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vittoria randonneur's not created equal...

Old 09-22-11, 10:30 AM
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vittoria randonneur's not created equal...

My sense is I bought the wrong vittoria randonneur tires. It is appears and I am looking for validation that there are two distinctly different tires that share the same name.
I bought the basic vittoria randonneur 32c tires which btw measure 29mm in width.
These have I believe 60tpi and to me they are heavy and feel stiff as a board no matter what pressure I run them at...which makes sense because they have a stiff carcass due to low thread count and serious flat protection which they are good at.
Enter vittoria randonneur cross 120tpi tires. Still great flat protection...likely still a bit heavy but I presume a totally different tire in terms of flexibility because of twice the thread count. It bemuses me to understand why Vittorria would use the same name to market such distinctly different tires.
Can those that have experimented with maybe both low and high thread count randonneur tires comment on their findings?
Thanks.
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Old 09-22-11, 11:59 AM
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Originally Posted by Campag4life
My sense is I bought the wrong vittoria randonneur tires. It is appears and I am looking for validation that there are two distinctly different tires that share the same name.
I bought the basic vittoria randonneur 32c tires which btw measure 29mm in width.
These have I believe 60tpi and to me they are heavy and feel stiff as a board no matter what pressure I run them at...which makes sense because they have a stiff carcass due to low thread count and serious flat protection which they are good at.
Enter vittoria randonneur cross 120tpi tires. Still great flat protection...likely still a bit heavy but I presume a totally different tire in terms of flexibility because of twice the thread count. It bemuses me to understand why Vittorria would use the same name to market such distinctly different tires.
Can those that have experimented with maybe both low and high thread count randonneur tires comment on their findings?
Thanks.
I've used the randonneur cross pro 700x35's exclusively on my tours, which cover the gamut from perfect pavement to all-but-singletrack. Absolutely love them. Never had a flat, they're comfortable for all-day riding, etc. Obviously they're relatively heavy compared to tires with less shielding, but that's just what I want if I'm spending all day riding over broken shale. :-)

Vittoria uses the "randonneur" catch-all name for their city and trekking tires, so yes, there are a huge variety of sub-models, and you have to make sure you pick the right one for your purpose.
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Old 09-22-11, 12:20 PM
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Originally Posted by mulveyr
I've used the randonneur cross pro 700x35's exclusively on my tours, which cover the gamut from perfect pavement to all-but-singletrack. Absolutely love them. Never had a flat, they're comfortable for all-day riding, etc. Obviously they're relatively heavy compared to tires with less shielding, but that's just what I want if I'm spending all day riding over broken shale. :-)

Vittoria uses the "randonneur" catch-all name for their city and trekking tires, so yes, there are a huge variety of sub-models, and you have to make sure you pick the right one for your purpose.
I have the same experience (all positive, all terrain) with my Rando Pros, which while sharing the same name are 26 x 1.5". I run them at 90 PSI on pavement. There was a 1.75" Randonneur Pro model available at the same time, but it was only rated for 60 PSI, which didn't seem like enough for my Clydesdale + overweight arse.
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Old 09-22-11, 12:47 PM
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Yep, lots of different randonneur variants. I've been using the rando pro in 700c37 on my touring bike and they are very nice. One note of caution with those tires is to not over inflate them. I had a sidewall failure after pumping it up to ~85psi, they are rated at 70psi. oops.
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Old 09-22-11, 12:50 PM
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I used 700x35 folding Randonneur Pro for a couple years. Rides very nicely in a range of wet/bumpy roads and is fast but the few flats I got were with this tire compared to none with Marathon Supreme, Marathon XR , Pasela TG, T-Serv.
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Old 09-22-11, 02:00 PM
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Naming is a little confusing. Randonneur Pro, Randonneur, Randonneur Cross, Randonneur Cross Pro, etc. Also confusing is their descriptions of tire qualities: "reliable puncture protection," "puncture-resistant," "very puncture-resistant,"Ultra Shielding for puncture protection." I can't decide if reliable puncture protection is better or worse then very puncture resistant, and I'm only guessing that "ultra" signals the most puncture resistant. I much prefer Schwalbe's clear rating system.
That said, I swapped my marathon plusses for some randonneur pros a couple of weeks ago, and so far I like them very much. No flats yet, but I haven't gone on any sizable trips yet nor put a lot of miles on them.
I do worry that the lower pressure will become an issue when I load up the bike, but they are also wider, so perhaps it will even out. And of course the wheels are already holding a fairly heavy rider without issue, so perhaps the affect of the gear will be negligible.
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Old 09-22-11, 04:41 PM
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For loaded touring the heavy tire may be fine. if you want performance
and leave the load at home then a supple casing may matter.

On tour, if the tire durability concerns you bring a spare tire....
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Old 09-22-11, 06:32 PM
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Originally Posted by mercator
Yep, lots of different randonneur variants.
Agree. I've used the Randonneur Pro and the Randonneur Hyper. I can't tell much difference between the two, though I've had a couple of flats with the Hyper and none with the Pro. FYI, I was looking for the Randonneur Pro recently and couldn't find anyone who them in stock for 700c rims
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Old 09-22-11, 10:41 PM
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Randonneur Hyper is my favorite of all of them.
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Old 09-23-11, 12:48 AM
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Originally Posted by Pain
Randonneur Hyper is my favorite of all of them.
Just be sure you know the trade-offs between the Pro and the Hyper. As I recall from back when Vittoria's website made sense, the Hyper is more resistant to tears and cuts but more susceptible to punctures. The Pro is the opposite: more resistant to punctures, but less resistant to tears. I've never torn either tire, but I have had a couple of punctures in the Hyper. The punctures were all due to small, thin objects. A desk staple and a piece of wire were the most recent culprits.

The last one was a desk staple that went through the tire and just managed to nick the tube.
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Old 09-23-11, 07:53 AM
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Originally Posted by sstorkel
Agree. I've used the Randonneur Pro and the Randonneur Hyper. I can't tell much difference between the two, though I've had a couple of flats with the Hyper and none with the Pro. FYI, I was looking for the Randonneur Pro recently and couldn't find anyone who them in stock for 700c rims
I bought two recently from Nashbar, but they're gone now. Bought them mainly because I couldn't find the Marathon Plusses in the size I wanted. It seems scarcity isn't uncommon if you're picky about your tires.
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Old 09-23-11, 02:02 PM
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I was running a set of Vittoria Randonneurs on my LHT until last week. They ran quick enough for me and only suffered one puncture flat, from a nasty construction area staple in the road.

What I didn't like is that the tread on one was gone after only 2500 miles... I let a nice solid red stripe develop the whole way around that tire while I waited for Schwalbe Marathon Plusses to come back in stock. I have heard better things about Schwalbe's durability (tires lasting 5000+ miles). Hopefully my Schwalbes will last a long time. I got a good deal and I like 'em so far.
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Old 09-23-11, 04:36 PM
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Originally Posted by sstorkel
Just be sure you know the trade-offs between the Pro and the Hyper. As I recall from back when Vittoria's website made sense, the Hyper is more resistant to tears and cuts but more susceptible to punctures. The Pro is the opposite: more resistant to punctures, but less resistant to tears. I've never torn either tire, but I have had a couple of punctures in the Hyper. The punctures were all due to small, thin objects. A desk staple and a piece of wire were the most recent culprits.

The last one was a desk staple that went through the tire and just managed to nick the tube.
Where I made the mistake is not getting either the Pro or the Hyper. Both I believe are 120tpi and a MUCH more flexible tire carcass than the basic no name Rando's. So my bad for not looking into it further before purchasing them.
Thanks.
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Old 09-23-11, 09:15 PM
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hypers are excellent tires.
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Old 09-24-11, 07:41 AM
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Plus I made this mistake with previous Vittoria tires on my road bike. A few years back a Bianchi I bought came with Vittoria Rubino 'tech's which also were heavy and inflexible with 60tpi which is almost unheard of on a road bike...especially in 23c. Enter Vittoria Rubino "Pro" which are now at 150tpi and what I run on my current Look road bike. They aren't even in the same hemisphere...the latter Rubino 'Pros' are a completely different tire which a much more flexible carcass with not only reduced rolling resistance but better ride even aired up at higher pressure.
I wonder how many customers Vittoria alienates with their umbrella marketing of Randonneur and Rubino which incompasses lower end tires that ride like a cattle truck all the way up to perhaps the best combination of ride, durability, flat resistance and low rolling resistance available.
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Old 09-28-11, 06:12 PM
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This is kind of a newbie question. I'm glad I found this thread and maybe someone can chime in.

I've been riding on 700 X 35 Vittoria Rando Crosses on a Raleigh One Way and I'm wondering about the PSI. The recommended is like 60-70, but I felt like that was ridiculous, especially for the rear tire and I know suggested PSI doesn't always mean much.

Anyway, I do city riding and really short 4-8 mile rides. I'm about 170 lbs and I'm running the back tire at 100 PSI (according to my frame pump gauge). The front is at 80-90 and it's great, but the back tire looks too flat when riding (I'm constantly glancing at it) and sometimes feels sluggish. Anybody else ride 700x35 VR Crosses? And at what PSI?
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Old 09-28-11, 06:29 PM
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Originally Posted by BigglyPuff
I've been riding on 700 X 35 Vittoria Rando Crosses on a Raleigh One Way and I'm wondering about the PSI. The recommended is like 60-70, but I felt like that was ridiculous, especially for the rear tire and I know suggested PSI doesn't always mean much.

Anyway, I do city riding and really short 4-8 mile rides. I'm about 170 lbs and I'm running the back tire at 100 PSI (according to my frame pump gauge).
Yikes! That sounds way too high to me! I run my 700x35 Vittoria Randonneur Hypers at 65psi. I'm around the same weight as you and my bike+luggage weigh about 51lbs...
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Old 09-28-11, 06:37 PM
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Originally Posted by BigglyPuff
This is kind of a newbie question. I'm glad I found this thread and maybe someone can chime in.

I've been riding on 700 X 35 Vittoria Rando Crosses on a Raleigh One Way and I'm wondering about the PSI. The recommended is like 60-70, but I felt like that was ridiculous, especially for the rear tire and I know suggested PSI doesn't always mean much.

Anyway, I do city riding and really short 4-8 mile rides. I'm about 170 lbs and I'm running the back tire at 100 PSI (according to my frame pump gauge). The front is at 80-90 and it's great, but the back tire looks too flat when riding (I'm constantly glancing at it) and sometimes feels sluggish. Anybody else ride 700x35 VR Crosses? And at what PSI?
Why would you consider the recommended pressure ridiculous? They're relatively large tires intended for touring/cross/etc, not skinny race tires that need high pressure for performance and pinch-flat prevention.

I'm also about 170, my Sojourn is 32 pounds, and I've toured with 35+ pounds on top of that, and have never felt even the slightest need to go higher than 70PSI.
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Old 09-28-11, 07:35 PM
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Thanks for the quick answers. I guess that's what I needed to hear (or read). I'm just paranoid about that back tire because it looks so flat compared to the front, regardless of the psi. I know there's supposed to be some bulge, but the back tire really bulges (and maybe it should because of the weight distribution?).

I started out on 80 in the back, it looked flat, so I went up 10 and 10 again. I thought the recommended psi was somewhat meaningless because of the info on Sheldon Brown's page.

I'll keep it close to the recommended. On a side note, I don't know much about tires, but I know I like these and I'm glad they came stock on the One Way.
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