Italian tyre brand Vittoria is massive on the road bike side of things, but yet to make it big on dirt, where Maxxis, Continental and Schwalbe make some of the best mountain bike tyres.

Maybe I’m a small part of the problem, because as someone who regularly reviews tyres for a living, I’ve not been that huge of a fan of Vittoria’s MTB tyres at the more gravity end of things over the last few years.

The Mostro is an enduro tyre by Vittoria’s reckoning, with a gravity focus and its stickiest 4Compound rubber

I’ve tried several different models and treads and always seem to find the brand’s signature 4C rubber blend (that also uses Graphene for extra longevity) a little bit ‘scratchy’ and lacking in sheer stickiness compared to some other leading brands.

This newer Mostro tyre is a bit different though because, like some of the Vittoria’s other more recent e-bike and gravity models, it prioritises grip. It has an aggressive lug layout, sticky rubber, and improved protection for enduro riding and racing.

The Mostro takes an alternate approach to the other big players in the market in terms of construction and rubber blends, which makes it tantalisingly different. So how does it stack up against champs like the Maxxis Assegai, Conti Kryptotal and Michelin Wild Enduro MS Racing Line?

Graphene is added to the mix to add extra protection, and it’s the only tyre brand doing this

Design and specifications

Vittoria’s unique approach to construction and rubber compounds sees it use a 4-blend rubber formula called 4Compound. Whereas most other manufacturer’s high-end tyres use just a dual or triple compound blend, the Mostro also uses Silica for grip.

It also strategically places the wonder-material Graphene for extra toughness and wear life. Aa far as I’m aware, Vittoria is the only MTB tyre firm using the material, too.

Unlike most modern tyres, the Mostro’s lugs are curved or pointed, orientated in the direction of travel

The various different types of rubber hardness are positioned zonally to deliver the right balance of stability and friction on the ground. They’re incorporated into the Mostro tread pattern that’s pretty aggressive with well spaced-out lugs.

The tread differs from some similar tyres by pointing a little more upwards than outwards on the shoulder blocks, but it still blows up easily to a full 2.4in width.

The casing is also different, with a double-ply DH thickness carcass that uses two layers of 100tpi material, rather than coarser and thicker layers like most other thick enduro or DH tyres use, typically 60tpi.

This means it’s a bit closer to a Maxxis Double Down than a pure downhill tyre. But with various layers of extra protection – like sidewall stability insets, a wraparound nylon protection layer, bead shield and an anti-puncture belt – it actually weighs almost 1.5kg, which is even heavier than many DH rivals.

Vittoria’s laid up some intricate sipes and shapes to its lugs, in an era where most brands have gone squarer

Zooming in on the tread, the block shapes are curvier and more organic looking than the squarer and more symmetrical knobs on many similar tyres. Both central lugs and edge blocks are pointed and directional, with the central section very ramped in the direction of rolling. Intricate steps and sipes are cut into each rubber block and the edge knobs also have two-way sipes and reinforced outer edges.

Overall, the tread pattern is pretty spaced out, with smaller blocks than some. From appearances alone, it looks a bit more like a mixed or loose conditions tyre than a pure dry specialist.

The Mostro rubber is supremely well damped, but the grip isn’t quite up there with the best

Performance

The first thing I noticed riding with Vittoria’s Mostro is the damping quality. While many tyres feel pretty similar in terms of how the rubber and casing moulds and shapes itself to the terrain, this Mostro is different. Extremely supple, the Mostro mutes the chatter and vibrations from the trail like the most conforming of tyres and that gives a smooth and isolated ride that feels very calm and composed.

Grip levels are generally pretty high and there’s plenty of stability in the construction, so the Mostro doesn’t feel too flexy or skitty on the ground. It holds its shape well when those lateral forces get high in big berms, and doesn’t feel squirmy or too squidgy on the ground, even at lower pressures.

This is especially noticeable on the back tyre. I can sometimes put sidewall flex lines along the ply lines of other tyres at pressures under 28psi, but I didn’t have any such issues here.

The rolling speed is decent for such a heavy tyre, on DH terrain at least,  and along the flat the Mostro seems to truck on OK on bobbly, beaten up surfaces. But I could definitely feel a chunk of weight dragging the tyre uphill – hardly surprising when there’s around 150g extra per wheel on these beasts, even compared to many full-on DH double ply tyres.

Vittoria’s pointy tread pattern hooks up really well in blown out dust and loose wet surfaces, but there’s a limit to how much grip there is here on greasy surfaces, wet rocks and polished roots.

Continental’s Kryptotal with its SuperSoft compound is a better tyre in my opinion

The Mostro didn’t feel bad, just that I reached the limits of locked-on and super-planted quicker than tyres like a Assegai or Continental Kryptotal, where grip keeps on giving at more extreme lean angles and on all surfaces for longer when damp.

I’d also expect the more open tread here to be a bit better at shedding mud and gunk than it proved to be. It’s not terrible in terms of getting clogged up, but seems to be a bit worse than something like an Assegai, despite its more open tread pattern.

Overall, this Mostro is a decent gravity tyre, and the best compound and pattern I’ve used from Vittoria so far. It works great in the dry with a really smooth and muted feel not far off even Schwalbe’s Albert Radial Gravity Pro tyre.

There’s none of the scratchy feeling where the tyre kind of micro bounces off the ground rather than tracks it and sticks to it as you roll along, like I’ve had with other Vittoria models. Another bonus is, despite being sticky and well-damped, this tyre also seems to last well.

Good value, hard wearing and with great damping, the Vittoria Mostro has a lot to offer