Road Bike Tire Test: Vittoria Rubino Pro III
Contents and Test Summary
- Introduction
- Manufacturer Specifications
- Size, Weight, Thickness
- Rolling Resistance: 13.4 Watts
- Puncture Resistance: 60 Points
- Static Wet Grip: No Data
- Conclusion: 4.0 / 5 Recommended
- Comments
NOTE: We have a test available of a newer version of this tire: Vittoria Rubino Pro G+ 1.0 2016
The Rubino Pro 3 700 x 25C is a medium priced road bike tire from Vittoria. It comes with a 150 TPI nylon casing, long-life rubber compound, effective puncture resistance and a low weight of 235 grams. There is also a non-Pro version of the Rubino Pro 3 which comes with a 60 TPI casing and a wire bead. claimed weight of the non-Pro Rubino is 335 grams, which makes it unlikely to have a low rolling resistance. Although I'm testing the version with the tread pattern, both of these tires are available as a slick version as well.
The Rubino family is positioned under the top of the line 320 TPI Corsa family and above the Zaffiro family which are low-budget road bike tires. This is the second medium priced road bike tire I'm testing after the Continental Grand Prix. I find it interesting to see how much of a difference this makes and how much you can gain with top of the line tires. I also plan to test some € 10,- ultra low budget tires.
Manufacturer Specifications
| Manufacturer Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Brand | Vittoria |
| Model | Rubino Pro III |
| Year | 2014 |
| Tire Type | Tubetype (clincher) |
| Supplied By | Bought in store |
| New or Used | New |
| Mileage | 0 km |
| Price Range | Med |
| Buy At | |
| Manufacturer part number | 111.365.21.25.111BX |
| TPI | 150 |
| Compound | - |
| Bead | Folding |
| ETRTO | 25-622 |
| Size Inch | 28" |
| Specified Width (mm) | 25 |
| Specified Weight | 235 grams |
| Max Air Pressure (psi) | 130 |
| Made In | Members Only |
| Available Sizes |
20-622 (700x20C) 23-622 (700x23C) 25-622 (700x25C) 28-622 (700x28C) 23-571 (650x23C) |
Vittoria Rubino Pro III Test Results
Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
| Size, Weight and Thickness Measurements | |
|---|---|
| Specified Weight | 235 grams |
| Measured Weight | 238 grams |
| System Adjusted Weight (tire + inner tube (100 gr) |
338 grams |
| Measured Width | 26 mm (un-round) |
| Measured Height | 24 mm (un-round) |
| Total Tire Thickness Center | 3.2 mm |
| Total Tire Thickness Sidewall | Members Only |
| Unmounted Casing Width | No Data |
| Unmounted Tread Width | No Data |
| Tread Cover (Tread / Casing Ratio) | No Data |
| All size measurements are taken at an air pressure of 100 psi / 6.9 bars on a 17.8 mm inner width rim. | |
The measured weight of 238 grams is close to the specified weight of 235 grams and is only 1 gram more than the Open Corsa CX which I measured at 237 grams. The Rubino Pro measures 26 mm wide on a 17C rim at 100 psi. Height is 24 mm. This is very close to the rated size of 25C.
Rolling Resistance Test Results
| Rolling Resistance Test Results | |
|---|---|
| Inner Tube | Conti Race28 (100gr butyl) |
| Measured Width | 26 mm (un-round) |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 132 psi/9.1 bar 25-27 = 120 psi/8.3 bar 28-29 = 108 psi/7.4 barUltra High Air Pressure (120 psi / 8.3 bar) |
13.4 Watts CRR: 0.00402 |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 110 psi/7.6bar 25-27 = 100 psi/6.9 bar 28-29 = 90 psi/6.2 barExtra High Air Pressure (100 psi / 6.9 bar) |
14.0 Watts CRR: 0.00420 |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 88 psi/6.1 bar 25-27 = 80 psi/5.5 bar 28-29 = 72 psi/5.0 barHigh Air Pressure (80 psi / 5.5 bar) |
Members Only |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 66 psi/4.6 bar 25-27 = 60 psi/4.1 bar 28-29 = 54 psi/3.7 barMedium Air Pressure (60 psi / 4.1 bar) |
Members Only |
| The Road Bike section is a multi tire size section, air pressures have been adjusted to the measured casing width. All numbers are for a single tire at a speed of 29 km/h / 18 mph and a load of 42.5 kg / 94 lbs. Use the formula: RR (Watts) = CRR * speed (m/s) * load (N) to calculate rolling resistance at a given speed and load. |
|
Rolling resistance is surprisingly good and even better at the higher air pressures. At 120 psi / 8.3 bars, rolling resistance is 13.4 watts which is only 0.4 watts higher when compared to the Open Corsa CX. At an air pressure of 100 psi / 6.9 bars, performance is still very strong with a rolling resistance of 14.0 watts. At lower air pressures, the difference gets a little bit bigger. At 80 psi / 5.5 bars, rolling resistance has increased to 16 watts which is 1.2 watts more than the Open Corsa CX.
Puncture Resistance Test Results
| Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better) | |
|---|---|
| Total Puncture Score Tread | 60 Points |
| Total Puncture Score Sidewall | Members Only |
| Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle | 12 Points |
| Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle | No Data |
| Tread Total Tire Thickness | 3.2 mm |
| Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle | Members Only |
| Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle | Members Only |
| Sidewall Total Tire Thickness | Members Only |
The Rubino Pro is able to score 12 points in the tread puncture resistance test. 12 points is pretty average for an all-round tire and equal to the Open Corsa CX.
Static Grip Test Results
NOTE: Grip test data is only available on tires tested after November 2018. You can find more information about our grip test here: Introducing Grip Testing
| Static Grip Test Results | |
|---|---|
| Wet Grip Average | No Data |
| Wet Grip Center | No Data |
| Wet Grip Edge | No Data |
| Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 | |
Conclusion
At very high air pressures, the Rubino Pro performs excellent, at 120 and 100 psi you're only losing 0.4 watts when compared to the Open Corsa CX III. The Rubino Pro seems to "break down" when dropping air pressure to 80 psi. This results in a 1.2 watts advantage for the Open Corsa. 80-90 psi is probably the pressure you would want to run with 25mm tires. This means low-pressure performance is important as well. At these pressures, this tire equals the Continental Grand Prix which is a tire in the same price range.
When making a correction for an average road bike speed of 36 km/h / 23 mph (tests are run at 29km/h), and you want to spend a little less on tires, you will lose roughly 3 watts for a pair of tires when compared to the Vittoria Open Corsa. When compared with the "gold standard" Continental GP4000S II, you'll lose close to 5 watts for a pair of tires. 3 - 5 watts isn't much when you're just riding for fun, but if you're racing, it could be those last few seconds or meters you needed for the win.
RATING:
4.0
/ 5
TEST VERDICT:
Recommended