Pirelli
Pirelli:
The Cycling Brand Pro & Community Reviews, Featured Products from Pedal Passion Bike Shop & Other useful Info
Pirelli’s cycling business (often branded Pirelli Velo or Pirelli Cycling) positions itself as a performance tyre specialist that imports know‑how from its world‑leading motorsport programs into bicycle products. The core promise is consistent: use advanced rubber science and casing construction—developed and validated at the highest level of auto and motor racing—to deliver fast, grippy and predictably handling tyres for road, gravel and MTB. This is visible in compounds such as SmartEVO² and SpeedGRIP, and in casings like SpeedCORE™ and newer LiteCORE that target lower rolling resistance without throwing away stability or air retention.
What differentiates Pirelli today is how closely R&D and manufacturing are integrated around Milan. After re‑entering the bicycle market in the late 2010s, Pirelli modernised its Bollate (Milan) factory to build premium tyres “Made in Italy” just a short hop from the global R&D HQ—allowing fast iteration with pro teams and rapid industrialisation of new compounds and casings. That tight loop produced headline products like P ZERO™ Race TLR RS and P ZERO™ Race RS, tuned directly with WorldTour athletes and launched with clear, tested claims on speed, grip and weight reductions versus prior models.
Product Categories
- Road Racing Tyres: P ZERO™ Race TLR RS; P ZERO™ Race RS; P ZERO™ Race TLR; P ZERO™ Race 4S (TLR/clincher where offered).
- Gravel Tyres: Cinturato™ Gravel RC; Gravel H; Gravel M; RC‑X (reinforced variants).
- MTB Tyres: Scorpion™ XC RC; Scorpion XC M/H; Scorpion Enduro/DH range.
- Endurance/All‑Road (Road): Cinturato™ EVO (endurance road/all‑road).
- Tubes & Accessories: P ZERO™ SmartTube (TPU)
Products Worth Mentioning
- P ZERO™ Race TLR RS – Flagship Italian‑made tubeless race tyre, with SmartEVO² compound and tuned SpeedCORE™ casing. Multiple comparative group tests highlight top‑tier rolling and wet‑grip; Gran Fondo Cycling placed it among the very fastest all‑rounders (≈12 W rolling figure in their protocol), with the caveat of average puncture protection. Cyclist praised wet‑weather performance and durability (noting heavier weight and some fit tightness). CyclingNews found it relatively fast but questioned wet grip in steep conditions—useful triangulation.
- Cinturato™ Gravel RC – Race‑oriented gravel tyre (RC = Racing), using SpeedGRIP compound and TechWALL Gravel casing; tread inspired by Scorpion XC RC for shoulder bite. Bike Perfect and Gran Fondo both commended its cornering and balanced speed; road.ccawarded 8/10 as an “impressive all‑rounder” despite a high price and sometimes finicky tubeless seating. Lab‑style testing at Bicycle Rolling Resistance positions RC as competitive within its class.
Warranty & Returns
Our Featured Product
Reviewsfrom Industry Publications
Rider feedbacksentimentreviews
Praises
Road tubeless (P ZERO Race TLR/RS): Riders frequently praise wet‑grip confidence and ride feel; some threads report tight fits(especially in 32–40 mm sizes) and occasional QC variance in sidewall cosmetics; several users note good sealing with modern rims.
Concerns
A minority cite difficult mounting for certain rim/size combos.
Overall
Favourable for performance riders—fast, confidence‑inspiring tyres with occasional fit/tightness comments and premium pricing.
Relevant Blog Articles
Sponsorships & Ambassadors
Alpecin–Deceuninck
Alpecin–Deceuninck
(Men/Women) – multi‑year tyre partnership 2025–2029, covering road, CX, gravel and XCO programs (P ZERO Race TLR RS on road; Cinturato for gravel; Scorpion XC for MTB).
Alpecin–Deceuninck
Lidl–Trek
Lidl–Trek
Pirelli tyres used in racing and development; the RS tyre was raced under “prototype” labels before launch and cited with >70 podiums pre‑debut.
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