For me tires are an important part of the gravel experience and this is why I like to test a bunch of them. When Vittoria asked me to test the Terreno Zero, I went on their website to see what this model is all about.
About Vittoria
Vittoria has been creating performance tires since 1953. At first they were creating road tires only and later came a wider variety of disciplines. Here is what they say about it: It’s in our blood – a passion that keeps our tyres moving forward. With our ‘what if…’ mentality, it’s impossible not to. This curiosity has taken us off road. To a trail less traveled. And the challenge of new terrains, surfaces and conditions. By constantly pushing ourselves harder – and further – we’ve created a new generation of XC, enduro and eMTB tyres. And we won’t stop there.
Terreno Zero
Corsa inspired tread design, for paved surfaces and hard-packed gravel. The smooth Corsa inspired center rolls fast, while the side tread “scales” provide durable bite when cornering and braking.
The testing
For the terrain I am riding most of the time I thought that the zero could be a great idea but I had a certain reserve on loose and heavier gravel. With that in mind, I was open to push the testing to the maximum and see the breaking point.
I requested the 700X45 size to see if a wider tire would be more stable in gravel and see how versatile it was on a paved surface.
I started the testing at 50 psi to see how well it would perform on packed gravel and tarmac and the contact patch was about 23 mm which was the slick center and it grips and corners really well too on both surfaces.
My second test was 40 psi to see how well it would perform on lower pressure with a larger contact patch and the tires performed well on all surfaces but was not 100% stable on roads with loose gravel. But I was quite there in terms of all around performance.
I have found the sweet spot at 37 psi for great overall performance on paved surface, compact and loose gravel and the La Flatland à Annie was the perfect event to test this out. That tire was really impressive even though the center is like slicks. The tire was grippy and the cornerning was great too. I was not expecting that type of overall performance with these tires. Does the fact that the size is 700×45 helps on the overall performance? Probably but I have not tested a narrower version.
In conclusion
When you are selecting a gravel tire, it is important to analyze where you will ride most of the time. In my case the Terreno zero is a great option and will be in my tire rotation for the season that is for sure.
You can have more information about Vittoria here:
