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Unlike some of its rivals, the Road TLR tyre carries Pirelli’s top-level P Zero branding, indicating a primary focus on racier performance.
Of the three tyres I tested it alongside, you could argue similarly for the Continental Grand Prix TR, while Vittoria and Michelin have sought to separate their tyres from top-level alternatives a bit more clearly.
The positioning rings true on the whole, with Pirelli's SmartEvo compound generating excellent grip come rain or shine. It’s worth noting I have experience using the Pirelli P7 clincher tyre, often an original equipment spec on new bikes, and that isn’t as impressive.
Priced at £59.99 / €61.90, the P Zero Road TLR misses out on the Race TLR’s SpeedCore carcass technology, which we’ve seen contribute to that tyre’s low rolling resistance in the lab. However, the 120 TPI casing still feels quick and efficient overall – a match for its competitors here.
Pirelli P Zero Road TLR key specs
- Weight: 341g
- Size tested: 28mm
- Available sizes: 28, 30, 32, 35mm
- Carcass (threads per inch): 3x120
- Compound: Pirelli SmartEVO
- Puncture protection: Unnamed central belt
The compound and casing also lend a sense of road-buzz comfort, but the tyre measured only 27.8mm at 80psi on the 22mm-wide Hunt rims I used for testing. This is notable, given Pirelli claims it should measure 28mm wide on a 19mm-wide rim.
On paper, you’d need to run the Pirellis at slightly higher pressures given this inflated width, which means it leaves a little comfort-improving volume on the table relative to its rivals.
To compensate, some might be better off sizing up to the 30mm tyre, but despite this slight undersizing, the 28mm tyre weighs in at a relatively hefty 341g – a significant 48g heavier than claimed. The weight doesn’t spoil the overall ride experience, but its rivals feel a touch zippier under acceleration.
Puncture protection is good – the compound has proven resilient to the usual sharp detritus my local roads tend to throw up, so the dedicated strip inside was never pressed into action. The sidewalls don’t get this protection, but they feel quite thick relative to the Vittorias, especially.
Had my luck been out, I suspect I’d have had a relatively easy time of it at the side of the road. It was the easiest tyre to fit of the four on test, the quite-prominent folding bead sitting usefully firmly in the wheel’s bead hook when prying the final part over the rim, but with enough give to dismount it easily.
How I tested
I tested the four sets of tyres on a set of Hunt 50 Carbon Disc wheels, chosen for their established performance benchmark. The rims have a 22mm internal width and a hooked bead, enabling me to test the 28mm-wide tyres on rims that should make the most of the nominal size.
I ran an initial tubeless-installation test for each tyre, before installing each set in turn for testing (totalling three setups). I recorded weights and inflated widths at 80psi / 5.5 BAR.
Tyres tested
- Continental Grand Prix TR
- Michelin Pro5 Competition Line
- Vittoria Rubino V Tubeless
- Pirelli P Zero Road TLR
Pirelli P Zero Road TLR bottom line
The Pirelli P Zero Road TLR offers impressive grip, similar to its higher-level Race TLR sibling.
However, although it seems resilient, it’s also quite heavy and slightly undersized versus the competition.
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