Vittoria Terreno T90 review: Monstrous levels of grip from Vittoria's most aggressive gravel tyre

When autumn comes, and my local gravel and off-road loops are a little slicker and muddier, i'll have a little slide or moment in a turn and think to myself, 'just be careful; remember what tyres you're on'.

I love how the best gravel tyres roll, but there comes a point in the British winter when things get muddy and slick, some tyres don't offer masses of grip, and I wanted more. This winter, I headed to the other end of the spectrum and tested some of the grippiest, most aggressive gravel tyres on the market.

Enter the Vittoria Terreno T90 Mud, the Italian brand's most aggressive gravel model.

The T90 evolved from the Terreno Wet model, and in Vittoria's words, is 'engineered for performance in the most extreme gravel conditions'. It shares the same tread as the old Terreno Wet, and sits at one end of Vittoria's updated gravel range.

I fitted these tyres early in the winter, and have used them exclusively until now. I've used them in the mud, rain, ice and snow, and they have seriously impressed me. If you want to fit a winter gravel tyre that prioritises grip when the weather starts to turn and run with it all winter, knowing it will have your back, this could be the tyre for you.

Design and aesthetics

Vittoria overhauled its gravel tyre range and introduced new classification ratings last year. There's now a numerical severity grading scale to help you choose.

The T90's sit at one end of the Vittoria gravel endurance range, aside from the now all brown gravel race models.

The Endurance range starts at T10, and runs through T30,50,60,70,80 and 90 models. Essentially, the larger the number, the more aggressive the tyre is.

The T90's do share the same tread as the old Terreno Wet. I thought it was slightly different, but Vittoria confirmed that it is the same to me.

Specs-wise, the tyres are available in 40 and 45mm sizes, and in brown and black sidewall colour options.

The Endurance range tyres benefit from the 100 TPI (threads per inch) Endurance tyre casing, which uses Graphene, something of a calling card for Vittoria. We're looking at tyres designed to be all-rounders here. The tyres have an anti-puncture belt, which makes sense, they aren't featherlight race tyres. There's also extra nylon sidewall protection.

However, the tyres aren't heavyweight tanks; they still feel nimble in use, not super solid and heavy, so don't be put off on that front. I weighed my brown sidewalled 45mm ones at 544 grams per pair. Only just over 10 grams heavier than the 44mm Vittoria Mezcal tyres (now the 'T70') my colleague Will rates.

The tyres are hookless compatible, but check your hookless wheels will also play with them just to be safe.

Tread-wise, the T90's feature aggressive, widely spaced knobs that wrap around the tread quite a long way. Out of the box and mounted, they looked really mean on my gravel test bike.

Vertically oriented outer knobs sit at the furthest points of the tread, and in between them are angled single knobs, with the central section being made up of double alternating lugs. They certainly look proper and will inspire confidence at the very least.

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Performance

These are tyres designed to perform at the extreme end of the scale, so how is the grip from them? In a word, fantastic. In my test period, the tyres have only ever given me confidence, providing huge amounts of grip and traction in the mud, and on descents and off-camber sections, and even dealing well in ice and in snow.

One standout test was riding up an off-camber, shallow climb that was one sheet of ice after a recent freeze. I rode it without incident, and the tyres didn't blink.

I've tackled all sorts of terrain, including what comfortably passes for XC MTB territory, not one slip, slide, or loss of traction have I had. I completely trust these tyres in muddy, slippery conditions, and they have been a real asset in this regard.

The tread is similar to a cyclocross mud option, just in a 45mm size. Mud clearance has been very good, and just a non-issue for me, top marks there.

It's gotten to the point where I'll try and tackle something like an off-camber muddy bank, or greasy, slick descent and think 'maybe this time', waiting for a slip or for rear wheel traction to break, and it just never comes. I'm not saying they are a magic bullet that will let you tackle the impossible like some sort of gravel Ibex, but I'm yet to see them come unstuck.

My local riding starts and ends with road sections, with some in the middle too. Unfortunately, I can't head into the hills for hours on end. On the road, the tyres do feel a little bit draggier and sluggish, but importantly, they don't feel wooden and dead. Look at them – speed on the road isn't a priority.

I'm happy to live with this for what they bring to the table off-road in the depths of winter. I'm not trying to keep up with anyone on the gravel bike on my solo rides; I'm doing the same power, I'm just going a bit slower. It is something to think about, at least if your gravel riding involves plenty of on-road action, but if you're looking at fitting these tyres, it's probably not a concern for you.

I've also experienced zero punctures in my test period, from early November until now in mid February. In some truly disgusting conditions (thankfully) there have been zero flats or issues for me.

The setup was also trouble-free for me. I mounted the tyres without issue on some Vision SC45 carbon wheels, which came as stock on my Ribble Ultra Grit, which I have been testing this winter. I've run the tyres tubeless and with tubes, and again, zero issues. I had to have a couple of goes at just getting the bead popped into place on one wheel to eliminate a little bobble, but that was it.

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Value

I can't fault the performance on any front, really, with the T90's. For traction and grip in poor conditions, they are fantastic. I've had zero punctures, and they also don't seem to have worn prematurely.

Price-wise, they come in at $81.99 / £54.99 / €58.95 each, and from what I can see, that price is fixed no matter the spec on the Vittoria website.

They are a touch more than the WTB Resolute tyres, which we also rate highly for wet conditions and slightly less than the Schwalbe G One Ultrabite, which is a similar tyre, though now discontinued.

In short, they are similarly prices to other similar aggressive off road tyres. If this is the kind of tyre you are interested in, you will not be let down by the T90's.

Verdict

These tyres represent an excellent evolution for the Terreno Wet model. In the terrain they are designed for, they have been faultless for me, providing masses of grip and boosting confidence. It also helps that I haven't had any issues with them; the last thing you want is having to mess around fixing a flat when everything is covered in mud.

On the road they aren't as zippy as other models, but these are tyres at the extreme end of the spectrum. What's important to say is that they haven't detracted from the on-ride road feel for me.

If the off-road or gravel conditions where you live get muddy, slick and wet in the winter, and you still like tackling plenty of off-road terrain and getting stuck in, or you just want to give yourself the maximum amount of grip and confidence, then fitting the T90's will help you stay locked in place. They are fantastic tyres, and I'm yet to find a scenario they can't handle.