Nicola Rutzou
The new Pirelli Cinturato Evo tyres are the company’s latest ‘all-road’ model, designed for both road and light gravel riding. When I took them for a test run, they felt comfortable, solid, and durable.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the new tyres is their eco-friendly attributes. The tyre industry (and that includes all types of tyres) is not known for its eco credentials, so it’s great to see a large international tyre brand like Pirelli step up. Over half of the Cinturator Evo’s composition is made from bio and recycled materials, and the natural rubber used in the compound is FSC™ certified.
Pirelli says, “This cutting-edge compound ensures exceptional grip across all seasons and a multitude of surfaces, while also minimising vibrations and enhancing comfort and handling as a whole.” In my limited test riding I found them comfortable and they handled well.
My only criticism would be the tight fit. Call me a pedant, but I prefer to run my tyres with inner tubes rather than join the tubeless crowd. I know there are many benefits to tubeless, and I suspect many tyre manufacturers are focused on producing the optimal experience for tubeless set-ups. But the majority of riders I know are still using inner tubes, and I have no plans to change my stance anytime soon.
Back to the fit. I gave up trying to fit these new tyres to my road bike and settled for putting them on the alloy wheels of my ten-year-old gravel bike. On reflection, this probably makes more sense because they are designed for endurance road and gravel riding.
During my testing, I rode them only on the road, where I found they rolled well and gripped when cornering. They have a good, solid feel about them, and I’m confident they would be great on light gravel.
I also tried them with a few different tyre pressures, starting relatively high, around 85PSI and working my way back to about 75PSI, where they were most comfortable for me. I find tyre pressures to be a very personal thing, and different terrains will also feel better on different pressures.
Pirelli claims superior puncture protection in addition to its eco credentials. I certainly experienced no punctures, although I’d have to ride them for longer and choose some rougher ground to put them to a proper test. However, just feeling the thickness and stiffness of the tyre while installing it gives me confidence that they’d stand up to punishment.
Inspired by one of Pirelli’s most popular motorcycle tyres, the special tread of the new Cinturato Evo TLR maintains the grooves of one of the best Pirelli motorcycle tyres dedicated to road enduro, the Scorpion Trail III.
Manufactured in Italy at Pirelli’s Milan-Bollate plant, the CINTURATO EVO TLR is a tubeless-ready tyre designed for road cycling, commuting, and gravel riding. It features a wide range of sizes from 28-622 to 55-622, tailored for cyclists looking to venture off paved roads while preferring the smoothness of a slick tread.
