Veloflex Corsa Race TLR tyre

The Veloflex Corsa Race TLR is a good tubeless road tyre for fast riding. The grip, speed and supple feel make it a joy to ride, but some setup issues with one of our test examples left me somewhat disappointed.

This is Veloflex's first go at making tubeless road tyres and it showed a little during setup. While both tyres mounted easily, one refused to seat for a good while, and when it did, sealant was pouring out of the sidewalls. Another glug of sealant helped to plug the gaps, but it was one of the more difficult tyres that I've set up tubeless.

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Once I'd set these up on some Campagnolo Bora WTO 60 DB wheels, I also tried them on some Prime Black Edition rims. The result was the same, with that same tyre being a nightmare to seat properly. I assume that this is simply a quality control issue, but it is one that I hope Veloflex can sort quickly.

The sealant that coated the sidewalls also stubbornly refused to come off when I tried to clean it up. The lovely tan sidewalls now look a tad dirty which is a shame.

Thankfully it seems that the installation issues are where the bad news stops. I have been very impressed by how quick the tyres feel on faster rides. They grip well on steeper climbs, give a floaty feel on rougher surfaces and feel planted in the corners. The Corsa Race TLR has been great for fast rides and I can't wait to get them into some races.

During testing, my rides have been limited to solo general riding and some fast-paced group rides. These tyres are designed, Veloflex says, for racing and while I haven't been able to race lately, I have been able to do a lot of fast riding and the Race TLRs have been brilliant. They feel plenty fast enough for flat paceline riding, though we don't have any rolling resistance data from Veloflex.

While racing hasn't been happening, the UK has provided plenty of damp roads for testing the cornering grip and I think the Race TLR tyres do a very good job. If I know I'll be cornering hard in the wet then I'll always drop a little pressure, and 5psi less, combined with the compound, resulted in a surefooted feeling in tight corners.

The casing features a whopping 350tpi (threads per inch) construction. This creates a beautifully supple tyre with a ride feel that is up there with some of the best tubular tyres that I've ridden. On the rough Mendip surface-dressed roads, the casing really helps to isolate you from any road buzz.

Through the test period I haven't had any punctures, though I always put this more down to luck than the thin strip of puncture protection that Veloflex places under the tread. That tread also seems to be holding up very well. As I said, we have some very rough roads around here and there are no cuts in the tread.

At £45 per tyre (€49), these are certainly an investment, but they compare favourably to the competition: Vittoria's Corsa Speed G+ Tubeless tyre is £64.99 and Continental's GP5000 TL is £69.95. While both are more expensive, they do seem to be easier to fit.

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Veloflex's Corsa Race TLR tyres deliver in the performance department with a fast and supple ride feel along with loads of grip in the corners. Quality control could be better, to reduce any fit issues, but once on they're very good.

Verdict

Fast, supple, grippy and not too expensive, but fit issues with one of the tyres was a bit disappointing