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Vredestein Fortezza Tri-Comp 700Cx23 Clincher Tires

 Color tested: Grey with Black, many other color combinations available

Vredestein is an old-school Dutch tire manufacturer long known for automobile and motorcycle tires that's creating a buzz recently with its line of road tires for bikes. While the mtb versions of their wares have been available in the States for about six years (we've used the Slizer and Grinder successfully in the past), the road clinchers have only been available through mainstream outlets for about three years. This year, several domestic road teams are being sponsored by Vredestein, including Prime Alliance and HealthNet, and word from the teams has invariably been positive.

With the Tri-Comp, Vredestein (pronounced vred-a-styne, according to their website) attacks the performance issue on several fronts. For starters, the nominal 23mm tire is actually around 21.5 millimeters in diameter, which to our minds is the ideal size for smooth pavement road riding. They also have included an incredibly strong polyester casing with seamless edges (they wrap the diagonal-biased casing around the bead material rather than stopping at the boundary) which begs to be inflated to around 140 lbs/square in. (we've been riding them at around 9 atmospheres, rather than the usual 8 atmospheres, on the advice of our man in the field Russell Stevenson). This gives an unusually lively ride, with excellent acceleration, while maintaining a very high comfort level. Cornering on the silica-compound tread is also superior. To date, one team O'Brien tester has logged over 3,000 km on a set, while the other tester has ridden around 1,000 km, both with no flats.

The Holy Grail in tire design has always been the combination of suppleness, low rolling resistance, and cornering ability - it's rare to find a tire that excels in all three simultaneously. With the Tri-Comp, Vredestein comes as close as anyone has to date. These are definitely worth a try as your fast training/racing clincher choice, or even your everyday rubber, for their combination of performance and comfort.

5,000 km update, Spring 2004: Both testers used the Tri-Comps through the winter with 2 fixable flats each, tires are still going strong (have been rotated, back to front) and show no signs of casing or sidewall damage. Bomber!

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