With all of the hullabaloo round hookless highway tubeless, the brand new Goodyear VectorR highway bike tires appear to be a well timed launch. Developed along side Zipp particularly for his or her 303 wheels, it’s an attention-grabbing partnership that delivers a very optimized system.
The important thing distinction is that the tread cap and casing is all particularly made for Zipp 303-series wheels. The result’s the VectorR 700×30 tire measures a real 30mm on Zipp’s 25mm inner rims.
The bead design is optimized for higher fitment with hookless wheels, and extra particularly for Zipp’s 353 NSW and 303 Firecrest wheels.
It’s not simply fitment for security causes, as a result of, if we’re being trustworthy, hookless rims for highway are largely positive so long as you adhere to advisable tire pressures and set up tips. Should you’re involved about it, then there’s no want to purchase Zipp wheels or Goodyear tires optimized for them and you’ll go straight to the feedback to register your issues.
No, right here, it’s largely about aerodynamics. Goodyear says that commonplace 28mm large tires are designed for rims with 19mm inner widths, yielding a tire that measure proper about 28mm large. That places its tread cap the place it ought to be for straight-line and cornering grip, and the casing development is designed to assist that.
However Zipp’s rim profiles are a lot wider (as are many different manufacturers as of late). Put that very same 28mm tire on a wider rim and it often stretches to about 30mm large. Its profile will get distorted and the tread cap isn’t large sufficient to totally assist deep cornering. However, oddly, aerodynamics are barely improved.
So, why not optimize?
With these new VectorR 30mm tires, the tire development is designed to create an optimum profile, tread contact patch, and aerodynamics. The tire’s precise width is 30mm, which matches the outer rim width for a greater look and streamlined airflow.
Not solely do they match the rim, their sidewalls and development are designed to assist the rider and bike weight with the advisable decrease tire pressures.
What about different manufacturers of wheels?
Goodyear calls this their Fitment Collection, which “make the most of strategic partnerships toe develop business main tires that embrace rising applied sciences and tendencies with out compromise.” It’s a systems-based method to tire improvement that optimizes round a selected use case. On this case, it’s the Zipp 303 NSW/Firecrest rims.
Past that, it’s a bit fuzzy. Zipp isn’t endorsing them to be used on different rims however advised that, technically, they’re appropriate with Zipp’s 23mm inner rims, too, (just like the 404-series) however they’re extra appropriate with their 25mm inner rims.
Goodyear lists their specs as “designed to measure 30mm on a 25mm TSS rim”, but additionally point out that they’re “to be used solely with Zipp 622×23-25 TSS rims and had been designed solely across the Zipp 622×25 TSS rim”. So, as much as you if you wish to run them on different wheels…it received’t void a guaranty or something, however…
What about pace & grip?
It’s not nearly fitment. Additionally they focused pace, rolling resistance, and grip. Zipp says they’re about 1w sooner than the Continental tire they’ve all the time used for testing, which they’ve all the time discovered to be the quickest tire they’ve examined, and a very good benchmark.
Additionally they have low rolling resistance, which, when mixed with the aero features, places them general on par with the pace of the Conti. For grip, they obtained nearer to Conti’s dry grip, however exceeded each it and the Vittoria for moist grip. So, principally, it’s an awesome tire.
Coming in two variations
There are three variations of the tires, two 30mm large and one 35mm large. Whereas the names indicate there’s one particularly for the NSW wheels, that’s actually simply a sign that it’s the higher-end tire. You may put it on the 303 Firecrest, and so forth., in order for you.
VectorR NSW 30
The light-weight racing and climbing possibility, it has a 150tpi short-ply casing with their R:Defend puncture safety layer beneath the tread cap. They’ve their Dynamic:UHP compound for low rolling resistance and excessive grip. Claimed weight is 275-280g, 700×30 solely.
Vector R SW 30 T2 & 35
These have a 120tpi casing and thicker tread caps for longer tread life and a bit extra puncture safety, however are in any other case the identical. Is available in 700×30 (325g) and 700×35 (365g) sizes.
