Best All-Round Mountain Bike Tyre

It can be difficult to find a Mountain Bike tyre which is lightweight, has low rolling-resistance, but still grips well in a variety of conditions. In this article I will be explaining why I feel the Vittoria Barzo is the answer to that dilemma.

The Barzo is an aggressive XC tyre ready to take on technical terrain in wet and dry conditions. The central tread pattern minimizes rolling-resistance helping the Barzo to roll fast on most surfaces. It’s rounded profile and sharp side lugs really help to give the tyre excellent grip and predictable handling in the corners.

In this review, I was using the 27.5 x 2.25″ Folding Bead version as a front tyre. However, it’s available in many other different wheel sizes and volumes, please see the table below for the full list.

Speed and Grip

As mentioned at the beginning of the article, due to its central tread pattern this tyre rolls fast in most terrain. This is particularly noticeable when you have to ride on the road for any length of time to reach the trails. When comparing this tyre to the WTB Vigilante it replaced, the difference was night and day. However, this speed doesn’t mean that grip has been compromised in any way.

The rounded profile, aggressive tread pattern and square knobs provide excellent grip in corners. I also found they offer plenty of bite for climbing, whether that be seated or standing. The only time I felt a slight loss of grip was on very loose, dry corners, but even then it was controllable/predictable.

In wet, muddy terrain the open tread pattern clears debris very well, keeping traction as good as possible in such conditions. I’m running these tyres with tubes at around 35-40 PSI and I weigh about 92kg. So, if you are a lighter rider, then you could lower the PSI and gain some extra traction. It’s worth noting that the TNT version of these tyres are Tubeless Ready allowing you to run them at lower pressures providing even more grip.

Vittoria are also the first manufacturer in the industry to produce these tyres using four different compounds. This 4C technology allows them to use harder compounds in the centre and base of the tread for durability and puncture protection with softer compounds on the surface and sides for improved grip.

Weight

My folding, standard compound 27.5 x 2.25″ tyre weighs approximately 650g. Which I think for a full tread MTB tyre is very good and comparable to other tyres such as the Maxxis Ardent. I also felt the low weight, and minimal rolling-resistance really does help with acceleration and getting up steep climbs. You could also run one of these on the rear, potentially saving quite a lot of weight compared to something like a WTB Vigilante / Trail Boss setup.

Durability

I’ve been using this tyre on the front for about 12 months now (approx. 1000 miles) and there is still plenty of tread left. Also, I believe I’ve not had a single puncture in all that time. Which considering I’m running the tyre with tubes, riding some pretty rocky terrain and in winter conditions is pretty impressive.

The tyre has been ridden in various terrain including gravel tracks/fire roads, rocky singletrack, woodland singletrack and road with no signs of cuts or tears in the tread or sidewalls. Vittoria has also released the Graphene 2.0/G+ version which uses Graphene in the compound. This helps to further improve grip, durability and weight. See the table below for a listing of all the different versions of the tyre currently available.

Price

Prices range from £9.99 to £45 depending on size, bead type, compound and year of release. The original Rigid/Folding bead versions will likely be older stock and that is reflected in the price. Whereas, the newer stock TNT and Graphene 2.0/G+ versions will be more expensive.

In the table below I’ve tried to put together all the different versions of the tyre on the market. At the time of writing, they are in stock and at the best price I could find. However, please bear in mind that prices and stock levels change all the time.

Wheel SizeWidthBead TypeWeight Price
26"2.1"Folding510gclick for current price (Amazon)
26"2.1"Tubeless Ready (TNT)650gclick for current price (Amazon)
26"2.25"Folding560g£9.99 (Planetx)
26"2.25"Tubeless Ready (TNT)660gclick for current price (Amazon)
27.5"2.1"Rigid790gclick for current price (Amazon)
27.5"2.1"Tubeless Ready (TNT)670gclick for current price (Amazon)
27.5"2.25"Folding635gCurrently on sale at Evans Cycles for £21.00
27.5"2.25"Tubeless Ready (TNT)680gclick for current price (Amazon)
27.5"2.25"TNT G+680g£32.19 (ProBikeKit)
27.5"2.35"TNT G+700g£32.19 (ProBikeKit)
27.5"2.6"Rigid1050gclick for current price (Amazon)
27.5"2.6"TNT G+805g£32.99 (ProBikeKit)
29"2.1"Folding658gclick for current price (Amazon)
29"2.1"TNT G2.0650g£47.22 (Wiggle Cycles)
29"2.25"Folding660gclick for current price (Amazon)
29"2.25"TNT G2.0660gclick for current price (Amazon)
29"2.35"TNT G2.0 735g£49 (Evans Cycles)
29"2.6"TNT G2.0890gclick for current price (Amazon)

I hope you found this article helpful and understand why I think the Vittoria Barzo is the best all-round, all-season Mountain Bike tyre.

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5 thoughts on “Best All-Round Mountain Bike Tyre”

  1. Hi, thanks for the review and Just ordered a barzo 2.1 folding for the front of my 29er and a saguaro for the rear. Seems like it’s been a good choice for you. I’m running tubes too…it’s often hard to tube tyre reviews as everyone running tubeless at the moment. Thanks again and keep posting

    Reply
    • Hi Kevin,
      Glad you found the review helpful and hope you like the tyre. It’s still my favourite tyre of choice, planning to get the 2.35 version for the front and maybe the 2.25 for the rear at some point. Vittoria have also recently released the Agarro which is a slightly more aggressive Trail tyre. It looks promising although not many UK stores selling them yet and still rather pricey.

      Reply
  2. Hey – I’ve swapped out some horrible continental OEM tyres from my new Canyon Neuron and fitted the tan wall 2.1 version 4c TNT of these tyres and the grip is phenomenal. They roll super fast, are quiet on roads, grip really well in corners and actually pretty much anything I’ve thrown at them. I’m in the UK and my local trails are rooty, gravely, wet, clay, loam and singletrack. So impressed that I picked up a bargain pair of the 2.25 versions with grey sidewalls for when these run out. Which might be a while! Got them on ebay for £28 the pair!

    Reply
    • Hi John,
      Glad to hear you’re liking them and thats a great deal you got on the pair of 2.25s. Looking to pick up a 2.35 for the front at the right price.

      Reply
  3. Tried three sets of 29er tyres, the best for grip was the Continental cross-kings wired but at 850g with slimed inner tubes topped 1300g per wheel, which for any Xc/enduro riding is tooo heavy.
    The black panthers were good weight but useless in the wet,super fast on the road,
    And even tried impact tyres OMG the punctures,
    So by loads for reading up reviews I have gone for the Vittoria Borza 2 with the new 4c compound,29 x 2.25 folding
    I hope these do the trick, All in one tyre?
    Well happy with the low weight, going to run normal tubes as the protection is already in the tyre?
    Probably 850g.👍

    Reply

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