Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H in review
The Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H is designed to impress on hardpack surfaces, delivering maximum speed there, because that’s what the H in the model name stands for. It clearly doesn’t have any off-road ambitions. How does it compare to the other speed models in our gravel tire group test?
The Cinturato gravel tire stands out from the crowd with its appealing looks. This is mainly due to the unique tread pattern. It certainly has the looks to back its claim, almost screaming out for speed and fast straights.
The Gravel H turns out to be rather difficult to fit, though. It takes a lot of sufficiently runny tubeless sealant to seal the gap between the sidewalls and the rim. We didn’t have that problem with any other brand.
Hardpack only or all-round racer? – Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H
As expected, the Cinturato Gravel H feels particularly comfortable on asphalt and smooth gravel, and it can also hold its line through fast corners. However, it’s slightly less efficient than its direct competitors in the speed segment. At 16.2 W rolling resistance, the Cinturato Gravel H is just under 4 W less efficient than the fastest tire.
It offers surprisingly little traction on coarse gravel and woodland dirt, even for such shallow tread. And when it’s wet, there’s little you can do to keep this tire on your chosen line. Unfortunately, the compliance is rather mediocre, too, so it’s not the best package overall. In terms of resistance to both pinching and puncturing, the Pirelli Cinturato H cannot keep up with the competition either.
Tire Characteristics
intended use
- asphalt/hard pack
- trail
rolling resistance
- slow
- quick
pinch protection
- low
- high
puncture protection
- low
- high
handling in wet conditions
- slippery
- grippy
Conclusion
Pirelli are aiming for speed, but the Italian brand lag several watts behind the direct competition with the Cinturato Gravel H. The tire isn’t on par in terms of riding performance and grip either. It’s a shame, because it’s one of the best looking tires in the group test.
Tops
- visually appealing
- good on fast and compact surfaces
Flops
- poor traction in wet conditions
- minimal off-road grip
- a little more demanding to fit
Made in France | Tested size 40-622 | Tire width in mm¹ 40,75 | Tire height in mm¹ 37,32 | Tire height + Test rim in mm² 37,32 | Weight 490,3 g | Price € 69,90
1 measured dimensions with 2,5 Bar, 2 Test rim: ZIPP 303s 622 x 20.3C (Rim height 45,32 mm)
For more information head to: pirelli.com
In our introduction of the best gravel tire on test you can’t just find our most interesting findings and our overall conclusion, but a good view on all tires tested.
All tires on review: Challenge Getaway (Click for review) | Challenge Gravel Grinder (Click for review) | Continental Terra Speed (Click for review) | Continental Terra Trail (Click for review) | Maxxis Rambler (Click for review) | Maxxis Receptor (Click for review) | Panaracer Gravelking (Click for review) | Panaracer Gravelking Slick Plus+ (Click for review) | Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H | Pirelli Cinturato Gravel RC (Click for review) | Schwalbe G-One Allround (Click for review) | Schwalbe G-One R (Click for review) | Schwalbe G-One RS (Click for review) | Schwalbe G-One Ultrabite (Click for review) | Specialized S-Works Pathfinder (Click for review) | Specialized S-Works Tracer (Click for review) | Vittoria Terreno Dry (Click for review) | Vittoria Terreno Mix (Click for review) | WTB Riddler (Click for review) | WTB Byway (Click for review)
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Words: czajac Photos: Jan Richter
