 2, 56 +/- 2

* WEIGHT (G) 480, 520

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

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

It's a very good tyre if you're predominantly going to ride it on gravel-type surfaces or use it for dry summer 'cross. It's not too bad on the road either.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Good levels of grip and comfort, easy to seal.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Softish compound isn't that long-lived.

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

These are very good gravel tyres. Assuming you want tyres specifically for that, they're more or less ideal. Some others work better as all-rounders.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 43  Height: 189cm  Weight: 92kg

I usually ride: whatever I'm testing...  My best bike is: Kinesis Tripster ATR, Kinesis Aithein

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mountain biking, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track

Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.

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