
User submitted reviews
Review by kevsy
After trying several different tires, including Continental Gatorskin, my wife and I have found this to be the best tire for the riding that we do. We have been putting over 500 miles per month on our bikes, and these tires hold up really well. And the price is very reasonable. Note we prefer the wire bead version of this tire to the foldable version (Zaffiro Pro).
Review by David
Three weeks ago, about 350 miles back, I replaced an aged set of Bontrager AW2 road tires with the Zaffiro. My ride is an 80s Panasonic, which doubles as a commuter and my all-rounder road bike. Surfaces are mostly asphalt with about a mile near my house which is gravel over shoddy asphalt. I have been quite pleased with these so far. The ride actually feels faster as well as being a comfortable tire. I dont know how the wear will be yet, but at the price I feel like I can hardly go wrong.
Review by Anonymous
I've purchased several sets of these over the years. Don't let the low cost fool you. These tires are great for the average recreational to serious cycler. Good wear, excellent low rolling resistance, rarely flat. You can pay a lot more for racing tires and feel that you're getting the best, but unless you're really racing, you'e going to pay more and flat more for similar or worse performance. Even I recommend them to all my friends.
Review by Bruce
Review update of the Zaffiro redesign.
I've been riding on the updated version for a year (2000 plus miles on paved surfaces), and while they started out great, time and wear have not been kind on them. Had one flat due to a small piece of sharp gravel working through the tread. But most concerning is the sidewall cracking. This never happened on my previous Zaffiros.
This is my fourth set of Zaffiros, the the past three have performed very well. I think they took a big step backward with this redesign. Very disappointing. I'll be shopping for a different tire soon.
Review by swatdh
Needed to replace my tires on my 2012 Felt F85 road bike. The original factory tires were Vittoria Zaffiro. Looked at other brands and decided to stick with these. I like the ride and the price was very right. This bike is at my vacation home. It is only ridden 4-5 times a month 40 - 60 miles at a trip from October thru April. I got 7 years out of the original time and just could not justify spending more considering I like the ride.
Review by Anonymous
Wow these tires are a great deal. They roll good and they are comfortable (28mm size). And so easy on the wallet.
Review by RNA
I've been running these Vittoria tires on my road (25-28) and cyclocross (28 on road, off season) bikes for some time time now. The price can't be beat for good, solid performing tires. The tires last well, especially if cared for and rotated occasionally to ensure longevity. I ride about 250 milesweek. They are easy to mount new out of the box (let the tires 'relax' half a day before mounting).
Review by RNA
I've purchased a number of these tires for road and cyclocross bikes. All have lasted well and can be run a lower pressure for a comfortable ride.
Review by Anonymous
I have used this tire for a long time. Great training tire!
Review by Robert
I really like this tire, i use it for city and touring. Here in the states I use 700 x 28 but when I travel abroad i'll go up to 700 x 32.
It's a real good rain tire too. The price is unbelievable !
Review by Anonymous
I really like this tire, its smooth and fast with great feel. I find it very durable and have never had a puncture with this tire. For the price you can not beat it. I ride year round and am amazed how well it works on hard packed snow covered streets. I will be buying these again. A tire!
Review by NYC Mike
My last set of rubber were Panaracer Pasela which were great, but a recent purchase left me not so happy with the build quality, so I shopped around for a tire to fit my vintage Italian frame with high PSI clinchers. I was really attracted to the PSI rating and the review that mentioned Zaffiro were nice solid gummy grip tires, which I need here in NYC. Ride quality is smooth, resilient, and easy rolling to absorb the road imperfections that NYC is famous for. The big scare came when I fit the tires into my frame and found space of one or two hair filaments between the tire and the down tube in my tight geometry custom frame. My only major recommendation is to check the spacing of your frame since this is a really high profile tire about 3cm (1) above the rim, and a they are a bit heavier then the Pasela (but perfect for NYC streets).
Review by RoadBikeMan
After swapping a narrow 700c wheelset onto my 1979 Takara Sport Road Bicycle since I broke too many spokes on the old 27 inch rims, I decided to give these 25mm road tires a shot, because they are two times cheaper than the Continental Gatorskins. After installing the tires without needing tire levers, I test rode the bike and noticed an increase in speed by about 2 mph and noticed a little rougher ride, but that's expected for a narrow tire. My effort to climb steep hills has decreased, giving me the advantage of wasting less energy. I would definitely buy again from BTD!
Review by David
I bought 4 of these about a year ago. Three of them have either blown out or failed and bulged, requiring replacement.
Review by AlaskanCycling
Bike Tires Direct has earned my trust and loyalty, and as for the Zaffiros I first became aware of Zafirro tires after I bought a Raliegh Rush Hour, and the tires endured three seasons of constant use. I now ride a Lapierre racing bike. If the cyclist is looking for a high quality, low cost, puncture resistant, training tire, these tires are a great choice. He or she should first consider that the tires are heavy, but the high pressure and minimal contact with the road surface enables less resistance. I'm glad I bought them, and again they are puncture resistant training tires. Thank you Bike Tires Direct.
Review by rol_man
Great deal and tire. Decided to try these this year as I ride on a mix of roads from newly paved to rough asphalt.
Have over 250 miles on these so far and not one problem. Good ride on 700x25's and good training tire.
Review by TSquare
Great tire for the money. I commute daily to work and these tires are providing a very comfortable ride (700x28). I weight 145 lbs and carrying approx. 20 lbs of load with me. Pressure is 95psi (rear), 80 psi (front), Low rolling resistance, good traction and handling. Works well with my Felt V85. Highly recommend.
Review by MassBiker
I've been using them for about five months, 100 miles a week on paved roadspaths. They've done very well, so far. A great value for the price.
Review by John Wall
I have used these tires for years (700X25), have not had a single flat. Hilly terrain where I ride, change out chain with tires. Buy them 6 at a time, and try to burn them all in a season.
Review by MikeMo
Easy to mount. 100 to 140 psi range. Riding mostly on rolling hills here. Feels lite on bike for clinchers.Size 700X23C. Climbs & handles well.