Vittoria Morsa G+ Folding Tire: Rider Review (The Underdog)

Background info:

The tire is mounted as a rear tire on a Chromag Rootdown hardtail. I usually run about 28-30 psi and the tire has been set up tubeless from the beginning. Previous rear tires on the bike (Vegas is rough on tires): I actually started out with this same tire and then went to a Maxxis Ardent, Specialized Slaughter 2.3, Vittoria Goma 2.4 (it rubbed on the chainstay so it only lasted one ride), and back to the Vittoria Morsa. I've ridden it all over Las Vegas and a few rides in Southern Utah. Front tire is a Vittoria Goma 2.4.

Setup:

The Morsa wasn't the hardest tire to set up tubeless, but it definitely wasn't the easiest either. I needed a compressor to set the bead and then it lost most of the air overnight. In comparison, I've left Maxxis and specialized tires overnight without any sealant and then only lost a few psi. Once it was all set up it holds air pretty well, although I do still check it and top it off before every ride.

Performance:

It seems like there are two camps when it comes to tires these days: Maxxis and everything else. There is going to be a give and take with every tire (unless someone has found the perfect tire, let me know if you do!) and it's the same with the Morsa. The first thing I noticed when I put the tire on was the improved rolling resistance or lack thereof. The bike immediately felt like it accelerated quicker and wasn't getting bogged down at all. I attribute that to a decrease in rolling resistance compared to the Specialized Slaughter that was on the bike. Weight wise it's not the lightest tire at 930g (claimed weight), but switching from a tire with a similar weight I didn't notice the weight at all.

Grip-wise the Morsa has some interesting traits. It seems to grip pretty well as long as you make sure to keep weight on the rear wheel (i.e. when climbing). I noticed that if I let my weight get too far forward on a climb the Morsa would break loose much easier. When it broke loose it wasn't very predictable and was pretty abrupt. The Specialized slaughter was a grippier tire, but I think I'd still take the Morsa over that as a rear tire.

The longevity on Vittoria tires has always been good and I don't see the Morsa being any different.

Final thoughts:

I wanted to go with the Goma front and rear, but because the rear was rubbing I needed to try something else. The Morsa has performed well and I don't feel like it owes me anything. I've liked it the best out of the tires I've tried on my hardtail, but when it wears out I will either try the Vittoria Martello or something like the Maxxis aggressor. 

Comparison:

- Maxxis Ardent: similar rolling resistance, Morsa has better grip and wears better.
- Specialized Slaughter: more rolling resistance and more grip than the Morsa, longevity is about the same. I'd pick the Morsa over these two.