I've had a couple different iteration of Pirelli tires - some XC MTB tires that I loved, and another set of Cinturatos, but these were solidly meh. When they arrived, they felt somewhat heavy and thick compared to my usual Pirellis, but they set up easily on my not-officially-tubeless rims and looked decent.
Riding them, I found I had no flat issues, and they rode OK - good traction in wet and dry, varied conditions from pavement to singletrack, but they didn't feel as plush or resilient as other Cinturato tires I've owned. I put it down to being a different bike and a little down sizing from what I was used to, and rode them for a few hundred miles, so they obviously weren't that bad.
Then, after a big trip (Italy) I was looking to upsize my tires, and figured if I had 700x45, 700x50 should be an easy fit given the space I had - so I ordered and installed the bigger tires only to find they were MUCH bigger on the same rims and didn't actually fit for safe riding. Perplexed, I decided to measure them out and found that the Adventure tires, marked as 700x45, actually were 700x40 when I measured. 40 vs 45 is kinda big. The new Cinturato's I got, the 700x50's, measured at 51, so it was a total difference of 11mm width and, of course, a taller tire, too.
So, that definitely explains the ride quality - I was expecting a 45mm width ride, but on 40mm tires, so yeah, it'll feel a bit rough. They did great as 40's for sure, but I expected 45's. If they were true to size, I'd likely still have them. rather than sizing up.
On pure ride and value alone, these would rate at least 4.5 stars but I'm taking 1.5 off for the difficulty in installation. Without a doubt, these are the most difficult tires to mount I've ever used. I broke 2 tire levers trying to get them on and all the usual tricks like soapy water failed. I ended up paying my LBS to get it done--since I had to get new levers anyway. Plus, I'm at the age where sometimes you just want to throw money at a problem to make it go away :) Gratifyingly, the mechanic told me he had a rough time with them as well so I don't feel quite so dumb now.
But once on, they're pretty nice--soaks up bumps really well. I can't speak to how well they'll handle real gravel--got them for my regular commuter bike--but so far, the grip and handling seem good. I've just got my fingers crossed I can get by without having to take them off any time soon.
Tire mounted easily, and held maximum air for more than a week while I was out of town. The 40 measures 39 on a 24 ID hooked rim. I added 2 ounces of Stans, and tire has held up perfectly for more than a dozen rides. It may be the Chinese version, but it rolls great and handles powder, hard pack, fine gravel, and very lumpy caliche gravel exceptionally well. This tire won't set any land speed records, but it will get you where you're going without failure. Exceptional value when bought on sale!
