Vittoria Mezcal Graphene 2.0 Tubeless Gravel Tyre

Spring is almost here and that means we can start to change from our mud to dry tyres! Tyres like the Vittoria Mezcal Graphene 2.0 Tubeless Gravel.

Vittoria say the Mezcal is their “versatile all-rounder that gets you to the podium, time after time.” That sounds perfect to me, as I will be lining up for some UCI Gravel World Series races this year. The Mezcal is well known in the mountain bike world as a fast, dry conditions tyre. This will be my first time running the Mezcal Graphene 2.0 Tubeless Gravel, but as it’s a slimmed down version of a well-liked tyre I’ve got high hopes.

It’s all about the tread

The Mezcal Graphene 2.0 Tubeless Gravel has a low-profile tread that features a tightly spaced centre tread. This centre tread has alternating rows of what look like capital Fs – with siping – which allows the blocks to flex. This is designed to give you a near constant, fast rolling contact patch when on hard-pack or tarmac. Most of my gravel rides are multi-terrain affairs, where I’m switching between off and on-road, so I want something that doesn’t feel like a tractor tyre.

Moving away from the centre and you have a row of small blocks to give you some grip in softer, looser surfaces. And finally a row of larger, staggered outer tread blocks. These should allow you to dig in on corners without slipping. These last two sets of tread are also siped for extra traction.

4C tread compound

The tread compound is Vittoria’s proprietary Graphene enhanced 4C compound. 4C uses different layers of enhanced rubber in the centre and on the shoulders of the tyre. In the centre the bottom layer is meant to provide a stable foundation for climbing and braking loads, while also adding protection from pinch flats and punctures. Meanwhile on the shoulders the 4C base compound also gives a stable foundation when cornering and provides extra cut protection. The surface compound on the shoulders is formulated to provide grip in both wet and dry conditions. Vittoria have designed the 4C compounds to work together to minimise tread tearing and extend useful wear life.

Sidewalls on these Mezcal Graphene tyres are the dark grey XC Trail TNT version. Vittoria say this their most robust XC casing. There is an additional 120 TPI Nylon layer on the tyre sidewall to prevent cuts and punctures. There is also an XC Racing TLR version, which is the lightest casing option for XC tyres from Vittoria. As I live in an area full of flint, I think the XC Trail TNT may be my best option.

As I said the Vittoria Mezcal Graphene 2.0 Tubeless Gravel has some serious MTB DNA in it’s makeup, but will this make it a good gravel tyre? The only way to find out is to take them out and ride! I will be fitting the 44mm tyres to my bike and as soon as it starts to dry out will let you know how they perform.

Head over to Vittoria’s website to get the full low-down. And if you’re looking for something a little faster for the tarmac, take a look at our Corsa N.EXT preview.