Writing the review from Patagonia, AZ, as we ride long through wicked gravel and sand prepping for Unbound. Can't say enough good about these tires. I've used them on and off for 3 years and came back with them to ride Patagonia. It crushed rocky, crunchy gravel without any issues. It is on the heavier side of the tire spectrum however, check the rolling resistance, it will surprise you. I'm currently using the 50mm and so is the rest of the group. Highly recommend them!
use these for all sorts of riding and work well overall.
I flat out love these tires. They do most things exceptionally well, and the rest much better than average. Let's start with the strengths:
Rolling: these tires are very fast on paved and unpaved surfaces. The first time I rode them, I PR'd on several well known segments. Figuring it was just my enthusiasm, I tried the same course several more times with moderate effort and matched my PR again. Then I actually tried to go fast--and may never match that PR again!
Grip: On pavement, the smooth middle strip runs like a road tire. On dirt/gravel, the knobs grab aggressively, but do not clog up with mud. Really, just a great combination!
Durability: I have 45's and run about 35 psi tubeless (I weigh 150, but like a relatively hard pressure). With hundreds of miles on and off road, they show no sign of significant wear.
Now the weaknesses:
Weight: they are a bit on the heavy side. 604 grams for the 45's
Puncture resistance: sadly, I have had a puncture on the rear tire--and it was probably just a sharp rock.
Cost: Try to find these on sale like I did. They are just too expensive at full price.
My comparison tire (previous) was Panaracer Gravelking SK 42's, Also great--for sure. Lighter by 100 grams and before trying the Pirrelli's I would have said very fast and good grip. The Pirelli's are just better. Better, Fast, Stronger. But like Steve Austin, maybe could be a bit more cost effective. And a layer of kevlar would also be good. Not perfect, but the best I've ridden, hands down.
Got these in 700x45 for my Bombtrack Hook to be more road worthy but still maintain off road beast mode. Having removed too large Vittoria Barzo's in 29 x 2.1, these skinny tires have a lot to live up to. While I did not traverse deep mud well, they sleighed gravel, dirt, and tall grass, while being among the stickiest on blacktop/pavement that I have ever ridden. By far these were the easiest tubeless set up I have every attempted. Seated immediately to Shimano GRX wheels, got bathed in Stans by shaking tires, then aired up (higher pressure at first to allow better seating and coverage - pro tip from a mech) to prefect alignment on rim. I hope they will get wider someday, but if not, the bike handles so much better with the more narrow width. The dark brown looks exceptional in person, but not all bikes will be as handsome or match. Will update once I have more miles and can speak to durability. Both tires had seams visible on the sidewall through the casing but hoping that's how they're supposed to look. UPDATE JUNE 27 (250 miles) -- am in love with this tire and count it among the very best I have ridden on any surface. these are up there with my love for IRC Mythos and Panaracer Dart/Smoke for MTB Racing in my 20's. they are just a capable, predictable, and solid performer. can be a bit slippery in rain and muddy puddles, but this tire clings to chunky mud very well, and has not washed out in sand, even at high pressure.
I finally got to ride these on some muddy, gritty, variable-terrain fall trails, and these tires never made me feel unsafe or unstable no matter how chunky or fine the surface was.
They're reasonably fast rolling on pavement, but don't expect them to keep up with your road bike's slick racing tires. Still, they'll get you to the trails easily enough.
Another plus with these as a tubeless setup is the stability - I can let these tires sit at 32psi for a week+ and lose no air. You don't need to top these tires off daily before your rides.
In terms of puncture protection, I've rolled over a lot of nasty stuff with them and haven't yet encountered a puncture, but I can't say it wouldn't happen.
So far these tires are great, though I haven't really pushed them yet. They ride really well on both gravel and paved roads, which was one of my requirements.
I did just get new gravel wheels which have an internal width of 25mm and when I remounted these 40mm tires on the new rims the measured tire width increased from 40mm to 44mm! Although I am not surprised, this is just barely able to fit between my chainstays. I mean I have about 1mm on each side. So just be aware of this an add a few mm to the stated width if you have wide rims.
These tires are perfect for the conditions that i use them in. I see hard packed dirt and rocks. They handle well in every condition that I see including pavement. I'm surprised at how well they wear when I need them to handle pavement to get to my gravel rides. They are tough enough to keep me from getting flats. As a bonus they look nice too.
I used the 45mm tires to race the 200km Rift Gravel Race in Iceland. They were extremely durable in the lava rock with their puncture protection and super fast during the road sections. The grip was amazing on the bumpy gravel and will be the only tire I use when I need a little bit more knobby tire for grip.
Bought these to try out something different after 2 sets of Schwalbe G-one Allround tires. Tubeless setup was extremely difficult and cannot get these tires to hold pressure longer than 24hrs, even with 2oz of sealant and following their reccomended procedure of airing to max PSI. Off road performance is very poor compared to Schwalbe, which is baffling considering the lower profile tread of the Schwalbe. The only pro of these tires is their cornering ability on pavement. But I didn't buy these to be a pavement princess. Really disappointing considering the brand and the price!
Used in gravel and dirt in Colorado and AZ.
Highly recommend.
Pirelli's belted mixed-terrain tire is almost the perfect tire. It's light, supple and sticky'it transformed my ride to fast enough on roads and tenaciously fast on trails. I destroyed one tire on my first ride with a nice glass shard; but few tires could have survived that. Despite having to replace that first cut the tires have proven to be much more durable than they feel. I'm loving them in the mixed terrain of the San Gabriel Mountains area.
These are insanely good. I used to run Rene Herse Hurricane ridge and these are way better. The grip is so strong and the rolling resistance is minimal. These tires are sooo fast on both pavement and dirt. I ride in Northern California and these are a meaty enough tread for the gravel up here. I was worried 45s would be too big but they are perfect. If you are familiar with conti GP 5000s for road I would say these are the gravel equiv. I'll buy them again and again.
This review is for the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M 700c x 40mm. Rolls well on and off pavement. Has lots of grip, both straight line and corners, inspiring confidence. Cushions reasonably well. Long lasting. They mounted with just a track pump!!! The best all around tire I've tried and currently my favorite.
The jury is still out on flat protection. I had a flat (Muc-Off) on my very first ride which took 2 side-by-side Dynaplugs to seal. Months later it is still sealed, but takes a while for a tire to gain my trust. No more flats since then so let's call that a fluke. It did let me fully test the Dynaplug Racer Pro though.
Other tires I've used:
Specialized Pathfinder Pro 38mm - I like these tires and have them mounted on a 2nd set of wheels. Quieter on the pavement, better flat protection, more traction on pavement, but much less traction on gravel. Bicycle Rolling Resistance says the Pathfinders and Gravel M's have about the same rolling resistance, so most the time I've been picking the Gravel M. I do use the Pathfinders on routes with more than 50% pavement or crushed stone greenways where I'm not worried about traction. I've never gotten a puncture on the Pathfinders and they've lasted a long time.
Continental Terra Trail 40mm - best grip I've had with really nice cushion, but noisy on the pavement and wear out quickly. If money was no issue, I'd buy lots of these, but the Gravel M's are lasting longer with almost as much grip. In the North Carolina or Virginia mountain gravel roads, I've only used the Terra Trails, because steep descents are scary. But I could see using the Gravel M instead if I didn't want to take the time to re-mount the Terra Trails.
Continental Terra Speed 35mm - fast on smooth dirt paths, but not so good on loose stuff. Wear out fast. Great tires for the right conditions and feel great too. They were perfect for the 335 mile Pittsburgh to Washington DC greenway (GAP and C&O) last year, so I'll use them on the Katy Trail this year. Much faster than the Gravel M, Pathfinders, or Terra Trails.
Vittoria Terreno Mix G2.0 40mm - plush ride but noticeably sluggish on pavement. Nice grip new but the fish scales wear down quickly. I wouldn't pick them again.
Michelin Power Gravel 35mm - these had adequate grip, but always felt stiff. Better value than the Pirelli. All I ever buy for my car is Michelin, but I haven't fallen in love with Michelin bike tires.
WTB Riddler TCS 37mm - These tires looked interesting, but I never could get them inflated on my rims. And I tried everything.
I bought these in April, have put 2200 miles on them and about 240,000' of often chunky climbing and descending in the Cherokee, Nantahala, Jefferson and Pisgah National Forests. I have yet to have to plug either tire. And while the rear is showing some wear it is far from finished. Twice I have had them self-seal with Stan's, but never have I needed to tube them. They may not be the lightest or the fastest on pavement, but they're not bad and the dependability and predictability they offer is more important to me than the lowest rolling resistance. I do race, but prefer dependability to outright speed.
john switow on Strava
So, I've tried over a dozen gravel tires in the Catskills region of upstate NY. Nothing seems to be able to handle the mix of terrain I encounter. If anyone has ridden here they know you get everything from dry loose over hard to mud to steep rocky climbs to single track and everything inbtw. These tires are extremely damp and comfortable, they handle mud very well, and they roll extremely well on pavement. Where they struggle is in maintaining traction on any kind of drier ascent. If it's damp mud of deeper loose dirt they are fine, but not on a gravel road that's compacted with loose over hard. The smooth center line doesn't sink enough to let the tractor-like side knobs grip in and it slides like a road slick, even on not very steep climbs 5-7 %. You are fine if seated, but you can never get out of saddle which is honestly how a file tread would climb... So it's hit or miss. The aggressive look of the tire screams grip in all terrain but it really does struggle in a dirt road climb. Just something to be aware of. Otherwise great tire with an extremely nice, damp ride. Also- the spec weight can range from 500g to 560g. Hard to get consistency there. Obviously everyone rides different terrain but this is my own experience.
I replaced a worn out Maxis Rambler on the front with this tire. I was looking for something that would offer more confidence on steep, chunky loose descents without too much penalty in rolling resistance for all those miles riding to the good stuff. While I can definitely feel the added inertia getting this tire up to speed compared to the Rambler, the trade-off is worth it. What really surprised me is how smooth this thing rolls on pavement. I assumed with the more aggressive knobs that I would feel a lot of road feedback (vibration) and noise. It is completely silent on pavement, which makes it feel fast, at least psychologically! All in all, I am very happy with the tire. I do think it is a bit overpriced given how many options are out there, hence the three stars on value rating.
I was able to set these up quickly and easily and they hold air better than most tubeless tires that I have used before. I'm a light rider at 130lbs and have been running them at 25psi and gravel with great results. I bought them for a 500 km ride through Tuscany that will be 50% gravel and 50% pavement and I am hoping these will be the prefect balance for the two surfaces.
Recently used this tire for an extended gravel ride throughout the Dolomites in Northern Italy, where gravel ranges from fine and smooth to very large and jagged. I encountered mud, fire and logging roads, single track, asphalt, and cobblestone sporadically along the way. These tires provided great traction in all the conditions I rode in, are surprisingly tough, and maintained speed on asphalt relatively well (not a lot of drag). I've tried many gravel tires through the years, and in many conditions, but I'm most impressed with the Cinturaro M; an excellent all-around tire, and one I plan on using as my default on my gravel bikes.
I mounted a set of these 700x40 classic tan walls on Santa Cruz Reserve 32 depth wheelset with a 30mm external rim width and 24 internal rim width; at 41psi tubeless front/back, the final width of the tires came out to 41.2mm. First off, these were the easiest tubeless ready tires I've ever mounted (no tire lever needed, and I have weak thumbs!), and equally easy to remove. In the loose, loamy dirt (aka sand) of the Eastern Sierra fire roads, these Pirellis powered through easily and had some minor rear wheel slipping on the extra loose stuff at faster speeds, but nothing out of the ordinary and behaved very predictably on the steep downhills. Transitioning to the hard road tarmac, the Cinturato M's grip was definitely an influence on rolling speed, but overall, it just felt like I was working a little harder as evident by the power meter readings. A small concession IMO, and should not be a detractor. If you're planning on riding 70/30 percent favoring gravel, especially in the sketchy loose stuff, then this is the tire for you. 350+ miles of debris laden trails have yet to produce a puncture or slice on these Pirellis (and I don't mean the light stuff, I'm talking sharp edged shale, not the minor goat head stuff). I'm impressed, and I've run a LOT of different tire makes and models. These have earned a Top 3 spot for my heavy duty gravel rides. Pirelli, you've really produced a great product for us dirt riders.
I've had slicks on for the past couple years and wanted a change toward something knobbier that would still feel like it rolls well. These have been excellent.
Tubeless mounting was the most difficult I've experienced on a tire yet - I ended up going to LBS to use their compressor, no issues since then.
Ride quality is pretty good, but I'm still trying to find the right pressure for any road rides that I do; 45psi can feel harsh, but rolls really well.
Traction is stellar. I'll happily go 50-100mi on mixed terrain at 15mph, so I was looking for security over speed. I'm really glad I got these, and I'll probably try to squeeze the 45mm of these into my frame when I wear the current ones out.
