A friend sold me a pair of Rubino Pro tires and (after the season) just mounted one. Everything went fine with the mounting, and I'm always careful to inflate/deflate the tube a few times to make sure it's properly seated. Little did I expect but 3.5 miles into my first ride, BOOM, and the tire goes flat. I did not replace the tube before mounting, but that wasn't the problem. On close review of the Rubino tire, the sidewall had separated 1.5" and exposed the tube - all in 3.5 miles! I'm not sure what amount of quality control there is on these tires, but they're not for me. As you can understand, I'm VERY reluctant to mount the other tire.
I've been doing my own bike maintenance for over 40 years and I have never pinched a tube while mounting a tire. I went through two tubes while mounting just one of these tires. I bought these in 26mm to have a slightly greater air volume than my 25's. Once mounted, I was dismayed to see that they were visibly smaller than the 25 I was replacing. I measured and it was 22.5 mm wide at full inflation. Not happy.
I was running Vittoria Corsas for three years, but after a particularly nasty run of punctures, was ready to give up what is an exceptional ride for the joy of 'flatless' rides. What a surprise that after mounting my new Rubinos (admittedly, something of a struggle) and using Vittoria's tire pressure app, I found the ride quite similar to the Corsa. And while I lost approximately up to 12 seconds per mile, the loss of speed is well worth the very sizeable increase in reliability.
Purchased as a set of training tires and have not been disappointed so far. Only about 500 miles on them and grip is perfect. I got the 32's and run 62-65 psi and the feel is great. So far, so good!
As always with brand-new tires, they were a bit challenging to get on the wheels. I went for the 28 mm width, and that was a winning decision. The ride is more plush and balanced and smooth. I'm doing some personal bests with these guys, so I'm a happy rider.
Bought them after struggling with Gatorskin Hardshell which are good tires within their own right. These Vittoria are easier to install. Had them for about two months, roll nice, no flats!
