Zipp Tangente Course R28

The Zipp Tangente Course R28 is the more affordable version of the same width Tangente Speed R28 that Stu tested late last year, and offers a similarly impressive performance. It's supple and durable, and a good option for anyone wanting to enjoy the comfort benefits of a wide tyre.

The clincher Tangente Course is available in 23, 25, 28 and 30mm widths – something for everyone. Unlike the more expensive (£52) Speed, the Course saves pounds by being constructed with a 120tpi casing. That impacts the weight – the R28 rises to 270g (claimed 260g), compared with 224g for the 220tpi Speed R28. A deal-breaker for the weight weenies perhaps, but the cost savings might well outweigh the small weight and performance gains of the more expensive rubber.

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Aside from the obvious weight difference, the other key separator between the two tyres will be the level of suppleness due to the difference in the casing construction. I didn't test the tyres side-by-side, but I can certainly say that the Course R28 doesn't lack suppleness, and it compares favourably with other similar width tyres from Continental (GP4000S II) and Schwalbe (Pro One).

You're certainly going to be hard-pressed to discern big differences between them without taking them to a laboratory to do a detailed examination, although Blather 'bout Bikes blogger Tom Anhalt has painstakingly tested most of the currently available tyres for rolling resistance, and you can see the results here. He hasn't tested the 28mm tyres, though, only the 23 and 25mm versions.

Wide tyres are gaining a lot of new fans, even those who previously would quite happily run 22/23mm tyres at 120psi and think nothing more of their tyres. But change is happening. Many are now realising you can ride a wider tyre at lower pressures and not lose any performance, and in fact, on rough roads, you gain performance because the tyre is able to absorb the bumps instead of bouncing. Plus of course, you also gain increased comfort.

And with the advent and soaring popularity of disc brake road bikes, it's getting much easier to fit wider tyres to bikes that previously would have struggled to accept anything wider than 25mm.

Critical to getting the most out of a tyre is the optimum tyre pressure. Zipp helpfully lists recommended pressures for different rider weights on its website, and they're probably a lot lower than you're used to running with narrower tyres. This is a good thing – a 28mm tyre at 120psi is a horrible experience. I've tried it so you don't have to go there. The key to wider tyres is to run them at lower pressures. A 28mm tyre at 80psi provides the same rolling resistance as a 23mm tyre at 120psi, according to Continental. 

Zipp, for my weight, recommends 5.5 bar (80psi) front and 5.9 bar (85psi) rear. That's a little higher than the 5 bar I would normally run for this width tyre, but some testing at both pressures revealed very little discernible performance difference. This pressure produced very satisfactory results.

From the first ride, they simply felt like a very high-quality tyre, smooth and comfortable with plenty of grip through the corners, and good performance on damp roads with a smattering of mud and grit.

> Check out our guide to road cycling tyres here

To really enjoy the benefits of a low-pressure wide tyre, it also needs to be supple, and Zipp has succeeded in that too. It might not, on paper at least, be as supple as the Speed R28, but the Course R28 has a sidewall that clearly provides enough flexibility to help the tyre deform over imperfections in the road, with appropriate rigidity to prevent the tyre from squirming when run at lower pressures.

That helps the Course R28 impress on a range of roads and variety of weather. The tread is made from a 70 ShA durometer rubber (durometer is the measure of how hard a rubber is), and although 70 is quite a firm rubber (for a bicycle tyre), it strikes a good balance of durability, grip on dry and wet roads, and rolling speed. Puncture protection is boosted by the use of a nylon protection layer underneath the tread.

If you're in the market for a wide tyre at a reasonable price, the new Tangente Course R28 offers good performance with decent durability, wear rate and puncture protection. And don't worry, you don't need a pair of Zipp wheels to run these tyre. I won't be taking them off my bike in a hurry.

Verdict

A fast and supple 28mm wide tyre that compares favourably with more established rivals