At the 2018 Sea Otter Classic, it was evident that Vee Tires has taken the onramp to the popular gravel and skinwall trends, while largely abandoning its previous engine-based naming convention of its tires.
Vee Tires had two new gravel and cyclocross-oriented tires on display at the expo at Laguna Seca.
Zilent Sports 650b Road Plus
The $50 Zilent Sports tire represents Vee Tires’ push into the latest trends in cycling, with a 650b x 47mm road plus size and fashionable skinwall sidewall finish.
Vee Tires’ new Zilent Sports 650b x 47mm road plus skinwall tubeless tire. 2018 Sea Otter Classic cyclocross and gravel new products. © Cyclocross Magazine
Vee Tires emphasizes the fatter rubber still offers the same diameter as a 700×30 tire, keeping the ride height and handling similar to your gravel, cyclocross or road bike provided you have clearance for the fatter rubber. It’s Vee’s first foray into the 650b x 47mm road plus size.
Vee Tires’ new Zilent Sports 650b x 47mm road plus skinwall tubeless gravel tire is designed for pavement and hardpack instead of rocky loose roads. 2018 Sea Otter Classic cyclocross and gravel new products. © Cyclocross Magazine
List weight is 565g. Our two test samples weigh 558g and 588g (573g average). The casing features a 90tpi fabric and both the casing and bead are tubeless ready. The Zilent Sports features an Aramid belt for puncture protection.
Stay tuned for a full review.
Speedster BMX-Inspired Tire
Want to add some speed to your mountain bike or cyclocross or gravel bike? Vee Tires is bringing its popular Speedster BMX tread to bigger wheel sizes.
The Speedster is now offered in a whopping nine sizes, with three 700c/29er sizes (35mm, 40mm, and 2.1″/53mm) and three widths in each of the 26″ and 650b diameters (1.5″, 1.75″, 1.95″).
Vee Tires’ popular BMX Speedster tread now comes to cyclocross, gravel and mountain bike sizes. 2018 Sea Otter Classic cyclocross and gravel new products. © Cyclocross Magazine
The long-lasting, smooth-rolling micro file tread does well on the hardpack and pavement of BMX courses, and the company expects it to do equally well on your local mixed terrain, gravel or dirt road ride. With such size options, the Speedster is a good candidate to easily convert both old and modern mountain bikes for a gravel adventure.
Pricing starts at $34.90 and appears to come in both tubeless folding and wire bead options with 90 and 120 tpi casings.
Both the Speedster and Zilent Sport are now available through retailers and directly through its consumer-direct site.
More info: veetireco.com
For more new tires, check out our coverage of IRC, Challenge, Goodyear and Kenda.
See what’s new this year with our coverage of the 2018 Sea Otter trade show.
