Vittoria's Air Liner May Be a Better Tire Insert, Plus the New Martello Tire - Sea Otter Classic 7

Learn about Jeff Lenosky's favorite tire and a clever insert designed to address the problems others have.

bturman
4/24/2018 4:45pm
s1600 Vittoria SeaOtter AirLiner 2 704956

Did you know that Vittoria produces over seven million tires a year? Neither did we, but it turns out Vittoria is among the largest tire manufacturers in the world. They aren't resting on their laurels, and the products shown below show off some key tire technologies and new ideas.

We caught up with Vittoria's Ken Avery and Pro rider Jeff Lenosky for a rundown on the Martello, 2 Fold casing (3:05 timestamp), and Air Liner insert (4:33). Listen in:

Vittoria Martello Tire

Highlights

  • Terrain: Dry, hardpack, mixed
  • Weight: 920g
  • Casing: 120 TPI Nylon
  • Versatile all-conditions DH and enduro tire
  • Progressive sipe-width pattern for tactile grip at the knob surface, without sacrificing speed or grip
  • Moto-block square knobs offers stability and durability
  • Graphene compound
  • 4C layering process
  • MSRP: Starting at $69 USD

Vittoria 2 Fold Tire Casing

Vittoria Air Liner Tire Insert

Visit www.vittoria.com for more details.

What else was rad at the Sea Otter Classic? Find out!

Photos by Alan Davis

Related:
Tires
Sea Otter Classic
Jeff Lenosky
Vittoria
Tire Insert
Sea Otter Classic 2018
7 comments

View replies to: Vittoria's Air Liner May Be a Better Tire Insert, Plus the New Martello Tire - Sea Otter Classic

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mossboss
6 years ago
I spent a season on Huck Norris, and just recently moved to Cush Core. The Huck Norris was not really helpful as a rear tire insert. I still was snake biting tubelessly, and it provided no support, even the DH version. I took a break from inserts, shredded a few more tires, and then gave Cush Core a go. It's really a huge improvement, and I can take stupid lines now without hurting my tire, in addition to the massive support they offer. I think a critical aspect of Cush Core is that it hooks into the central channel of the rim, providing a firm foundation for sidewall support. I'm skeptical that these can provide the same.
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JoshGibb
6 years ago
I have been running the Air-Linera for about a month now and I can say the added protection and support is on par with cush core without nearly the trouble mounting and dismounting or requiring a special valve stem.
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mackyfranklin
6 years ago
I've also been running the Airliner for a while now and while I haven't tried Cush Core, I've used both Huck Norris and Schwalbe Pro-Core and I think the Airliner provides the protection of Pro-Core with the ease of install of Huck Norris. It's really a pretty awesome system!!
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David.Max
6 years ago
The Airliner looks like a really promising take on a tire insert. Will Vital be testing it sometime this summer? It would be great to hear how it stacks up against Cush Core. What is the weight on an enduro sized (2.3"-2.5") insert?

Also Vittoria, your tires look interesting, but please consider releasing them in either a 2.5" or 2.6" size...
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Shawn_Trudell
6 years ago
The DH tires are already 2.5 and they run huge. Comparable to maxxis 2.8. I believe the Morsa and Goma 2.6 and 2.8 are out already and the Martello/mota versions are coming soon.
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mackyfranklin
6 years ago
Yup, Vittoria actually runs true to size, so when they say 2.35, it's a 2.35, which is similar to a Maxxis 2.5! And yeah, they had a 2.8 Martello on display at Sea Otter. It looks awesome!