Vittoria’s reinforced Martello is monster heavy but has a surprisingly supple feel, good all-round grip, reasonable speed and excellent wear life. It’s a solid choice for heavy-duty bike park or e-bike use. At 1,460g, the ‘rTNT’ version with its beefed-up sidewalls is 500g heavier than the standard ‘TNT’ tyre in the 2.4in width. While nominally a 2.5in, it squares out to 61-64mm wide (2.4-2.5in), depending on rim width (30-35mm, internal). The fit feels baggy but is stable and secure down to mid-teen pressures. Unlike a lot of DH tyres, it doesn’t feel wooden or clunky in sub-warp-speed situations. In fact, it sucks up roots and rocks smoothly even on slow techy climbs, making it great for e-bike use, where weight isn’t an issue. The quadcompound rubber mix and squared and siped tread are generally predictable whether it’s wet or dry, loose or hard, and the tyre still rolls OK. Pricing is reasonable considering the level of technology and the grapheneboosted wear life of the tyre.
Price $82