The Veloflex Corsa Evo is a supple, grippy and fast-rolling open tubular tyre aimed at training and racing. Its 320tpi casing smooths out rough roads and keeps grip levels constant, while the tread compound is tenacious and confidence-inspiring in all weathers. It's not tubeless ready, but the price and performance are great.
The suppleness of the Corsa Evo is instantly noticeable. It's a tyre that seems like it's literally taking the edge off bumps: what felt like a square-edged ridge before suddenly seems a smoothly ramped lump.
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That's obviously a good thing for comfort – especially on my local Welsh roads with their rain-eroded canyons, gravel dunes and aggressively flattened badgers – but more importantly, it's a good thing for grip.
The 320tpi casing helps that strip of natural rubber and mica tread stay pressed into the road, instead of bouncing and skipping around, and helps the Corsa Evo feel very consistent. Veloflex's website pressure calculator recommends 98-105psi for me, and my experiments prove that accurate for good rolling and comfort on all but the worst tarmac.
On my 23mm rims they blow up just 0.4mm wider than the claimed 25mm, and are very easy to install (at least once you've persuaded them to stop acting like a flat sheet and curve into a u-section). Then again, they're not tubeless ready – Veloflex does the Corsa Race TLR for that – so there's only so much faff you can expect.
They roll very well, and the profile put a spring in the step of my steering in comparison to wider, flatter sections, without ever feeling unstable. They're just as inspiring on wet roads, too, with good grip and decent feedback.
I never had any punctures despite running around 85psi and hitting some pretty poor bits of tarmac at speed. Veloflex stuffs the Corsa Evo with letters – an SPS sidewall, an RKB breaker – and while I can't say for sure that the Sidewall Protection System or Resilient Kinetic Belt made the difference, I can say they didn't fail even after some pretty sharp and unexpected impacts with well-camouflaged potholes.
The price of £38 is pretty good considering the ride feel, handmade provenance and 235g weight. The Hutchinson Fusion 5 Performance is great but slightly heavier (a claimed 245g for the 25mm; 271g for the 28mm on the road.cc Scales of Truth) and more expensive (£39.95), though it is tubeless ready.
Like the Corsa, the Bontrager R3 Hard Case Lite isn't tubeless ready, but is both lighter and cheaper at 207g and £34.99.
Neither of these alternatives will be so beautifully supple, though, and it's much cheaper than the Challenge Strada Pro HTLR, with its 300tpi casing, which is £70. That too is handmade, but also tubeless ready (the HTLR denotes this, and not that it's made of, uh, Hitler).
> Buyer’s Guide: 40 of the best road bike tyres
The Veloflex Corsa Evo Clincher is a fast, comfortable tyre with strong levels of predictable grip, and while it's not the cheapest or lightest, the ride feel is lovely. If you're a dedicated lover of tubes, this handmade Italian tyre is a great choice.
Verdict
Good grip in all weathers and an oh-so-supple casing make these a pleasure to ride
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Make and model: Veloflex Corsa Evo open tubular
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?
Veloflex says: "Clincher tire with a soft 320 TPI (Threads Per Inch) Corespun casing and an innovative compound to offer lower rolling resistance and amazing grip. Extraordinary road holding and a new extremely tenacious RKB (Resilient Kinetic Belt) breaker that improves puncture protection."
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
The company lists:
Use Racing, Training
TPI (Threads Per Inch) 320 Threads Per Inch (120/cm)
Beds Kevlar® ** inextensible yarn
Protection Belt RKB - Resilient Kinetic Belt
Sidewall protection SPS - Sidewall Protection System
Casing Compressed Pes/Co corespun
Rubber tread Natural rubber and silica exclusive compound
Rate the product for quality of construction:
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
7/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
7/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
9/10
Rate the product for value:
7/10
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Grippy, supple, comfortable and fast-rolling.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
It's grippy, supple, comfortable and fast-rolling...
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Nothing.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
The Hutchinson Fusion 5 Performance is a little more expensive at £39.95, but is tubeless ready. The Bontrager R3 Hard Case Lite is non-tubeless-ready like the Corsa, but is both lighter and cheaper at 207g and £34.99. Neither will be so beautifully supple, though, and the Challenge Strada Pro HTLR 25mm, with its 300tpi casing, is £70.
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 overall score
It's very good: the Corsa Evo delivers a lovely, supple and consistent ride feel whether it's wet or dry, and is good value.
Age: 48 Height: 183cm Weight: 78kg
I usually ride: Vitus Zenium SL VR Disc My best bike is:
I've been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: A few times a week I would class myself as: Experienced
I regularly do the following types of riding: general fitness riding, mtb,
I hope Road.cc will be consistent in this approach and mark down every single model of road bike if there isn't a rim brake version available.
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Thanks for the help and suggestions folks. Much appreciated.