Where does Vittoria’s new Peyote XC Race Formulation tire rank in the race rubber grid? Veteran velocity tire tester Guy Kesteven has been riding one for months to find out

Vittoria rebooted their top rated XC Mezcal tire with their new XC Race Formulation rubber compound and carcass earlier this year. They also added the all-new Peyote with a totally fresh ribbed 'V' tread pattern designed for loose, dusty race and trail conditions. So what are the pros of Peyote and when is fitting one probably going to be a bad trip?

Design and build

Both the latest Vittoria XC tires have switched from a 120tpi material to a 60tpi weave, that overlaps to a triple layer under the crown of the carcass. Like the new Mezcal, it also comes in brown and blackwall versions. The shoulder tread is also the same alternating small siped (cuts in the tread top) block design as the Mezcal too. The intermediate tread is much lower though and interspersed with short perpendicular ribs. The centreline uses longer almost parallel, twinned ribs in an alternating pattern to create an effectively continual V to minimize rolling drag.

Performance

Starting in the workshop the Peyote is reasonably easy to fit, and inflated into place easily with just a track pump. I haven’t experienced any sealant weep or gradual deflation with any of my installs on the Peyote or the new Mezcal either.

Reduced rubber means the Peyote comes in around 10g lighter than the Mezcal and it’s a similar weight to Schwalbe’s 29 x 2.35in Racing Ralph and WTB's 29 x 2.4in Macro. It’s also closer to the stated size than a lot of tires (particularly Maxxis) at 59mm (2.32in) 30mm rim at 20psi. It’s around 150g heavier than Specailized’s 29 x 2.35in Renegade though, so amped acceleration comes from easy rolling not reduced inertia. The new carcass is slightly more damped and the rubber is slightly grippier than the previous generation Vittoria race rubber either. Cue less of the untamed rebound energy that can make tires psychosomatically super fast but actually slower off-road in reality.

New vs old nitpicking aside, this is clearly a very fast rolling tire as soon as you fit it though. It’s particularly quick on gravel, small rocks, fire road and asphalt – it added a permanent tailwind to a two-day Welsh mountain bikepacking trip I fitted it for. That confirmed it’s a usefully tough tire in terms of cut/impact resistance – definitely more so than the heavier Vittoria Syerra – and there’s been very little tread wear over several months of riding either. The new carcass is a lot more predictable at lower pressures rather than suddenly folding and flopping. It still feels drunk and slurry once you drop into the teen PSIs though so it’s best for riders who like tires in the twenties.

The new silicon-infused rubber compound is definitely more predictable in wet/damp conditions than the previous quad graphene compound and brings trust levels in line with other 'fast' or 'speed' labeled competition. If you’re careful with your brakes and pedal stomping, the ribbed tread bars provide a surprising amount of traction on more solid or dusty surfaces and in the wet it at least clears fast. While the round carcass rolls into turns easily, there’s a definite leap of faith across the shallow intermediate tread to get onto the shoulder knobs for cornering bite. Even then it’s a drifter's choice not a carver's – even on the kitty litter trails it excels on otherwise. It’s a definite no for heavy brakers too as an average 4-pot brake with 180mm rotors just turns it into a ski as soon as you tickle the lever. The ribbed tread also adds an extra element of ‘wander’ to an already ‘free-range’ feel as the Peyote slides and skates around on top of the trail rather than sticking down onto it. For these reasons, I’ve not been brave enough to use it on the front often – even in dry conditions, but I can confirm a double dose of Peyote is a serious high-speed trip for straighter, less technical terrain.

Verdict

If you’re not obsessed with grams and after a hard wearing, tough, buoyant feeling, higher volume, high velocity competition tire for drier / smaller grain / less technical trails, then the new Vittoria Peyote XC Race Formulation is a great choice. It should also be on the short list of any long-distance riders, whether that’s marathon racers, bikepackers, big gravel riders, or even mixed surface commuters. If you’re after something with similar attributes but more reliably grippy in varied terrain (or up front) then pick the Vittoria Mezcal XC Race Formulation. And for superlight, low-pressure friendly, or more aggressively grippy for damp and/or dynamic riding I’d choose something else entirely.

Tech specs: Vittoria Peyote XC Race Formulation tire

• Price: $99.99 / £64.99 / €77.95
• Sizes: 29 x 2.4in (measures 59mm on a 30mm internal rim at 25psi)
• Options: Black or brown wall
• Weight: 738g