Pirelli

Bought a pair of the PZeros to try out for the summer riding season, and I can say that they�re now a new favorite tires. There was an immediate and noticeable difference in ride quality and comfort from the very first ride on them.

I'm running the gravel M 45c on the front for a little more bite (with a specialized pathfinder pro 42 on the rear). This has been a great tire (and combo) for me for the early season. It does well in the spring time/variable conditions that can always range from dusty and dry to muddy and wet this time of year. It's more a jack of all trades, but the center tread does well on hardpack and tarmac, and the spaced shoulder knobs hold decently in corners in most conditions that I've come across yet while shedding mud without any problem. I rode this setup for the Gorge Gravel Grinder long course last week, and it was great. A lot of folks ran narrower tires, but the course was fairly chunky in spots, and I appreciated the extra meat on the bone so to speak. Didn't feel I gave up much speed in rolling resistance, nor aero by running this wider tire and felt confident in the spirited, quick descent corners.

Finally got my Pirelli's out for a proper gravel ride. I was impressed. This is a fast tire. On pavement it almost feels like a road tire. On smooth gravel or hardpack it is fast. Today's race had one rolling hill after another and I was in a group of about 15 riders for much of it. On every descent I passed most or all riders simply coasting. I think the tires were the reason. I was simply rolling faster than other riders. The tire is great on pavement, hard pack and smooth gravel. It does OK on chunky stuff - today's ride ended with about 3 miles of rough jeep road and single track and these tires did fine. It has more grip than I expected in loose corners or loose over hardpack roads - even when climbing on loose stuff there was no slippage. I was able to carry speed through loose corners without the tires sliding out. Overall this seems to be a good all around tire for mixed surface rides or smooth gravel.

Been using Conti Gaterback Hardshell but never liked the way they rode. Stiff and cornering was poor. These Pirellis are just awesome and certainly seem very well constructed. Great ride at 90psi and they stick like glue in corners. Pay attention to the different max/min pressures for tubeless vs tubed. Mounting them on Mavic Ksyrium Allroad rims was easy after I set them in the sun for a bit. Running them with tubes - Michelin A2s.