Vittoria Revolution KXS - The Inside-Out Tyre
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07.28.05
Maybe it was our post on bicycle tyre rubbers that led tipster Jim C to point us towards the Vittoria Revolution KXS. A bicycle road tyre (115-150psi) that’s designed to be used inside out! It has a special tread pattern on both sides. One being a slick for speed and dry weather and the other for traction and grip on wet roads. Now there is nothing obviously green in the materials used, such as polycotton and kevlar, but getting double function from the one product we do score highly and it is suggested that you should also have double the puncture resistance and increased tyre life. This is supposedly because you have two treads to wear through, though we understand the tread is a tad thinner on each side, compared to normal patterns, to retain a good ride. A review at Pedal Pusher did rate the ride highly but needed more convincing on the durability and puncture proofing aspects. Available widely at stores like Competitive Cyclist and others for about $70 USD (And whether they work exactly as advertised is almost beside the point, because we just love to see the cogs of the design process turning in new directions and coming up with innovations that force an industry to think again. Viva la Revolution.) ::Vittoria
How many of us switch tires when it rains? How many of those people would be willing to take their tires off, turn them inside out, and re-mount them because it has just started raining? This is like saying I get double duty out of my shoes because I wear them on Tuesdays AND Fridays.
I would. Not necessarily whenever it starts to rain, but during the wet winter months at least. At 220g, these are raceable tires. Given a long enough life, these tires would work well both for winter rides and summer racing. Or I could get two sets of tires, but reversible is just sooo cool!
What I found from riding these tires is that the tread side is very good. They are almost worth buying sheerly for that purpose. The slick side left much to be desired. But you can read my full review in the link mentioned in the post above....
-Dan
I was with Severn until you made your point Carl. So, you could wear out the two sets you have and then reverse both sets.
Being an avid bike rider, and knowing how much of a pain in the a.. changing a flat tire can be, I can tell you right now, this new product is doomed to instant commercial failure! On the otherhand, what I have been trying to convince bike tyre companies to do, is design a cross-hybrid between a road bike tyre and a dirt bike tyre, that would fit on a road bike, with deeper grooves, to allow road bikes on dirt a little easier, for long rides through the countryside. So far, all tyres with the thread I'm talking about, do not come in road bike size.
This sounds like a perfect seattle tire. Use the slick side during the dry summer months and into fall. Once the late fall/winter rains hit you flip the tire once, until things try out again.
RemyC, you should look into tires designed for cyclocross. The tires you want exist, knobby mountain bike tires that fit on normal 700cc road bike rims.