'We want brown tyres to become the norm' - Are Vittoria's new recycled Terreno Pro gravel tyres the future?

Vittoria has finally released its new Terreno Pro gravel tyre range today. The new tyres use a new greener construction that Vittoria claims results in tyres that still perform better than previous versions.

The Terreno Pros are said to be 5% faster, and deliver 19% more grip and 17% more puncture resistance than the existing Terreno Endurance range, which sits below the new 'Pro' line.

These new, distinctive all brown tyres have been floating around for a while. We first got a glimpse of the brown construction at the start of the year at the Icebike trade show. And you also may have seen various pro riders, including Tom Pidcock racing on them at the recent Gravel World Championships in the Netherlands.

It's also a good time to mention the recently upgraded Vittoria gravel tyre grading system, or 'T-Score', which launched in April. The brand streamlined its gravel tyre offerings, and all tyres now carry the Terreno name, but have a numbered 'T-score' so you can work out what terrain each model is for. For instance, the Terreno T10 is for hardpack, and at the other end of the scale, the T90 (previously the Terreno wet) is for mud and more extreme off road use.

For now, the new Terreno Pro tyres will be available in T10, 30, 50, and 60 models in 35-45mm sizes, with the brand promising more to come in the future. Apparently, these sizes were the ones used by pro riders.

All tyres have a current MSRP of $103.99 each. Only gravel tyres are available at the moment, but it seems that Vittoria wants to move in this direction in the future. Some of the best road bike tyres, like the Vittoria Corsa Pro's could be brown in the future.

The Terreno Pros are constructed from 92% renewable and recyclable materials, according to Vittoria. Bicycle and tyre car production is not particularly environmentally friendly for a variety of reasons, and it seems Vittoria is taking steps to introduce a greener product and manufacturing process.

Vittoria CEO and Chairman Stijn Vriends explained the company's direction of travel.

"This is the future. And we’re laying down the track so everyone can ride toward it. As a company, we want natural brown tyres to become the norm in a few years, while the old-school black ones, with carbon black, start to look outdated."

The mention of carbon black in the CEO's statement outlines what Vittoria is trying to do with the Terreno Pro. Carbon black is an additive used in tyre production, and is also the reason tyres are black in colour. Omitting carbon black is more environmentally friendly.

Vittoria has used an organic cotton casing for these tyres, and they use nylon from discarded fishnets. Taiwanese company Formosa Taffeta produces Seawastex, a recycled nylon derived from old fishing nets, which is used by several tyre companies, including Maxxis and Schwalbe. A natural latex coating also offers extra puncture protection and flexibility without chemicals.

Elsewhere, there is natural rubber that is Fair Rubber certified. Fair Rubber aims to give a better deal to the people who grow and produce the material. Soybean oil and rice husk ash silica are also used in construction.

Vittoria also has a factory in Thailand that is CarbonNeutral® operations-certified. The factory uses renewable electricity for production and offsets any other emissions.

Vittoria mentions a 'long-standing taboo' when it comes to the way the potential combination of performance tyres and sustainability is viewed. And there may be some truth in this.

Many of us probably don't stop to consider environmental impacts when shopping for the fastest tyres we can find or even perceive greener, or partially recycled tyres to somehow be less premium, but perhaps starting with a gravel range, and having some of the world's best race on them, will help usher in a new, greener chapter for road and gravel tyres.