Vittoria Corsa Pro review: A year with the peloton’s favourite cotton tyre

Fast and grippy, but it’s the smoothness that really sets them apart

corsa pro
(Image: © Will Jones)

Cyclingnews Verdict

Market leading ride feel, super fast, and grippy, but they don't deal well with punctures when they do occur

Pros

  • +

    Incredibly smooth ride feel, especially in wider widths

  • +

    Very fast

  • +

    Better puncture protection on paper than GP5000 S TR

Cons

  • -

    When punctures occur they don't seal well

  • -

    Supple sidewalls can make cornering feel less secure

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The latest edition of the Vittoria Corsa Pro has been around (officially) since May 2023, though it was widely used in the peloton before this, and I initially rode them a month prior at a press event. Given the tyre’s heavy use in the pro peloton, along with excellent testing results in independent rolling resistance tests, it sits squarely within my guide to the best road bike tyres, but what are they actually like to ride? 

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Testing scorecard and notes
AttributesNotesRating
Design and aesthetics Minor tweaks for incremental gains, but it's a case of if it ain't broke, don't fix it, for which I am a fan.10/10
PerformanceIn terms of pure performance these are about as good as tyres get, both on paper and in the real world.10/10
Tubeless setupFor a cotton tyre the Corsa Pro set up pretty painlessly, and held its air better than many I've tried. They still go down more readily than vulcanised options though.8/10
Puncture resistanceVery much an 'it's fine until it isn't' tyre. I've had very innocuous holes here that wouldn't be an issue on vulcanised tyres pose a real challenge. The puncute resistance is decent, but it's how it deals with punctures when they do happen that's the issue.6/10
ValueYou pay a high price but you get really great performance. The relative fragility knocks them down a little here, but they're no rip-off.8/10
Overall ratingRow 5 - Cell 1 84%
Will Jones
Senior Tech Writer

Will joined the Cyclingnews team as a reviews writer in 2022, having previously written for Cyclist, BikeRadar and Advntr. He’s tried his hand at most cycling disciplines, from the standard mix of road, gravel, and mountain bike, to the more unusual like bike polo and tracklocross. He’s made his own bike frames, covered tech news from the biggest races on the planet, and published countless premium galleries thanks to his excellent photographic eye. Also, given he doesn’t ever ride indoors he’s become a real expert on foul-weather riding gear. His collection of bikes is a real smorgasbord, with everything from vintage-style steel tourers through to superlight flat bar hill climb machines.