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review

Veloflex Corsa Race TLR tyre

7
£45.00

VERDICT:

7
10
Fast, supple, grippy and not too expensive, but fit issues with one of the tyres was a bit disappointing
Fast
Supple
Grippy
Can be tricky to set up
Weight: 
219g
Contact: 

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The Veloflex Corsa Race TLR is a good tubeless road tyre for fast riding. The grip, speed and supple feel make it a joy to ride, but some setup issues with one of our test examples left me somewhat disappointed.

This is Veloflex's first go at making tubeless road tyres and it showed a little during setup. While both tyres mounted easily, one refused to seat for a good while, and when it did, sealant was pouring out of the sidewalls. Another glug of sealant helped to plug the gaps, but it was one of the more difficult tyres that I've set up tubeless.

> Buy this online here

Once I'd set these up on some Campagnolo Bora WTO 60 DB wheels, I also tried them on some Prime Black Edition rims. The result was the same, with that same tyre being a nightmare to seat properly. I assume that this is simply a quality control issue, but it is one that I hope Veloflex can sort quickly.

The sealant that coated the sidewalls also stubbornly refused to come off when I tried to clean it up. The lovely tan sidewalls now look a tad dirty which is a shame.

Thankfully it seems that the installation issues are where the bad news stops. I have been very impressed by how quick the tyres feel on faster rides. They grip well on steeper climbs, give a floaty feel on rougher surfaces and feel planted in the corners. The Corsa Race TLR has been great for fast rides and I can't wait to get them into some races.

During testing, my rides have been limited to solo general riding and some fast-paced group rides. These tyres are designed, Veloflex says, for racing and while I haven't been able to race lately, I have been able to do a lot of fast riding and the Race TLRs have been brilliant. They feel plenty fast enough for flat paceline riding, though we don't have any rolling resistance data from Veloflex.

While racing hasn't been happening, the UK has provided plenty of damp roads for testing the cornering grip and I think the Race TLR tyres do a very good job. If I know I'll be cornering hard in the wet then I'll always drop a little pressure, and 5psi less, combined with the compound, resulted in a surefooted feeling in tight corners.

The casing features a whopping 350tpi (threads per inch) construction. This creates a beautifully supple tyre with a ride feel that is up there with some of the best tubular tyres that I've ridden. On the rough Mendip surface-dressed roads, the casing really helps to isolate you from any road buzz.

2020 Veloflex Corsa Race TLR Used

Through the test period I haven't had any punctures, though I always put this more down to luck than the thin strip of puncture protection that Veloflex places under the tread. That tread also seems to be holding up very well. As I said, we have some very rough roads around here and there are no cuts in the tread.

At £45 per tyre (€49), these are certainly an investment, but they compare favourably to the competition: Vittoria's Corsa Speed G+ Tubeless tyre is £64.99 and Continental's GP5000 TL is £69.95. While both are more expensive, they do seem to be easier to fit.

> Buyer’s Guide: 40 of the best road bike tyres

Veloflex's Corsa Race TLR tyres deliver in the performance department with a fast and supple ride feel along with loads of grip in the corners. Quality control could be better, to reduce any fit issues, but once on they're very good.

Verdict

Fast, supple, grippy and not too expensive, but fit issues with one of the tyres was a bit disappointing

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Veloflex Corsa Race TLR

Size tested: 25mm

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Veloflex says: 'Clincher tire with a very soft 350 TPI (Threads Per Inch) Corespun casing, very lightweight, with low rolling resistance and great flexibility to adapt to any road surface.

'The same characteristics as Corsa EVO Race clincher tire improved by an Air-Lock membrane to minimize air pressure loss; especially, it is equipped with new non-extendable beads in Zylon®**, a high-modulus fiber, to allow the tire bead to seat properly without air chamber.'

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Veloflex lists these details:

Use Racing

Size 25-622 (700x25C)

Weight* 225 gr.

TPI (Threads Per Inch) 350 Threads Per Inch (140/cm)

Beds Zylon® ** inextensible yarn

Pressure 6/8 bar - (85/115 psi)

Protection Belt RKB (Resilient Kinetic Belt)

Sidewall protection SPS - Sidewall Protection System

Casing Compressed Pes/Co corespun

Rubber tread Natural rubber and silica exclusive compound

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
6/10

One tyre set up fine; the other was a pain.

Rate the product for performance:
 
10/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
6/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
10/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Fast, grippy and supple. It's everything you want from a race tyre.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The ride feel is sublime.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The fitting – with one of the tyres – was everything that is wrong about tubeless.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

Pretty well. They're a fiver cheaper than Vittoria's offering and a tenner cheaper than Continental's tubeless race tyre.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes, once they were on.

Would you consider buying the product? I'd buy the tubed clincher version.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? I would, with a warning about potential fit issues.

Use this box to explain your overall score

Once you get them set up, they're excellent tyres and cheaper than other excellent options. But quality control could be better, as the difficulty of setting up one of the tyres was disappointing.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 24  Height: 177cm  Weight: 62kg

I usually ride: Cannondale Supersix Di2  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, club rides, general fitness riding, I specialise in the Cafe Ride!

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8 comments

Avatar
Rapha Nadal | 3 years ago
0 likes

How do they size up when fitted?  True to size or a bit bigger?

Avatar
Joe Totale replied to Rapha Nadal | 3 years ago
0 likes

True to size for me with 25mm tyres and 19mm internal width wheels. 

To my eyes they appear smaller than the GP5000's they replaced. 

Avatar
sparrowlegs | 3 years ago
1 like

I'm currently on the Corsa Evo TLR 28mm and have had a mostly positive experience. I've had the leaky sidewalls and a tyre went "baggy" but when I contacted Veloflex they were brilliant and replaced immediately. I couldn't get them to seal or stay up on a set of Roval CLX 50 but I had the same issue with a lot of other tyres on the CLX 50. Not a great tubeless design on those as there's no shoulder to hold the tyre on if it loses pressure. I've just recieved some Hunt Aerodynamicist 62 wheels and even the "baggy" tyre sealed first time on them but the Hunts have a fantastic tubeless "H-Lock" design.

The second set have been a dream and easily as good as the latest Schwalbe Pro One Evo TLE or the Conti GP5000TL (I love tyres).

I got the sidewall leakage on the GP5000TL too but obviously they are black so you don't get the staining.

I find the GP5000TL very fast but, well, rattly. Not comfy. The Pro One Evo TLE have been superb. Comfy, fast, grippy.

Personally my favorite of all the tubeless tyres I'm running are the Veloflex Corsa Evo TLR. A proper tan wall, handmade, 320tpi tyre and great value, especiallyn as you get 10% off via their website and next day delivery from Italy.

Avatar
Liam Cahill replied to sparrowlegs | 3 years ago
0 likes

Those GP5000TL have a rather hard casing. Like you, I find them a little harsh.

Avatar
Joe Totale | 3 years ago
1 like

I'm currently using the Corsa Evos and I found them a piece of cake to fit. They  both fitted onto my Wheelsmith carbon wheels using just my hands. Both of them inflated and seated using only a track pump. 

I'm using Orange Seal and there's been no leaking through the sidewall., I have though that this can occur with other sealants, which sealant were you using? 

Ride quality is fantastic, they're grippier than the GP5000's they replaced but I feel they may be a bit slower.
 
I got mine for £40 which to me is a good price for a tubeless summer tyre. Oh and the tanwalls look amazing on my bike and are far better than the yellow painted tanwalls of the Schwalbe Pro One or GP5000!

Avatar
kil0ran replied to Joe Totale | 3 years ago
1 like

I run the non-tubeless version of these tyres and whilst fitting has always been a little tricky it's nowhere near as challenging as, well, Challenge tyres. No tyre jack needed. I love them, they do a great job of reducing road buzz (I run 28s), feel fast, and look the part. I've had a couple of punctures but they've been easy to fix at the roadside and purely down to the vast quantities of chipseal Hampshire Highways were distributing during lockdown.

Avatar
Liam Cahill replied to kil0ran | 3 years ago
0 likes

Mendip highways have been chatting to Hampshire highways then...

Lovely supple tyres though, I agree

Avatar
Liam Cahill replied to Joe Totale | 3 years ago
0 likes

Hi Joe,

I was using the Joe's No Flats sealant that Veloflex recommends using.

Completely agree with you on the tan sidewalls. There's nothing like a good tan wall!

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