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SEVEN DAY CYCLIST
CYCLING, BUT NOT USUALLY RACING
LATEST UPDATE: APRIL 26th
HOW DO WE DECIDE OUR OVERALL RATINGS FOR PRODUCTS WE REVIEW?
VEE TIRE CO EASY STREET TYRES
609g 700x32C (32-622) £24.99 each
Aimed at the commuting cyclist, Vee Tire Co’s Easy Street fits in to their range of road-type tyres, at the city and trekking end of the scale. A clincher type with decent rolling and some pretty robust features, there’s a lot to be said for it. Like all jacks-of-more-than-one-trade, it’ll interest the general rider rather than the specialist, but there’s nothing wrong with that. I think it has wider potential, too.
Pros: Durable tyres at a decent price.
Cons: Less versatile than some of its siblings.
Spec
On the face of it a Vee’s description of a “commuter and gravel” tyre might appear an odd marriage, but we all know that mixed surfaces can be the order of the daily drive or the general weekend fun-run. Except for the gravel specialist, who may well seek out something tubeless ready like Schwalbe’s G-One All Round, many will look for durability and reliability.
Wire beading adds a bit to the weight, compared to a folding tyre. In my experience they aren’t necessarily harder to mount – in fact ours went on to both Ryde Sputnik and Mavic rims with fingers and thumb pressure. Of course, carting one round on along tour is possible, but bulkier than a folder.
72 threads per inch promise many miles of riding and decent rolling. The Easy Street use Vee Tire Co’s Energetic Compound, which has a hardness rating of 60; robust, but likely to be less grippy away from asphalt. A slick centre strip continues this theme, with a grooved tread pattern to either side. Their B Proof Aramid belt technology aims to keep things light and strong, with “almost flat-less” riding.
Recommended pressure runs from 45 to 70 psi, suitably low for more grip than higher pressure ranges.
There’s a textured strip to give a bottle dynamo something to hold to, though it doesn’t leap out as the trad track and, in my opinion, is less effective. However, hub dynamos are the future, in the opinion of many, so many will see this as a minor quibble. A reflective strip completes the picture.
It is also available as 700x35c (35-622). They are Ebike ready.
Performance
Four weeks and some three hundred miles of mixed road, towpath, and forest track have left no sign of damage. Early days, but they seem as tough as you’d expect from 72tpi. Equally, hitting the debris from hedge flailing on the lanes and from yoof’s outdoor drinking on the cycle tracks, has seen either a puncture (could be luck) or a propensity to acquire sharps in the tread.
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​At 70psi they initially felt a bit skittish on wet roads and ironwork, when getting toward twenty mph. At 60psi, they felt more dependable with a smoother ride thrown into the bargain. Mind you, wearing in and warming up probably had some effect on this, too. I’ve tended to leave them at 60psi – some could go lower, but I’m a moderately hefty fourteen stone.
Rolling on asphalt and smoother cycle tracks is really very good. Not as sprightly as some, but lively enough – a bit akin the its Zilent Mark2 sibling. I’ve had no concern manoeuvring amidst rush hour traffic.
Compared to the Zilent however it is more limited – if a lot cheaper and lighter; for example, forest tracks aren’t quite so comfortable or secure. In my humble opinion, gravel performance is sufficient for leisurely forest jaunts and very sound on the ever-present crushed lime of UK cycle tracks. Frequent gravel fliers will want more bite on corners and hills, but we aren’t all in a hurry.
Under a long-weekend load they’ve handled soundly. Heavier loads from the supermarket have been fine, but speed has been a moderate 12mph or so – likewise tugging Surly Ted the Trailer to the recycling centre..
Braking on November’s greasy mud-covered lanes has been pleasingly secure.
Conclusion
Seems to me that they’d be decent for weekend wanders, with a strong emphasis on commuting at moderate speeds. In other words, a sound general cycling tyre. However, the price is pretty competitive, and they should be more durable than some sportier fellows. They look to be pretty good value to me.
Verdict: 3.75/5 Good value tyre, primarily for mixed surface commuting, but with wider potential.
Steve Dyster
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PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2018
