According to Pirelli, the new addition to its Velo product family, the tubeless ready tyre – Cinturato Velo – ‘enriches the world of cycling with innovative technologies and new protection levels’. The company adds that its name, Cinturato Velo (belted tyre) ‘says a lot about its properties and performance features, as it suggests the notion of protection, safety and, above all, sturdiness in any condition, on any road surface, thanks to the two rubber coated fabric plies that form a belt around the carcass.’
Cinturato Velo banks on Pirelli’s experience as a specialist in tubeless tyre design and manufacture in the world of motor racing, while it also benefits from technologies specially developed for the cycling sector. The reinforced tyre, that may be used with and without an inner tube, claims to offer maximum reliability in any road conditions, no matter how adverse.
It is positioned as a ‘multi-purpose’ tyre intended for many uses, from on-road racing, to training sessions, from cycling on light gravel paths – a fast growing trend in the US and Europe – to fast commuting.
Pirelli’s engineers have conducted extensive studies on the development of the most appropriate bead shapes, conducting dynamic tests on clincher tyres with and without inner tube, so as to verify tyre performance and road holding in both configurations.
Armour Tech with SmartNET Silica compound
With Cinturato Velo, Pirelli introduces Armour Tech (patent pending), a new technology specially developed for cycling applications: to a carcass reinforced with a layer of nylon and one of aramid, it adds an innovative compound concept.
In the new tyre, Pirelli’s patented SmartNet Silica compound has been further strengthened by the presence of aramid fibres in different concentrations. Known for their high tensile strength and low specific weight, these fibres can help to ensure cut-through and impact resistance (it is no coincidence that they are also used in bulletproof vests).
The fibres get thicker from the outermost layer of the tread to the layers underneath. The first layer of the compound (Cap) ensures the tyre’s performance in terms of grip, rolling resistance and mileage, ‘but does hold on to pebbles or granules, which, as the wheel turns, may penetrate through the carcass and cause punctures.’ The next layer (Base) is enriched with a greater quantity of aramid fibrils to improve its structural characteristics and at the same time ensure drivability and puncture resistance.
Team work
A release from the company explains that ‘It is the combined efforts of the fibrils and the fabric plies underneath that ensure the outstanding features of the tyre in terms of puncture resistance, as well as the uniqueness of the patent requested by Pirelli.’ When a sharp object tries to perforate the compound layers, the density of aramid fibres around the entry point increases, making for enhanced resistance to penetration. As a result, the foreign body may not go through the warp and weft of the inner puncture protection layers.
The tyre claims to tackle any road surface, even moderate off-road terrains such as dirt roads, minimising the risk of a puncture. ‘Thanks to the Armour Tech technology (patent pending), the tyre offers optimal rolling performance on any road surface, together with superior comfort, even after riding many miles.’
Cinturato Velo comes in a wide range of widths to meet the needs of a wide range of end users and market segments.
Features
- Road racing and training sessions, in adverse / difficult road conditions
- Fast commuting on city roads / trekking paths
- Light gravel or adventure riding
- Nylon protection from bead to bead + central layer reinforced with aramid fabric and aramid fibrils distributed throughout the compound
- Sizes: from 26-622 to 35-622, for a wide range of uses, with and without an inner tube, for rim brakes or disc brakes
