Vittoria Terreno Dry TNT gravel tyre review

All the TNT (Tube No Tube) Terreno tyres are built on the same 120TPI anthracite wall carcass. It’s a tight fit on most rims at first so have your levers ready, but once in place and juiced-up, it seals really easily and pops cleanly into place with very little bead leak or sealant bleed through the carcass. Clincher weights range from 400g to just over 500g depending on size, but there are also 320TPI tubular versions in cyclo-cross friendly 31mm and 33mm widths.

The crown of the tyre is covered in a sheet of tiny hex scales, with a few missing on the centreline and shoulders to theoretically increase grip. The shoulder knobs are slightly larger with correspondingly larger gaps but they sit slightly high on the carcass rather than extending down the side, so watch for rock scuffs. That’s more obvious on a wider rim that squares off the tyre, too.

The triple compound puts a softer rubber on the edges than the centre and then a harder compound underneath to increase rolling speed. The rubber also includes Vittoria’s Graphene 2.0 technology which Vittoria claims adds grip, speed and durability.

Performance 

Having ridden a lot of Graphene tyres now, we can certainly confirm that the durability of the rubber compound is excellent and combined with the thick tread carpet, our Dry samples have lasted extremely well. While the 500g weight takes some accelerating, that same carpet of scaled tread rolls fast and quietly and deals well with thorns. The splits between scales let the relatively supple carcass deform over bigger lumps for a smooth ride and also increase grip on gravelly or hard-baked/frozen surfaces. The progressively larger knob sizing over the shoulder means they break away into a relatively controlled and predictable slide too, but always remember that you’re on a fast tyre rather than a heavily fanged one and dial down your expectations at maximum lean angle or off-camber situations.

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Verdict

Be careful not to drop pressures too low either as there’s a point (around 25psi on broader rims) where the carcass will suddenly start to squirm and buckle when pushed hard. While it’s predictable in the dry, the compound and tread doesn’t offer much adhesion in the wet. The missing hex sections tend to hold onto the mud and make things slippery too, so you’ll definitely have to back off on damp sections.

That’s not exactly a surprise given their name though and you can always pair it with the paddle tread ‘Wet’ or knobby ‘Mixed’ Terreno options for more steering control. Alternatively, there’s an almost slick Terreno ‘Zero’ that you could run on the rear for maximum speed.

Tech Spec:  Vittoria Terreno Dry TNT gravel tyre 

• Weight: 505g (700x38mm)
• Sizes:  650x47mm, 700x31/33/38mm 
• Tubeless: Yes
• Bead: Foldable