VeloflexCorsa Clincher Road Tire(Return to Product Page)

I tried the Veloflex Open Corsa 23 tires after wearing out my Vittoria Rubino Pro 3 Slick tires that had a little over 4,000 miles on them. These tires are amazing there is a distinct improvement in road feel, especially on smooth, paved roads it's almost like gliding. I'm accustomed to hearing a certain buzz where rubber meets the road, but it's very faint, if not inaudible, on these tires. I don't race, but I can see why these are preferred by aggressive sprinters or fast riders.

The downsides

- durability is average at best, especially in terms of puncture resistance. They stand virtually no chance against goat heads, but can take a little bit of abuse from less thorny objects.

- They wear out fairly quickly. I can get about 1,300 miles when mounted on the front. I would try for more but...

- On very bad days (such as heavy rain, or a day after a heavy downpour), the tire's casing is far too soft to handle sustained abuse from debris. In my case, a portion of the casing was chewed out you can see the fibers and a tire liner tube showing in the photo I've attached.

I'd buy these again, but would definitely reserve them for Sunday best-type of rides (group rides, training rides), but not for everyday (especially commute) use.

I have put about 700 miles on these tires with only one flat due to a glass shard. There is starting to be a slight flat spot along the center but the slight bumpy tread is not smooth. I don't expect these to last as long as the Conti 4000s that I used before but they aren't supposed to be the longest wearing. The Velos are really smooth and corner well. I've been running the pressures lower (80-85f and 90-95r and I weigh 170ish) in the 25c than I did in the Conti 4000s in a 23c, however, I'd say the profile and width is really similar between the 2. I'd only be able to make a full review if I go back to the Continentals with the same latex tubes. They sometimes feel slower, but I don't know if that is because they are smoother and road buzz can give the impression of speed. Overall I've been really pleased with these and bought another to rotate later in the season. I only wish they came in a 28c. They can be a real bear to mount the first time. Some forum posts recommend putting them in the dryer under low heat to soften them before mounting. Others recommending aging them for better wear, but they might given a firmer ride. They really are awesome tires.

Very Smooth ride, very aggressive tires. Best tires I ever bought.

These tires ride very nicely. They seem like good quality from the way they mount and ride. One thing to note is that they run a little narrow on standard width rims. My 700x25 tires are about 24mm wide on Mavic Open Pro rims. Maybe they will stretch out over time. Other than the width thing, I am impressed with these tires.

Only rode the tire once. IMHO felt identical to a CX3. But going to try and sell them as the Corsa 25C looks more like a big 23C. I am a big guy on a really stiff frame on rotten roads, so I really go for the balloon tire & the CX3 25C is fatter than even the Pave 25C. All that said, if your OK with a smaller tire, then given the ride feel of these tires in combination with prices Western sells these things for, the fact that they wear out faster is kinda moot...just ride those rock-hard, knock-your-fillings-out, pound-you-into-submission Conti 4 seasons in the spring when the roads are covered in a winter's worth of crap.

I couldn't be more pleased with the Veloflex Corsa clincers. These are supple smooth riding tires with great traction and handling. I find that I am much more confident taking tight corners without braking, and with downhill control. Paired with Vittoria latex tubes they are a true joy to ride. I switched from Vittoria Corsa CX tires because they were so difficult to mount and remove from my new Rolf rims, and, at around $20 cheaper, I was worried I would be taking a step down but that has not been the case. They may not last as long as some other tires but they are worth it to me, I look forward to every ride, every climb. I love these tires.

These tires handle and feel great along with being quiet. Very neutral and predictable in the corners.

Simple styling with graphics on one side.

So far they've been quite durable on commuting and training rides.

Wet grip has been excellent, as it's quite wet in the PNW.

The 25mm tires are thinner on Pacenti 23sl rims, compared to Conti 4000s/4000sii & Michelin Pro 4 sc.

Great looking and preforming tires. A bit hard to get on but well worth the money.

This is a great tire! Quality made, very supple with great traction (even in the wet) and tread life. I use them for training and racing. The tire corners like on rails. When run between 90-105 psi, I love the feel of this tire, it is very neutral and really soaks up bumps & vibrations. I prefer this tire over Conti GP4000s. It's a little difficult to get on at first, but after the bead stretches a bit, I can get it on the same as any other tire, by using just my hands (no tools).

Soft and supple, rolls nice, corner on rails. This also means it wears faster. Excellent tire for good road. I buy a few when they go on sale.

I was initially very impressed with the ride quality, very supple, smooth and fast. But, after a couple of hundreds miles, the sidewall bubbled due to being cut by my Zipp Firecrest 303's. Wished I would have been advised of this a couple of years ago when I purchased them here. I see there is a advisory now.

These are very supple and smooth riding tires as you should expect from the high casing tpi. They're very light and have excellent grip. Get them while on sale for a great price.

But.... They're REALLY hard to get on your rims. They're folded flat in the box so it's hard to get the tube underneath on the rim during installation. Be prepared to struggle and get several pinch flat holes in your tubes while installing using tire levers. They're impossible to install without levers.

I bought a Veloflex corsa to match one that came on a set of rims I bought on ebay. Had never used them before but am really impressed. Light, smooth and provide secure footing on corners.

a race quality clincher that has the ride feel of a tubular and very light at 195g.

I have ridden them all (Michelin, Conti, Vittoria, Vrederstein...) and without a doubt the ride quality of the Veloflex is closest to tubular of any. These were recommended to me by a custom wheel builder several years back and I have been using them ever since with Michelin A1 butyl tubes. Like the other poster said, they are widely used in the peloton as rebranded tires.

They are a bit tricky to mount with some rims (super tight fit). It will take a bit of elbow grease to get them on. A little trick that I have learned is initially running them in the dryer for 5min. I know this sounds crazy, but with my Alpha 340 rims it is the only way to get them on. Once broken in it gets a bit easier.

As stated before, they aren't the longest lasting, but definitely worth the added performance and comfort. At this low weight they are amazingly resistant to punctures. I even have them on my training wheels and refuse to use anything else.

Lastly I would recommend running a 23/25 front/rear combo. I have also used their tubulars 404 firecrest, which are equally amazing.

I have been riding on Veloflex Corsa tires now for three years on both my road bikes and love them! I have ussed Conti 4000's, Michelin Pro Race 3's and Vittoria Open Corsa and I like the Veloflex the best. The 320 TPI makes for a super-sliky ride. They corner well and are more grippy on wet roads. The are better than average with regard to punctures. They do wear fairly quickly - 2,500 miles, but the ride feel is superb.

Veloflex tires have been used in the pro peloton for years, mostly rebranded, Fabian Cancellara being a fan. But last year Bradley Wiggens won the Tour de France with branded Veloflex tires. Enough said!

For those in a hurry Veloflex tires are great for those looking for a very smooth ride, high traction, reasonably low rolling resistance and a road feel that is more akin to a tubular tire. In particular, its the smooth feel, and the confidence I feel while cornering on them, that really stand out. They're also extremely quiet. I've ridden them on only a few short shake-down runs to check handlebar and brake lever positioning, so I'll update this later, after I check the tire's wear, traction and puncture resistance. But I can say without reservation that they are the most comfortable and confidence-inspiring clinchers Ive every ridden on, even in a 23 mm tire size that runs true to size.

A bit more detail They were difficult to mount (Veloflex cautions against using levers) on my old-school Mavic Open 4 CD rims (inside width of 13.2 mm). I didn't want the light-bulb effect and poor aerodynamics of combining a narrow rim with a wide tire, hence my choice of a 23-mm width. I used Schwalbe's high-pressure fabric rim tape, and Michelin's Airstop A1 butyl tubes. (Sorry, latex fans.) One of the tubes had a small leak in it after mounting - my fault, Im sure - and I used the Pedros to make safe removal easier. When I remounted the tire with a new tube, I used the Koolstop Tire Bead Jack, which I HIGHLY recommend for safely mounting hard-to-mount tires in seconds. I used 116 pounds in the rear, and 107 in the front, (using an Accu-Gage analog tire gauge).

So, how'd the Veloflex Corsa tires perform and feel on the short runs I took them on? They were superb! Id read that tires make a significant difference - possibly the biggest difference - in how a bike handles and feels, and I certainly believe that now. I would literally have noticed in a few yards - blind-folded. My bike, which has a frame of Tange OS 4130-tubing, now feels like a French-made Roold bike with tubular tires that I had many years ago.

I often tried to analyze why that Roold felt so good, and concluded it was due to its sew-up tires - there really is a difference. Thats what prompted me to try the Veloflex tires - reviews often mentioned that the feel was akin to tubulars. The reviewers were right! The Corsa tires make cycling more fun, and isnt that what its all about?

For someone who is looking to lower a PR by a tenth or two, or who cycles over broken glass and road construction, there might be somewhat better choices out there. But for enthusiast riders who cycle on decent roads for exercise, fitness and fun, and who value a soft, smooth ride, even at high pressures, the Veloflex Corsa is a superb choice. The $30ea sale price I got mine for from Bike Tire Direct made them a steal, but Id be willing to pay full price, if necessary.

These are, by far, the nicest clincher's I've ever ridden. Though they are very tight mounting the first time (at least on my DT RR465 rims), once the casing stretches a bit from use, they are very supple and easy to wrangle. As for comfort, they're like riding on pillows, I'm 6'4 190lb, and inflate the 700x25 to 85F 95R, and they still feel really fast. The rubber is super grippy, you can lean hard into a turn with confidence, even in wet conditions.

As for durability, I've had 2 flats in my first 1200 miles on these tires one front flat after rolling over a large piece of glass, and one rear flat after rolling over a big construction staple. Either situation would have proven difficult for even the toughest tire, so I don't fault the Veloflex. But I will admit, I'm a bit more paranoid about road debris with these tires, and sweep them with my hands a lot. In any case, both of those tires are still going strong, though the rear shows significantly more tread wear than the front, as expected. I figure I'll need to replace the rear in another 400-500 miles.

I now recommend these tires to all of my riding buddies.

I just put these bad boys (25mm width) on three weeks ago and have about 370 miles on them thus far. Paired with latex tubes. I highly recommend latex for those who haven't tried them, especially with this tire. The ride quality is superior and I can't imagine running butyl with this tire.

So far, I'm wowed by these tires, and there are not many products that wow me. I've only ridden Conti GP4000s tires prior to these, so unfortunately, that's my only comparison. Really good tires as well, but in my results, the Veloflex Corsa beats it in all categories.

- Roll super fast and get up to speed quickly and easily maintains speed

- Descends and corners exceptionally well, even in wet conditions. Amazing grip. This is where the tire is far superior to the Conti. Not even a close comparison. I personally did not like the feel of the Conti tires in the corners, and I spend a lot of time climbing and descending.

- Durability I was initially concerned about the durability of these tires, due to other reviews. However, after 370 miles, both front and rear tires still look brand new with no signs of wear. I live in San Francisco - the roads in the area suck big time - potholes, cracks, choppy, glass, rocks, etc. I've had no issues (knock on wood).

- Incredibly smooth ride paired with the latex tubes. I run these at the same PSI as I did with the Conti - 100-105 in the rear, 95 in the front. I'm a male 140lbs.

- Installation The tires were fairly straight forward to install. I was able to install them on my 23mm wide HED Belgium C2 rims with only my hands and a little muscle. Certainly a little tighter than the Conti's, but I didn't experience the difficulties installing as some other reviewers noted.

- Light weight

Overall, I'm highly impressed with these tires and hope they continue to deliver as the miles add up. Give them a shot!

These tires are as close to racing sewups as you can get with current clincher technology. They are light (actual wt. 190 grams) and they corner really well. They are thin and soft, so don't expect to get 8,000 miles from a set.... more like 3-4,000, but they are soooo nice to ride on. Also, these aren't Kevlar, steel belted, armor plated tires. You can get flats with them, but no more than with other fast tires, I've actually had great luck with them.