Pirelli P Zero Road Tyre
These past 2 months I’ve had the chance to test some of the top road tires from Pirelli, who are back in the bicycle game. Pirelli is dedicated to making a wide range of high quality and technologically advanced tires, to meet the needs of the modern cycling community – and they have some heritage.
Time for a little history then
Pirelli was founded in Milan in 1872 and today stands as a global brand known for it’s cutting edge technology, high-end production excellence and passion for innovation that draws heavily on its Italian roots. Their new tires were used in the Tour de France this year, by Mitchelton-SCOTT, so they’re good. I’d better tell you how I got on with them I guess. I initially tested the P Zero Velo tire in Hungary, on a week-long Bikecation, riding every day for about 70-80 km in all weather conditions, using them on and off-road too! The model tested is the new ‘P ZERO™ Velo 700x23C, 195g’ – a high performance tire, from a classic brand.
Surprisingly, while testing I didn’t have any problems or flat tires at all, considering that I’ve been riding on and off-road too. Pirelli have designed in anaramid fiber belt, which is located underneath the tread in order to protect the casing from sharp objects: aramid is a fiber with high cut and abrasion resistance. Its light weight and flexibility also ensure good rolling efficiency and overall performance of the tyre, and it’s worked well in Hungry and in the Romanian mountains.
They are super in turns and have good grip on braking – both critical safety issues. Pirelli’s SmartNET™ Silica ensures both rolling efficiency and the necessary wet grip. It has optimal water drainage at different angles and force loads, while ensuring low noise output and quick warm up times, for immediate maximum grip levels, period. The technologies-powered tread and design provide sensational handling confidence and performance on road. Yes, it does give you confidence, in all road conditions. Having used them in high temperatures and in the wet, on tricky mountain roads, they perform really well, allowing you to relax and enjoy the ride.
Derived from Pirelli’s vast motorsport experience, on both 4 wheels and 2 wheels, whether on- or off-road, Pirelli’s SmartNET™ Silica is an important innovation in bicycle tire compound technology: thanks to its nano-rod conformation and the resulting network generation, coupled with the natural chemical water affinity of the Silica itself, it solves the traditional trade-off of rubber compounds, ranking high on opposite features such as rolling and wet grip, mileage and puncture protection.
Okay, so what does this mean in practice overall? These are quite simply, the best tires I’ve tested so far and I’m really pleased with them. All these qualities will allow you to enjoy your own extensive mileage and long-term reliability. If you like performance, these are the tires you’re looking for.