Chigasaki Style: Pirelli Cinturato Velo TLR
by: Naoki Sakai

Last year, Pirelli made a comeback in the bicycle tire market with the release of the highly acclaimed P Zero Velo series based on F-1 Pirelli tire technology, with 3 models.  The Cinturato follows as the 4th in Pirelli’s line of road tires for bicycles. 

The Cinturato Velo is a tubeless-ready road tire mainly focused on the best punture resistance.  Although puncture resistance was the main focus during development, Pirelli also tried to keep weight and rolling resistance as low as possible.

The Cinturato scored impressively high in tests vs. other tires, as the most puncture resistant tire of leading makers and competition. While it’s rolling resistance is up due to its thickness, 3.7mm vs. 1.7-2.3 mm thickness for ultra fast tires and 2.4-3.0 mm for all around tires, it was reasonably competitive, and was quite decent in consideration of how puncture resistant it is.   With a score of twenty in the following chart, it easily was the most puncture resistant tire in road bicycle, and a new benchmark for other companies to try and beat. 

The review I read said: ‘It looks like Pirelli has hit the sweet spot with their tires.  If you’re looking for a tire that offers a lot of protection, the Cinturato cannot be ignored.’  ‘Rating:5/5. Test Verdict: Highly Recommended’  Here at Y’s Road Chigasaki, the Pirelli Cinturato sells for 8200yen+TAX, size 700x26c for tube and tubeless use.