CX/Gravel Tire Test: Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H 40

The Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H (Hard Terrain) is a gravel bike tire with very low and closely spaced center knobs and slightly bigger knobs along the edge of the tire. The Gravel H is optimized to provide good handling characteristics in both wet and dry conditions on terrain that doesn't deform much (asphalt, hardpack, hard gravel roads).

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We already tested the Pirelli Cinturato Cross H (read our review) a while back and while the Gravel H is very closely related to the Cross H, they are very different tires. The Cross H has much bigger center knobs and is more of an off-road tire than the Gravel H. Another big difference is the size of these tires as the Cross H is only available in the small 33-622 size. The Gravel H does that differently and is available in a good range of sizes starting at 35-622 and up to the huge 50-584 size.

From a construction standpoint, both the Gravel H and Cross H are very similar which is promising as the Cross H did quite well in our tests. The base is a 127 TPI tubeless-ready casing with an extra layer of woven fabric that runs from bead to bead to offer better protection and sealing capabilities. The compound is Pirelli's SpeedGRIP compound that is made for both wet and dry conditions yet still offers a low rolling resistance.

This is a test of the 40-622 version that we expect to be the most popular size for gravel bikes.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Pirelli
Model	Cinturato Gravel H
Year	2021
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	High
Buy At	Ad Amazon.com
Manufacturer part number	3771100
EAN	8019227377118
TPI	127
Compound	SpeedGRIP
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	40-622
Specified Weight	480 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	58
Made In	Members Only
Available Sizes	35-622 (700x35c) 40-622 (700x40c) 45-622 (700x45c) 45-584 (45x650b) 50-584 (50x650b)

Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H 40 Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	480 grams
Measured Weight	509 grams
Measured Width Casing	38 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	40 mm
Measured Height	36 mm (un-round)
Measured Knob Height Center	0.5 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	1.8 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	2.40 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	38 mm	38 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 (54 psi / 3.7 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 (45 psi / 3.1 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 (36 psi / 2.6 bar)	19.5 Watts CRR: 0.00585	23.3 Watts CRR: 0.00698
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 (27 psi / 1.9 bar)	23.2 Watts CRR: 0.00695	28.2 Watts CRR: 0.00845
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	39 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	2.40 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	75 Points
Wet Grip Center	Members Only
Wet Grip Edge	Members Only
Measured Knob Height Center	0.5 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	1.8 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

The Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H is an excellent choice if you're looking for a gravel bike tire that performs well on hard terrain. Rolling resistance comes close to the fastest gravel bike tires at the highest air pressures although it drops off a bit faster at lower air pressures. Protection is better than most other gravel bike tires but this does come at the cost of quite a high weight.

We rate the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H 4.0 out of 5 mainly because some tires offer better performance in our tests. Although Pirelli returned to the bicycle tire market only recently, we definitely feel they are worth a try as all their tires are solid performers in our tests.

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RATING: 4.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Recommended

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