Types and grades of Pirelli tires for road use

Posted at: Jan 5, 2022

Pirelli is also famous as a manufacturer of high-end tires for automobiles. In this article, I've summarized the differences between Pirelli's road bike tires for each series and model, their weights, and how to choose the right tire for each application.

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Tire weight is listed for black tires. Colored tires may have different weights.

Pirelli’s range of tires for the road

P ZERO

The main line of Pirelli’s series of tires for road use is the P ZERO series.

There are three lines: P ZERO RACE for racing, P ZERO RACE for training, and P ZERO VELLO for time trial and other speed-oriented applications.

Model Type 20C 23C 25C 28C 30C 32C
P ZERO RACE Clincher - - 205g(26C) 225g 245g -
P ZERO RACE CLASSIC Clincher - - 205g(26C) 225g - -
P ZERO RACE TLR SL Tubeless ready - 230g(24C) 245g(26C) 275g - -
P ZERO RACE TLR Tubeless ready - 245g(24C) 270g(26C) 295g 320g -
P ZERO RACE TUB SL Tubular - - 275g(26C) - - -
P ZERO RACE TUB Tubular - - 275g(25mm) 305g(28mm) - -
P ZERO ROAD Clincher - 215g(24C) 235g(26C) 255g - -
P ZERO VELLO TT Clincher - 165g 180g - - -
P ZERO VELLO 4S Clincher - 205g 220g 250g - -
P ZERO VELLO TUB Tubular - - 275g(25mm) 305g(28mm) - -

The top grade P ZERO RACE has three types of tires in its lineup: clincher, tubeless, and tubular. However, the P ZERO ROAD is only available in clincher, and the P ZERO VELLO is only available in clincher and tubular.

Instead, CINTURATO VELO is lined up as a popular grade road tire for tubeless.

P7 Sport

The P7 series of Pirelli road bike tires are the entry level clincher tires. The P7 series is the entry level model of Pirelli’s clincher tires for road bikes, offering both light weight and long life at a price that is quite affordable compared to the P ZERO series.

Model Type 20C 23C 25C 28C 30C 32C
P7 Sport Clincher - 250g(24C) 280g(26C) 310g 330g -

This is the cheapest tire among Pirelli’s mainly high-end tires, and the many size options make it an easy model to choose.

CINTURATO VELO

A tubeless tire for road use bearing the name CINTURATO, which is also the name of a series of tires for automobiles. The new ETRTO is available in a wide range of sizes from 24C to 35C.

The price is a little more affordable than average for a tubeless ready tire, and the large size range makes it one of the best buys for tubeless ready tires.

Model Type 20C 23C 25C 28C 30C 32C 35C
CINTURATO VELO Tubeless ready - 290g(24C) 290g(26C) 320g - 350g 380g

How to choose a Pirelli tire for road use

Pirelli has a relatively large number of models of tires for road use, but there are actually not many choices when divided into clincher, tubeless ready and tubular.

Basically, it comes down to which one you choose based on the following three points.

  1. emphasis on performance
  2. lightweight
  3. daily use

P ZERO RACE for the best performance

The top grade P ZERO RACE is, of course, the best performing road tire.

The Pirelli P ZERO RACE is naturally the best performing road tire. It costs about 1.5 times more than the top grade of other manufacturers, so it is not easy to afford.

P ZERO VELLO for light weight

If speed and light weight are important to you, choose P ZERO VELLO, which is almost 20% lighter than other models and much lighter than other manufacturers’ lightweight tires. 165g for 23C is about 20g lighter than other manufacturers’ lightweight tires, so you can expect to save about 40g front and rear. You can expect to save about 40g front and rear.

Pirelli’s entry-level road tire is the P7 Sport, but since the price difference is only about $20, we recommend the P ZERO ROAD, which is about 20% lighter and offers a better all-round driving experience.

The P7 Sport is also a lightweight tire with a low price for a long-life tire, so it is an excellent cosmetic tire, but if you dare to choose a tire from Pirelli, a high-end tire manufacturer, you will be more satisfied with the P ZERO ROAD, which is in the same line as the higher grade tires.

The P7 Sport is a good choice for commuting and other situations where cost is the most important factor.

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