Showcased at the Giro d’Italia 2021, and soon on the market, Pirelli is rolling out the P ZERO RACE Tub SL. The company claims that the new product offering is redefining the bicycle tubular tyre.
‘A tyre that has seen very little innovation in its history, on which the benefits of one feature have usually been at the expense of others, that are equally important for performance. Very few tyre manufacturers have recently taken an interest in improving the tubular, as this is a niche product, almost exclusively intended for professional cycling.’
Noting that the future is tubeless, in all respects, Pirelli recognises that most pro cycling teams still use tubular tyres. The focal point of the P ZERO RACE Tub SL is the weight, which is ‘over 10% less than the already competitive P ZERO Velo Tub.’
At the heart of the P ZERO RACE Tub SL is a special inner tube made of a lightweight, completely airtight material and optimised specifically for use inside the handmade tubular. Instead of the traditional latex, Pirelli has used TPU, or thermoplastic polyurethane. It claims to offer the same speed performance and puncture protection typical of latex tubes, but with a ‘significant weight reduction and complete airtightness, thus eliminating the chronic pressure loss of traditional tubulars.’
The casing of P ZERO RACE Tub SL is made of Corespun with 320 TPI. The latest- generation SmartEVO Compound, which Pirelli has developed for the new P ZERO Race in clincher and tubeless-ready versions, is another feather in the cap of the Tub SL.
‘In the road tests, the new tyre proved to improve the handling of the bike and the ascent speed, the famous VAM (Average Ascent Speed), offering excellent protection against punctures and greater control at high speeds.’
Kevin Tabotta, Performance Manager of the BikeExchange pro cycling team, said “This new Pirelli tyre is a great way to reduce bike weight by 100g – which is quite a large improvement, and not normally easy to find in a top end race set up.
“Really impressed actually, we did some blind testing.The tyres performed exactly as we hoped they would, but now lighter! It’s hard to believe that you can make such a significant saving in weight for a high-performance all-round tyre for road racing, but Pirelli did it.”
Esteban Chaves of the BikeExchange team added “I was excited to see the large drop in weight per set of tyres with the new tubulars. The main thing is the tyres feel faster and handle well, like always – but now they are lighter as well. You feel that in the climbs. I’m already using them, but of course the Grand Tours’ will be a big target.”
The new Pirelli P ZERO RACE Tub SL will soon be on the market with an RRP of £99.90.
