PIRELLI PRESENTS: CINTURATO™ CROSS & GRAVEL UNSTOPPABLE PERFORMANCE FOR RIDING GRAVEL AND CYCLOCROSS
Expanding from the successful Cinturato™ Velo range, the new gravel and cyclocross line of tires from Pirelli features purposely designed tread patterns, dedicated development per each size and a new rubber compound. They have been designed to handle the most demanding off-road applications of CX and Gravel bicycles, no matter the weather.
Milano, Italy - September 2nd 2019 - At the Eurobike Show 2019, taking place September 4-7 in Friedrichshafen (DE) Pirelli launches Cinturato™ Cross & Gravel, the line of tires dedicated to drop-bar cyclists who enjoy much more than tarmac alone.
Gravel riding has become more and more popular in the past few years, with dedicated races and a new range of purposely engineered bikes. Pirelli enters the segment after a careful study and analysis of the different and peculiar needs of the two disciplines, taking advantage of the best techniques and R&D achievements that the company developed for its road and MTB product ranges, while leveraging its long-time expertise in motorsport tires.
The new Cinturato™ Cross and Cinturato™ Gravel tires combine the tailor development philosophy and terrain driven tread pattern design from the Scorpion™ MTB, with the rolling efficiency, reliability and unbeatable puncture protection of the super reinforced Cinturato™ Velo.
No more weather variables
Adapted from the recently launched Scorpion™ MTB line, the characterizing concept of the new Pirelli Cinturato™ Cross and Cinturato™ Gravel tires is the proposal of models designed for a variety of terrains, based on their consistency, from the hard to the mixed ones.
Easily understandable and developed for each specific need, the new line is accompanied by a dedicated engineering for each individual size and version. Shape and height of the knobs, distance, cross-links and angles, have been studied for the maximum efficiency of the tire footprint on the different specific terrains.
Pirelli engineers also had to take into account many other variables, from the rider’s riding style, that is more relaxed in gravel biking and more performance driven in the cross discipline, to the disk brake specific wheels and new rim profiles. Therefore, in the new Cinturato™ Cross & Gravel range, the construction technology is not the same for all tire sizes: each size earned benefits from a dedicated development making each and every size unique in fine detail.
Thanks to the properties of Pirelli’s newly formulated SpeedGRIP compound, specifically engineered for the new Cinturato™ Cross & Gravel line of tires, the above-mentioned designs are intended for any weather condition, regardless if the terrain is dry or wet.
Hard Terrain and Mixed Terrain versions
Following the terrain-specific logic of the Scorpion™ MTB tires, where the tread pattern is linked to the surface consistency and not anymore to the weather variable, Pirelli designed a compact tread design – H or Hard Terrain – for all the paved or hardpacked gravel roads and the M, or Mixed Terrain design, with bigger spacing and aggressive knobs for more demanding terrains.
The H and M tread patterns obviously differ whether for the Cross or for the Gravel use as the needs of the two disciplines are different, particularly in terms of mud evacuation and speed.
The Cross version, in its specific Hard Terrain and Mixed Terrain designs, is available in 33x700c
The Gravel version, in its specific Hard Terrain and Mixed Terrain designs, is available in 35x700c, 40x700c and 45x700c as well as in 45x650b and 50x650b
All tires are tubeless-ready (TLR). Coupling a reinforced casing construction featuring a woven fabric bead-to-bead layer with a TLR aramid bead optimized for wide rims, the Cinturato™ Gravel family offers a new level of performance in terms of rolling and grip, as well as a great reliability – which is already what the Cinturato™ name stands for in Pirelli cycling tires.
New SpeedGRIP Compound
The new Cinturato™ tires for the gravel and cross feature a purposely engineered compound: the SpeedGRIP. As developed for the Scorpion™ MTB rubber formulation – the SmartGRIP – the new SpeedGRIP Compound retains the same polymer matrix while improving rolling efficiency.
High mileage and fast rolling tires are important in gravel riding whether racing or bikepacking over a mix of tarmac, gravel and more aggressive terrains and is what pushed Pirelli technicians to fine tune this new rubber towards a better energy management. The SpeedGRIP Compound retains the same tear resistance of its MTB counterpart as well as its high chemical grip (known as the wet grip) whilst decreasing the rolling resistance to a level very close to pure road racing tires.
The mechanical strength of the SpeedGRIP reduces the chance of any sharp object penetrating or cutting through the tire, resulting in more efficiency of protection of the high-strength woven layers underneath. As a result, the Cinturato™ Cross and Cinturato™ Gravel tires allow you to ride faster through the corners, at higher average speeds on the straights with a lower ratio of punctures than your typical setup.
Whether for the specific cross use or for the gravel riding, for racing, bikepacking or simply for extending the bike’s capability of leaving paved roads, the Cinturato™ Cross and Cinturato™ Gravel tires offer a comprehensive choice of sizes and technologies for the best riding experience.
The new Cinturato™ Cross & Gravel line of tires will be on the market starting October 2019.