I bought this tire for my gravel bike. I have been using the Goodyear Contender tire (40mm) which has been great, but wanted something a little smoother as my tread would wear out anyway. Since I use my bike 90% of the time for commuting on mostly paved roads and bumpy bike trails, it didn't make sense to have a tire with treads. This has been a great choice, as it can run over anything but also picks up the speed of my bike and has less rolling resistance (almost as quick as my road bike with 28mm tires). I have also used it on gravel roads during weekends and it does a good job and you can fly on the roads. However, I wouldn't recommend it for climbing steep terrain on loose material. That said I did climb some steeper gradients on gravel and it was fine. Works great in the rain. Good tire!
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.
I've had these tires for a about three weeks and really like them. As stated in other reviews, not the fastest rolling, but puncture resistance is what I was after. If you're looking for a racing tire, this is not it. If you're looking for an endurance tire, this is it! As someone that uses the road bike mainly to train for other types of cycling events, this is a great tire. I've ridden it in the wet and felt confident in the traction. Have about 400 mi on these tires and would definitely buy them again.
Picked up a set of these Vittoria T30's 700x50 to replace worn down Conti Race King 29x2.2 ProTection (Black Chili) on my fully rigid 29er hardtail.
Out of the box, the casing is less stiff than the Conti's however, they required a bit more muscle to get the tire mounted on WTB original KOM i25 hoops. I always use an air compressor to set the bead and there wasn't any issues. Hoops were double-wrapped with tubeless rim tape and tires held air quite nicely. Tires were set-up tubeless with Orange Seal endurance.
After three rides, I found the T30's to roll significantly easier and smoother on pavement, hardpack dirt and gravel, and light slightly loose
gravel. Not surprising given the difference in tread patterns between the T30's and Conti's. It
goes without saying the T30's probably aren't the best choice for deep, loose, chunky gravel or
muddy conditions. There are better tire options available for those conditions.
For my style of riding - pavement/hardpack dirt and gravel, the T30's are, so far, a better choice than the Conti Race Kings. Don't get me wrong, the Conti's are a great tire that I ran for years. The T30's are just better for me these days.
The only caveat to this review is I have zero knowledge regarding tread life for the T30's.
