Pirelli unveils 24% faster tubeless road tyre, P Zero Race TLR
Pirelli has released the second generation of its Pirelli P ZERO Race TLR tyres, reported to be 24% faster than its predecessor and boasting reduced puncture risk.
This new launch marks the first tubeless tyre to be manufactured in the modernised and innovative Pirelli plant in Milan-Bollate.
Pirelli’s R&D unit, with input from teams, have come up with a new technology SPEEDCORE, offering low rolling resistance and advanced protection from punctures. The casing is reinforced, without making it stiff, through the use of aramid fibres – aramid has chemical-physical features that allow for high resistance to traction, cuts and heat, favouring the mechanical properties of the tyre itself, which is now the fastest of Pirelli’s road bike range.
The structure of the P ZERO Race TLR features a tyre tread made with the SmartEVO formulation, a cutting-edge compound of polymers created to offer an excellent grip and low rolling resistance.
The newly developed tech in these new tyres has also benefited from Pirelli’s experience in the field of compounds for racing tyres and has allowed for the reduction of rolling resistance, improving the smoothness of this tyre by 24% compared to the P ZERO Race TLR’s predecessor (Pirelli in-house testing carried out with tyres in the size 28-622).
The aramid fibres bind evenly with the other chemical elements in the rubber, arranging themselves homogeneously in the structure, favouring the high mechanical properties required of low rolling resistance, high puncture resistance and low rigidity, says the brand. This means the SPEEDCORE tech results in a more flexible and thinner structure for the new tyre, compared with a traditional butyl rubber layer, with improved mechanical resistance characteristics compared to the previous version of the product and able to offer a better level of puncture protection than a classic bead-to-bead fabric casing.
Weight, grip and reliability in dry and wet conditions are unchanged compared with the previous version on the market, says Pirelli, making the product as a reliable and high-performance all-rounder. P ZERO Race TLR will soon is already available in sizes 26-622, 28-622, 30-622 (all also in the ‘Classic’ version) as well as size 32-622 with black sidewalls. The sizes 35-622 and 40-622 will enter the market later this year.
Pirelli collaborates with a number of World Tour teams, including Trek-Segafredo and AG2R Citroën; and more recently also the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team.
The brand recently introduced the range topping P Zero Race TT clincher tyre, designed for riders looking for outright speed.
