Review - Vittoria Randonneur Touring tyres

Now that the bike has been finished for a few months and I've had the chance to test out different components I plan on doing a few reviews. To see how my opinions may or may not change I'll do a review before I go touring and another after a few weeks of touring.

So I'll start off with the Randonneur Touring tyre from Vittoria. 

I'll be honest and say that I chose this tyre as I got it pretty cheap. It also has a reflective stripe on both sides of the tyre for extra visibility at night. I have the 700 x 35 on the front and back. I wasn't entirely sure I'd have enough clearance for the 700 x 38 tyres so played it safe with 35. It turns out there is plenty room for a 38 tyre in there so it's something I'll bear in mind when they need replaced.

I've been using these tyres for around 4 months now and I honestly don't have anything negative to say about them. They're easy to get on and off my Mavic A319 rims and I'm pleased to say I haven't had any punctures in those 4 months. These tyres have Vittoria's Ultra Shielding puncture protection which seems to be doing it's job pretty well as I've ridden it through glass and even a thorny off-road section.

The tyres hold well through cornering and braking, even in the wet. This is a tyre for long distance touring, it's not something that's going to win you a road race. Being a chunky tyre with, as far as road tyres go, chunky tread they do roll slower than a slick road tyre. But that's ok; I want a tyre that's going to perform well with 4 pannier bags and last for thousands of miles. That's what I think these tyres will do.