CX/Gravel Tire Test: Pirelli Cinturato Velo 35

NOTE: This Pirelli Cinturato Velo 35 was tested as a CX-Gravel tire at low air pressures. You can also find a test of the 26 mm Cinturato Velo in the road bike section.

The Pirelli Cinturato Velo is one of the few road bike tires available in the 35-622 size, which we hope will be followed by more tire manufacturers. We already tested the 26-622 version of the Cinturato Velo back in 2018, and we found its main strength to be its extreme puncture resistance of both the tread and sidewalls while at the same time still offering a decent rolling resistance.

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This combined performance is what a lot of gravel bikers are looking for, and it must be the main reason many of our Pro Members voted for the 35 mm version of this tire to be tested as a CX/Gravel bike tire.

The Pirelli Cinturato is made from a 60 TPI casing and multiple layers of puncture-resistant materials, which Pirelli calls "Armour Tech". The base layer of anti-puncture material runs from bead-to-bead and offers additional puncture resistance to the tread and sidewalls, and also helps to keep the air in the tire when used without an inner tube in a tubeless setup. The more traditional 2nd layer of anti-puncture material is made of aramid fiber and is only applied under the tread as it's the part of the tire that needs the most protection.

The 3rd layer of anti-puncture material is the rubber compound. In the case of the Cinturato Velo, it's the Pirelli SmartNet Silica compound filled with aramid fibers that make it harder to penetrate the compound itself. All these layers combined result in one of the most puncture-resistant (road bike) tires.

We're sure the 35 mm version will be just as puncture resistant as the 26 mm version but let's see how it does when comparing it to other CX/Gravel bike tires.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Pirelli
Model	Cinturato Velo
Year	2022
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	High
Buy At	Ad Amazon.com
Manufacturer part number	-
EAN	8019227337105
TPI	60
Compound	SmartNet Silica
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	35-622
Specified Weight	410 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	80
Made In	Members Only
Available Sizes	26-622 (700x26c) 28-622 (700x28c) 32-622 (700x32c) 35-622 (700x35c)

Pirelli Cinturato Velo 35 Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	410 grams
Measured Weight	413 grams
Measured Width Casing	33 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	29 mm
Measured Height	31 mm (un-round)
Measured Knob Height Center	0.0 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	0.2 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	4.30 mm
Measured Total Thickness Sidewall	Members Only
All size measurements are taken at low air pressure on a 17.8 mm inner width rim.

Rolling Resistance Test Results

Rolling Resistance Test Results
Inner Tube	None (30 ml sealant) (current protocol)	Conti Cross28 (160 gr) (test protocol)
Measured Width	33 mm	33 mm
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 66 psi/4.6 bar 33-35 = 60 psi/4.1 bar 36-38 = 54 psi/3.7 bar 39-42 = 50 psi/3.4 bar 43-46 = 46 psi/3.2 bar 47-50 = 42 psi/2.9 barHigh Air Pressure (60 psi / 4.1 bar)	Members Only	Members Only
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 55 psi/3.8 bar 33-35 = 50 psi/3.4 bar 36-38 = 45 psi/3.1 bar 39-42 = 42 psi/2.9 bar 43-46 = 38 psi/2.6 bar 47-50 = 35 psi/2.4 barMedium Air Pressure (50 psi / 3.4 bar)	Members Only	Members Only
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 44 psi/3.0 bar 33-35 = 40 psi/2.8 bar 36-38 = 36 psi/2.6 bar 39-42 = 33 psi/2.3 bar 43-46 = 31 psi/2.1 bar 47-50 = 28 psi/1.9 barLow Air Pressure (40 psi / 2.8 bar)	23.8 Watts CRR: 0.00713	27.6 Watts CRR: 0.00827
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 33 psi/2.3 bar 33-35 = 30 psi/2.1 bar 36-38 = 27 psi/1.9 bar 39-42 = 25 psi/1.7 bar 43-46 = 23 psi/1.6 bar 47-50 = 21 psi/1.4 barExtra Low Air Pressure (30 psi / 2.1 bar)	28.1 Watts CRR: 0.00842	33.1 Watts CRR: 0.00992
The CX/Gravel section is a multi tire size section, air pressures have been adjusted to the measured casing width. All numbers are for a single tire at a speed of 29 km/h / 18 mph and a load of 42.5 kg / 94 lbs. Use the formula: RR (Watts) = CRR * speed (m/s) * load (N) to calculate rolling resistance at a given speed and load.

Puncture Resistance Test Results

Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Total Puncture Score Tread	110 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Members Only
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Members Only
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Members Only
Tread Total Tire Thickness	4.30 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Members Only

Hard Surface Static Grip Test Results

Static Grip Test Results
Wet Grip Average	72 Points
Wet Grip Center	Members Only
Wet Grip Edge	Members Only
Measured Knob Height Center	0.0 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	0.2 mm
Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 CX/Gravel grip test rim width = 23.0 mm
Wet Grip Test and Off-Road Tires (info)

Conclusion

With a Total Puncture Score of 110 points, the Cinturato Velo easily outperforms all other CX/Gravel tires in the tread puncture test. If you want better puncture resistance than the Cinturato Velo, you'll have to look at full-blown "anti-puncture" touring bike tires. The sidewalls also offer excellent protection, but some tires offer better sidewall protection.

We did find a shortcoming, and it's the really small (32 mm) tread for a 35 mm tire (Cinturato Velo 26 = 28 mm tread width - GP 5000 S TR 32 = 37 mm tread width). The small tread will be problematic when using this tire on any rim wider than 17 mm, as you'll have a big chance of riding on the sidewall sooner than you might expect. On wider rims, the high tread puncture score will also be of less use as the sidewalls will be more exposed, and it will be more likely to get sidewall cuts or punctures.

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RATING: 4.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Recommended

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