Pirelli has overhauled their premium year-round road bike tire with the new tube-type P Zero Race 4S clincher, the first of many tires to return that they are making completely in Italy. We had the likelihood to get in a few road rides on the up to date tire, and it appears to strike a fast-rolling stability between the racier P Zero Race however with further sturdiness and a longer-wearing tread.
Pirelli P Zero Race 4S tires, made-in-Italy
using images by Roo Fowler, c. Bike Connection Agency
Just every week in the past Pirelli shared the information of their new Italian bicycle tire manufacturing capability at their utterly revamped, now hi-tech manufacturing facility simply up the road from their Milan, Italy HQ. And the first product out of the robotic meeting line is that this clincher Race 4S four-season tire.
We’re informed that new equipment remains to be being put in and arrange in the plant, so tube-type tires have been the first to return off the line. But TLR tubeless tires can be made in the new manufacturing facility quickly, as nicely. They are additionally beginning with road tires, however all of the Race degree tires will ultimately transfer manufacturing to Italy, each on-road & off-road.
What’s new?
On the exterior, the new Race 4S seems fairly much like the authentic P Zero Velo 4S tire that we noticed when Pirelli returned to cycling tires 5 years in the past, simply with a tweaked shoulder sipe association. But inside, Pirelli utterly redeveloped the tire to pair higher summer season efficiency with the already good winter efficiency. The shift in focus makes the new Race 4S much less of a winter tire like its predecessor, and extra of a real ‘set it and overlook it‘ tire for using year-round.
To do this, the tire will get the very same delicate but fast-rolling SmartEvo rubber compound as the customary P Zero Pace, simply with about 2mm thicker rubber so it’ll put on longer. To make that work nicely in the winter, the bigger sipes / tread grooves lower into the shoulders create extra flex in the rubber as you lean, heating up the rubber for improved grip, whereas additionally higher adapting to contact the road.
The 120tpi tire additionally strikes to a extra versatile nylon puncture safety belt that helps the thicker tire casing keep versatile for low rolling resistance and higher grip in all climate.
The new tire can also be tailored to wider trendy rims, but the clincher doesn’t go fairly as broad as tubeless variations. Available now in 26 (240g) & 28mm (260g claimed) widths designed for a 19mm inside hooked rim, Pirelli additionally affords very useful charts on their web site and the tire’s packaging telling the actual anticipated widths on varied rims. The 28s I’ve been using range from 27mm on a 17c rim, as much as 31mm on a 25c rim.
The new Pirelli P Zero Race 4S tire is on the market now for $85 / 70€ as a clincher solely. A 30mm model is coming quickly. And as much as 32mm TLR tubeless variations are in the pipeline for supply this summer season.
First Riding Impressions
The new Pirelli P Zero Race 4S feels as quick as the customary P Zero Race now that it shares the identical rubber compound. And the extra aggressive sipes on the 4S shoulder promise sooner heat-up of the tire when you begin cornering which actually ought to assist grip in chilly climate (or chilly surfaces) road using. Those sipes additionally do job of serving to the rubber adhere to irregular road surfaces.
Riding the new 28mm tires (which measured true to dimension on a 19mm inside rim), they positively carried out finest with decrease pressures in the 75-85psi vary for me (an 80kg rider). At these low pressures (in comparison with Pirelli’s suggestions) they gave me loads of grip on quick, twisty descents, even with the occasional sand & grit washed throughout the road. And with nearly double the tread thickness and a brand new puncture safety layer, they need to maintain up higher than the customary Race tire whereas using year-round.
We don’t have too many using photographs to share of the new tires, as they have been mounted to a brand new Italian road bike that gained’t be launched till later this 12 months. But suffice it to say that the new tires appear to carry out as Pirelli describes them – a pleasant stability of fast-rolling & good cornering grip in a variety of temperatures exterior, they usually promise to be further long-wearing and sturdy.
Now, I’ll simply be ready for these wider tubeless variations to roll off the Italian manufacturing line…
