There are a few reasons why Mitas tyres may be an unfamiliar name for you. It could be because they have been historically Euro-centric since their foundations in Prague in 1929. It could be because of their focus on tyres and tubes for agricultural vehicles and trucks. But it is most likely because their bicycle tyres and tubes were sold under the Rubena brand name and first in 2015 was the Mitas name adopted for the bicycle products.
The focus on mountain bike tyres also means that the Mitas brand is more familiar to off-road adventurers but the Czech brand also have two road cycling variants hiding in their range; the Arrow targets training and the Syrinx targets racing performance. On Bicycles Network Australia we are reviewing the Mitas Arrow 700x28mm Weltex+ tyres.
Arrow Weltex+ with ‘activated silica’, now that is a mouthful in any language, but thankfully, the jargon is explained on the Mitas Cycling Australia website. You don’t need really a thesis in marketing to decipher it all and the Mitas Arrow road cycling tyres are available in just two options, the 25mm and 28mm wide versions which is arguably all choice that a contemporary road cyclist needs.
Mitas indicate that the Arrow is a tyre suitable for training & racing due to it’s combination of low rolling resistance, good grip and high puncture protection (the holy trinity really). In comparison, Mitas rate the Syrinx with slightly better handling in wet, slightly better puncture protection and most importantly a weight of 250g which is 30g less that the specified weight of the Arrow tyres.
Mitas Arrow Tyre Details
The ‘Weltex+’ is the bead to bead puncture protection that also provides resilience and strength for the carcas. The tread compound features ‘activated silica’ to positively impact rolling resistance, mileage and grip (compared to the traditionally used carbon black reinforcing filler) and is a compound used by other tyre manufacturers including Tufo and Continental.
The Arrow Weltex+ tyres were mounted on carbon fiber Token Konax Pro disc wheels with an internal rim width of 20mm. The tyres went on without tools and beads seated quickly and evenly. Surprisingly, the tyres inflated to their stated width of 28mm (well, 27.5mm). For previous tyre reviews of other brands I have seen a large amount of variation on the specified tyre width so this is a plus for Mitas.
I did get a shock however, when I weighed the tyres prior to install. They were labelled at 290 grams (but 280 grams on the Mitas Aus website). In reality, the two tyres weight 247 grams & 250 grams. I am not complaining about the weight saving, but it was a significant weight reduction that makes them more appealing on the one side, but on the other side, why such big difference to the specified weights… is this at the cost of puncture resistance? As it stands, 250 grams for 28mm tyres is quite respectable.
Update 06.05.2020 – Mitas provided a confirmation that the official tyre weights had been reduced however the packaging did not reflect this – hence the difference.
There is almost no tread but to help mount the tyres correctly, a subtle direction arrow is printed on the sidewall.
Out on the road
After a short initiation period, the tyre pressures I settled on were 75-80 psi for the rear and 70psi for the front. The tyres rolled well with no appreciable road noise or harshness transmitted. Whilst the tyres were 28mm width, road imperfections were still transmitted through the bars and frame, but somewhat muted. There was a difference in feel to the 28mm Tufo Comtura Duo’s that I recently trialled (on the same rims) that I interpreted as a more ‘direct’ feel. I put this down to the slightly narrower width and resulting tyre volume as the Tufo’s ended up wider than specified.
The tyre width of the Mitas Arrows conformed to the magic 105% rule as they settled in at 27.5mm wide on the Konax Pro wheels with the 20mm bed width, resulting in a ratio of 102%. So those that care about aero more, these tyres mounted on the Konax Pro wheels will yield better aero performance as a result. Well that’s the theory.
The one characteristic that really stood out for me on the Arrow Weltex tyres, was the wear rate… or, rather lack of wear. I covered close to 2,000km during my time on them, on all sort of road surfaces, from buttery smooth new hotmix to coarse chip-seal that leaves a lot to be desired, but the tyres showed virtually no issues with cuts, embedded glass or stones. And I didn’t experience any punctures, although a little later will report on a bead failure.
Many tyres with softer compounds that seek high levels also suffer from fast wear and the arrows felt like they will last quite a while. After 2,000km, the rear only just started showing the first signs of ‘squaring off’ and whereas grippy tyres may only take 500km to show evidence of the same type of wear. While I never felt grip was missing as I was riding, there is a natural mental block as you start to get close to the limits because a low rate of wear is usually at the expense of grip.
This combination of low wear rate combined with puncture resistance and the ability of these tyres to prevent any foreign object embedding into the tread gave me the impression that these tyres are good for logging plenty of training miles. Even with that lingering ‘mental block’, in practice, the tyres feel well suited to all different road surfaces and I could get the speed and comfort across smooth hotmix, coarse/chip spray seal and the typically poorly maintained and cracked urban roads.
A Glitch in the Matrix
I ran into an issue during the review and the end-result was that there was a small split in the sidewall where it meets the bead. It was not simple as I had a small ‘technical’ previously, a mis-shift and wheel slip which caused the wheel to rub against the chain-stay. Not a big deal but sometime later, a bulge appeared and I spotted the split. Mitas Australia were involved and even the factory but it was difficult to pinpoint.
However it also showed that Mitas were on the case, they were fast to respond, they investigated and offered to replace the tyre.
It was bit of mystery in the end as we couldn’t get absolute certainty but I was satisfied with the way it was addressed so feel that it is fair to mention, but for the reasons mentioned am excluding it as a critique point.
A reliable training tyre with an edge
The Mitas Arrows bring a lot of positive traits and along with the bonus weight savings that brought these down to 250 grams, the 28mm road cycling training tyres fulfil the brief. At $69.95 RRP direct from Mitas Australia or in-store they cost the same as the actual retail price of Continental GP 5000’s (RRP $89.99 but usually sold for around $69.95). The clear advantage is a longer lifespan so they are worth testing for this reason.
Continental and Vittoria maintain a pedigree that makes it harder for road cyclists to switch to the ‘new-comer’, but Mitas have 90 years of experience and knowledge in tyre production and Australian cyclists also get the benefit of a hands-on local supplier.
The Mitas Arrow 700C 28mm Weltex+ Road Cycling Training Wheels are available from Mitas Australia or from Australian bike shops for RRP $69.95
