Bike Perfect Verdict
With excellent tread life, easy setup, decent rolling speed and predictable-if-not-pin-sharp grip, Vittoria's Mazza and Agarro tires are a potentially good value, fit-and-forget double act for aggressive all-round riding
Pros
- +
Excellent wear life
- +
Predictable grip
- +
Decent roll and feel
- +
Easy tubeless inflation
Cons
- -
Heavy for ‘Trail’ designation
- -
2.6 Mazza is particularly undersized and overweight
- -
Wobbly at lower pressures
- -
Slightly puncture vulnerable
Why trust BikePerfect Our cycling experts have decades of testing experience. We\'ll always share our unbiased opinions on bikes and gear. Find out more about how we test.
Vittoria has an extensive range of MTB tires from XC (where the company started) right through to DH/e-bike-suitable gravity rubber like the Martello which we have previously tested. Mazza and Agarro are aimed at the Enduro/Trail market and offer predictable grip, with a decent ride feel. The Graphene content in the quad compound lay up seems to help towards impressive tread durability without impacting stiction in slippery conditions. They’re reasonably priced and pop up tubeless without stress, too.
Compared to the super heavy ‘Enduro’ carcass options, the ride feel of the Trail construction is a good balance of quietly damped without being dull and it brings weights under a kilo too. The 2.6in sizes aren’t actually much bigger than the 2.4s though and despite 120tpi sidewall reinforcing and an ‘APF’ elastomer insert above the bead they’re not as impact/puncture tough or low pressure stable as similar weight aggro tires from Schwalbe/Maxxis/Hutchinson/Bontrager either.
Mazza
With its chunky alternating tread and similar buttressed pattern to its toothier Mota and Martello brothers, the Mazza is definitely the more aggressive of the pairing. That’s how it feels on the trail too, with more bite for longer in all conditions and braking/driving/corner diving situations. Typically for Vittoria, there’s a ton of siping cuts to encourage the knob tops to deform under load so traction and communication are approximated rather than crystal clear. That also means a broader bandwidth between starting to slide and slamming down though so if you’re a drifter rather than a cutter this chunky Italian will be right up your strada. As long as you don’t drop pressure too low they damp impacts and landings predictably without feeling dead. While the sub kilo 2.4in version blows up bang on the stated width on a 30mm internal rim, the 2.6in version is barely any wider but much heavier. That means while rolling speed is okay for its all-round traction levels it’s noticeably harder to accelerate. They’re not as low pressure stable or resistant to splits and sharps punctures as you’d expect for a sidewall reinforced tire either.
Agarro
Agarro is as fast-rolling as you get before you tip over into Vittoria’s more XC offerings and uses relatively low but still widely spaced alternating knobs. A slight arrowing effect makes it easy to align directionally so you benefit from the stepped leading edges on the longer blocks. Add the 4G compound and it’s definitely a faster tire than the Agarro (and significantly faster than Martello and Mota).
Unsurprisingly, there’s not as much bite when you’re heavy on the pedals or the brakes so it lets go sooner in loose or sloppy conditions than the Agarro. Shoulder knobs are shorter too so there’s less cornering bite and an earlier slide. Extensive siping means that’s predictable grip decline rather than a sudden snap out. You do need to keep pressures slightly higher than average to stop them squirming and distorting though and again they didn’t plug or sealant seal as well when they got pinched or spiked.
That all makes it best suited for a rear tire for year-round use in mixed conditions, but if you’re somewhere where vents in shoes are normally a bonus not a curse then it’ll be fine on the front, too.
- Best tubeless tyre sealant for mountain bike, gravel and road
- Best mountain bike pumps and CO2 inflators
Verdict
The Enduro/Trail tire category is probably the hardest fought right now but Vittoria has firmly planted its flag in it with the Mazza and Agarro. Tread life, forgiving feel, reasonable roll speed and trustworthy if not super precise traction in a wide range of conditions are definite plus points. As long as you don’t run them too soft and hole them that long tread life makes them good value too. We’d definitely stick to the 2.4in version of the Mazza rather than the overweight, undersize 2.6in though.
Tech Specs: Vittoria Mazza and Agarro mountain bike tire
- Mazza: 29 x 2.4 = 975g 29 x 2.6 = 1135g
- Agarro : 29 x 2.35 = 955g, 29 x 2.6 = 975g
- Sizes: 27.5 and 29 x 2.35 and 2.6in
- Price: $69.99 / £59.99
