Vittoria Ridearmor TLR Tyre

The Vittoria RideArmor TLR Tyre offers impressive puncture protection without sacrificing on grip, suppleness and comfort – especially when compared to other 'practical' tyres on the market. I used these for a month, which took in numerous long rides, and while I found them heavier than more performance-oriented tyres, their excellent overall quality means I'd happily run the RideArmors throughout the year.

Unlike the German brands Schwalbe and Continental, Italy's Vittoria isn't especially known for producing practical, puncture-resistant tyres.

The RideArmor is meant to be the remedy for that, offering the kind of puncture protection that people want from a commuting tyre – but without the performance downsides that can come along with tougher tyres.

While a month isn't a long time to judge tyres for their resistance to punctures, I am happy to report not only were there no punctures – there wasn't any sign of sealant appearing from sealed holes either. Both of these are good signs.

This is backed up by the tyres suffering very little air loss. Even after a week off the bike I didn't need to top up the tyre pressure, which is impressive, as I'd have expected to use the track pump every couple of weeks or so.

The RideArmor's protection comes from a number of different layers working together. There a top layer of graphene and silica, beneath which is a 100TPI nylon casing that encases the entire tyre, and underneath that is a Kevlar layer to really make sure nothing gets through.

There's sidewall protection too, courtesy of the ArmorSkin Sidewall Layer.

Puncture resistance is all well and good, but ultimately there are reasons that we don't generally run tougher, puncture-resistant tyres throughout the year.

Rolling resistance is often higher, which reduces your speed. And though these aren't as fast as something designed specifically for speed, tyres such as the Michelin Power Cup or S-Works Turbo 2BR, they are still impressively nippy for something built to keep punctures at bay.

I've spent several years commuting in London, racking up thousands of miles on various puncture-proof tyres, and these are undoubtedly the fastest I've come across. This isn't entirely surprising, as they have the same graphene compound Vittoria uses in its racier models such the Corsa Pros.

Weight is also going to be higher in tyres that come with multiple layers of puncture protection, but I think the 383g weight reasonable for a puncture-resistant tyre.

This is much the same as the Hutchinson Challenger TLR tyre, which come in at 385g, though tyres like these are always going to be heavier than a more all-rounder tyre such as the Panaracer Agilest Duro, which is nearly 100g lighter at 297g.

One of the biggest issues with older puncture-proof tyres is the grip they offer – or rather the lack of grip. This is mainly because of the harder compounds used to improve puncture protection, but this wasn't the case with these, and I found the grip very good.

I wouldn't choose to race on these, but equally I wouldn't feel the need to change them as soon as the weather improves.

The RideArmor's improved grip also comes from the extra suppleness of the tyre. This comes from the combination of the fact that you can run them at a lower pressure, as they're tubeless, and the graphene compound used.

This results in a tyre that is not only more comfortable than any other commuter/training tyre I've used but they offer an impressive road feel too. I have a couple of local routes that I use for tyre testing, which include fast descents with sharp corners and sometimes even loose gravel.

It means that I can often test tyre grip pretty effectively and I found that, although these aren’t at racing levels, they are impressive at cornering even at high speeds.

Value

The tyres come with a £59.99 RRP. This is dearer than other puncture-proof tyres – but I think the price is justifiable given their all-round quality.

The Hutchinson Challenger TLR tyres come in marginally cheaper at £54.99, and they're pretty similar in terms of both grip and puncture proofing.

But it is less expensive than our favourite tyre for good grip in wet weather, the Michelin Power Cup Tubeless Ready. It's not exactly a like-for-like rival as the Michelin is racier, but it does offer a good balance of speed and durability, and in my experience also seemed very adept at warding off punctures.

Our best road bike tyres buyer's guide delves into our top choices for road tyres for all sorts of riding.

Conclusion

Vittoria's new RideArmor is a high-quality offering – delivering impressive grip, rolling resistance and puncture protection, which means you could run them throughout the year if you wanted. They aren't the lightest tyres around, but the bit of extra weight is worth it for the puncture protection and durability they offer, which I think is a trade-off worth making.

Verdict

Puncture-resistant tyres with an excellent balance of durability, grip and speed