Leading tyre manufacturer Vittoria has launched the latest additions to its Graphene-enhanced wheel range at the Taipei Cycle Show.
Living up to its innovative reputation, Vittoria delivers a range of carbon clincher wheels with features that are made possible and safe because of the benefits of Graphene. The range includes the Qurano 30C, 46C and 60C. Vittoria notes that ‘with its unrivalled heat dissipation and strength, the Qurano clincher range will change forever how riders dare to descend at the highest speeds without fear on such wheels’.
Building upon the unique properties Vittoria achieved in its Qurano tubular wheels, the Qurano clinchers display the same lateral stiffness, spoke hole strength, material strength and impact strength (double-digit improvements up to 50%) and are extremely lightweight for their performance (1,460 grams for 30C, 1,510 grams for 46C and 1,560 grams for the 60C).
Thanks to the additional application of Graphene in the braking surface of the rim, excess heat build-up with potentially disastrous consequences has become a phenomenon of the past. In combination with the greatly improved strength (when compared to similar full-carbon products without Graphene), these wheels set an entirely new bar for lightweight safety and durability.
Vittoria has taken the ISO standard (EN 4210) and the updated UCI regulation for non-standard wheels in 2016 as its guidelines for the specifications of the new Qurano carbon clincher range.
This new Vittoria range has been extensively tested and its capabilities have been ‘pushed beyond all the known requirements’. For example, the ISO-determined communications regarding rider weight limits do not apply to the new Qurano carbon clincher range. The UCI regulations are mainly designed for rider safety and Vittoria wheel products qualify effortlessly for these requirements.
The company notes that ‘compliance with both ISO and UCI requirements aligns perfectly with Vittoria’s desire to create innovative products without compromise to safety and performance’.
The new Qurano range is designed to closely resemble the behaviour of tubular tires in the occurrence of a puncture, allowing a rider to come to a carefully controlled stop safely. The Speedlock design of the rim profile, in combination with Vittoria’s optimized design for tire beads, prevent a critical separation in all but the most unlikely scenarios, significantly reducing risk and improving rider safety.
The perfect match profile allows riders on Vittoria wheels and tires to focus on their challenge of choice, rather than being distracted by fears.
The Rwanda Cycling Federation notes, ‘Prior to the Tour of Rwanda 2015, our National Team riders feared descents in the peloton. The confidence inspired by Graphene-enhanced tires has truly transformed them into the fastest descending riders, wet or dry.’
In September 2015, Vittoria launched the Graphene-enhanced Corsa Speed. This new tire is entirely dedicated to being uncompromisingly fast and Vittoria’s R&D has shown that this is accomplished with a tubeless setup. The Corsa Speed has the lowest rolling resistance ever measured (as independently measured by Wheel Energy, Finland) and when mounted tubeless, it is virtually puncture proof.
The new Qurano carbon clincher range has been developed to also be a perfect match for such a tubeless setup, right out of the box.
According to the company, ‘the new wheels facilitate just about every scenario a rider can envision, trusting Vittoria to give them both performance and safety without compromise’.
