Vee Tire Co Apache Chief

Vee Tire Co's Apache Chief tyres are a pleasure to ride on: grippy and comfortable, with a great pro look. They're not cheap, though, and are up against some well known and proven competitors from the likes of Schwalbe and Continental.

• Pros: Grippy in the wet and dry, puncture resistant, great lookers
• Cons: Need regular cleaning, a little expensive, not TL-ready

Vee Tire is a new one for me, a Thailand-based company formed in 1977, but Shaun reviewed its Rolldiac tyres last year, and Dave its Rail gravel tyres. Both were impressed.

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The Apache Chief is the top tyre in its road range, and straight out of the packaging makes its intentions clear: the rubber is sticky and supple to the touch, and doesn't seem like it will need much bedding in at all.

Despite being (only) 120tpi (threads per inch), they are exceptionally compliant without being super-thin, with an aramid belt covering the main section to aid with puncture protection and those stylish skinwall sidewalls adding to the pro look. Weight-wise, they sit at the competitive end for a folding clincher at 234g each.

Fitted to a standard set of modern wide rims, they go on easily without the need for tools and with little effort. They are directional – as is usual nowadays – so a double check to make sure they're the right way round at the rear is recommended.

Once up to pressure they round out nicely on wide rims – at 80psi front and 85 rear, my preferred setup for 25mm rubber.

> How to choose your tyre pressure

First impressions were good. As expected from the feel, dry grip was excellent from the off, and a smooth ride from the compliant rubber and lower pressures was welcome on the roads we have to put up with at the moment.

Although dry, the poor surfaces and back-lane grit ensured they had a good first test. They were reassuringly stable in the corners, nippy and quiet on the faster sections.

In more mixed conditions, starting out dry but turning wet, they still felt nicely stable and inspired confidence in the corners. My self-preservation doesn't allow for extreme lean angles or speed on wet corners, but they never felt like they would let go or even slide out a little so they pass my test for that.

Any grit and debris failed to give them any trouble or leave me messing around at the side of the road. The only downside to forays onto muddy roads in poor weather is that the skinwalls show up the dirt and brake grime a lot, so if you're fussy about the look (I am), they need a good scrub when you're cleaning your bike. With little effort they do come up good as new, and that's the only extra attention they've needed.

With 600 miles down now, the wear has been impressive, with the front showing barely any signs and the rear wearing off the centre mould strip but no hint of squaring. They have been remarkably cut-resistant too, unexpected with such sticky rubber. No punctures so far either, and I'm fairly confident I can make it through the season (and beyond) without having to replace them.

One note of caution: Vee Tire's websites, both UK and worldwide, are still marketing these as tubeless ready, but after speaking to the UK reps they discontinued the TL version a while back, so bear that in mind if you are thinking of buying and have looked at the websites. Some retailers also carry this information too, which Vee Tire is sorting. It's a shame, as a bit of Google research brings up many positive comments about the tubeless version.

> Buyer's Guide: Tubeless tyres – all your options

As for cost – the website shows an RRP of £59.99, which is squarely in the premium bracket, although having spoken to the UK guys, now the tyres aren't TL ready they think it will drop to £54.99, but still at the higher end. Continental's GP 4000S II, a similar premium tyre, retails for £49.95 rrp, while Schwalbe's tubeless-ready Pro One TL is £66.99, both available online for quite a bit less.

Overall, the Apache Chiefs are great tyres and I'm impressed by their qualities – if you can find them (they're not the easiest to track down), they're a great buy.

Verdict

Great looking and super-sticky rubber that's comfortable and compliant while lasting the distance