Pirelli Cinturato Velo tyre review

Pirelli’s Cinturato Velo is the Italian brand’s four-season road bike tyre, pitched towards year-round use with a thick casing and an increased focus on puncture protection.

The Cinturato Velo sits alongside the more performance-oriented P-Zero range, which is designed to offer comparatively high levels of grip and speed, particularly in the warmer months or in a race scenario.

In testing, the Pirelli Cinturato Velo tyre has proved a hardy companion throughout typically diverse UK autumn conditions, and is one of the best road bike tyres on the market.

Pirelli Cinturato Velo tyre details and specifications

Constructed from Pirelli’s SMARTNET Silica technology and using a 60 TPI casing, the Cinturato Velo is said to be “a strong, long-lasting tyre”, while offering reliable levels of grip.

Pirelli says the tyre is optimised for high mileage on a variety of road surfaces and is ideal for poor, wet road conditions.

Samuele Bressan, head of global marketing at Pirelli, explains the Cinturato Velo is considered an ‘all-season’ rather than a winter tyre.

“The tyre has a very strong construction and so high protection against punctures on any terrain, with good rolling resistance and handling,” he says. “It also has a great affinity with water and lower temperatures.”

The Armour Tech casing runs from bead to bead, derived from the brand’s motorsport tyre tech, featuring a unique mix of Kevlar fibres to protect against punctures.

The lightning-bolt tread pattern is claimed to reduce noise.

The Cinturato Velo has a deeper 3.9mm tread depth than the brand’s P-Zero Race TLR tyre, at 3.15mm. Both figures are for a 28mm width.

The Cinturato Velo is a tubeless tyre and compatible with hookless rims, as long as you don’t exceed the ETRTO-recommended 73psi maximum pressure limit.

You can also run it in clincher format or on a hooked rim at higher pressures, if you wish.

The tyre is available in 700c x 26mm, 700c x 28mm, 700c x 32mm and 700c x 35mm sizes. It was originally available in a 24mm width, but this has been discontinued due to lack of demand.

The Cinturato Velo tyre is said to range from 300g to 420g, depending on width and colour. I have the 28mm black variant on test, which weighs in at 360g (10g more than claimed).

The Cinturato Velo is also available in tanwall and reflective versions for increased visibility in the darker months.

Pirelli Cinturato Velo tyre installation

I installed the tyres with inner tubes initially, onto a Mavic Aksium rim. This proved straightforward, requiring one tyre lever to prise the final section of the tyre onto the rim.

I then moved the tyres onto a Hunt Alloy SL wheelset on my BMC Teammachine SLR01 Disc and set them up tubeless with Pirelli P-Zero sealant.

Although Pirelli also makes a Cinturato-branded sealant, this is for its gravel bike tyres. The brand’s P-Zero sealant is designed for the higher pressures associated with road cycling, so the Cinturato Velo is the outlier in Pirelli’s range that uses a differently named tubeless sealant.

The Cinturato Velo bulged out to 31mm on the Hunt Alloy SL wheels at 70psi, which sport a 19mm internal rim width.

The tyre was easy to install on the hooked Hunt rim and didn’t require the use of a tyre lever.

Initially, I found sealant leaked from the join of the rim on both tyres.

After a thorough shake and a top-up of sealant in the rear tyre the next day, they both sealed successfully. The experience indicates to me that both wheel and tyre brands still have a small way to go to ensure seamless compatibility.

Pirelli Cinturato Velo performance

My testing took place through the end of a hot UK summer before some wet and seriously mucky autumnal riding dominated.

The tyres have been used on commutes to and from BikeRadar HQ, for club rides and even for a 308km overnight audax.

What struck me instantly was the tyres felt surprisingly fast-rolling, especially considering their slightly heavier 360g weight.

In my experience, very few four-season or winter tyres can match a summer tyre for speed or suppleness. That’s true here, but the Cinturato Velo still inspires you to keep up a decent pace when the going gets tough in the colder months.

This zippiness is balanced with good levels of comfort too, and it doesn't transmit harsh vibrations.

On a 185km training ride ahead of my audax, there was an unexpected stretch of bridleway between two roads that my Garmin route took me on. The tyres didn’t put up any fuss whatsoever, gripping well and indicating that wider variants could be even more suited to looser conditions.

I haven’t experienced any punctures on the Cinturato Velo, and the carcass and construction have proven tough and resistant to road debris.

Both in the dry and wet, the tyres gripped well and I felt confident to lean into corners on twisty descents.

That said, I don’t think the grip levels quite match my personal favourite all-season tyre, Continental’s Grand Prix 4 Season, which arguably is a more performance-oriented option.

On particularly mucky or leaf-lined roads, I found the siping on the tread collected more dirt than other road tyres I’ve ridden. While this didn’t affect grip, I found I had to de-clog the underside of the fork crown a couple of times. I suspect this is because the siping is deeper than other comparable tyres.

After covering just under 1,000km, save for one minor cut in the rear tyre, I can’t detect any wear whatsoever.

I wouldn’t expect anything less of a tyre with this mileage under its belt, but initial signs are positive that the Cinturato Velo will last a long time.

The Cinturato Velo is priced similarly to rivals such as the Grand Prix 4 Season and the Vittoria Rubino Pro Control, which is reasonable given the balance of puncture resistance, hardiness and performance it strikes.

However, if you’re after a more cost-effective option, our best winter road bike tyres guide highlights some alternatives.

Pirelli Cinturato Velo bottom line

The Pirelli Cinturato Velo tyre has seriously impressed through testing and is now one of my top choices for winter use.

Although there are grippier tyres available, there’s no shortage of speed for the construction offered, and it has proven tough too.

As well as a very competent winter tyre, if you want a fit-and-forget tyre to run all year round (and you’re happy to compromise performance a little in the warmer months), the Cinturato Velo will be an excellent option.