Unconditional performance
This is how the P Zero Velo range has come into being. Pirelli's bicycle tyres are the product of in-depth research, development, market analysis, lab and road testing lasting more than 2 years.
As with its well-known car namesake, P Zero Velo tyres draw extensively from Pirelli technology and its 110-year expertise of sports tradition, taking advantage of invaluable know-how, tests, patents and technologies designed by the Italian company since its foundation in 1872.
The new bike tyre range was designed at Pirelli R&D Innovation centre, at Bicocca, Milan: the main one among Pirelli's 11 worldwide R&D centres. P Zero Velo prototypes were tested in Sicily at the Giarre facility near Catania where Pirelli's Testing Department performed a total of more than 100,000 km of comparative road tests meeting strict standards under controlled and scientifically replicable conditions. Specifically, several tests took place on Mount Etna which offers – within a few kilometres - a broad choice of weather conditions, altitudes and surface types among the most demanding in the world.
P Zero Velo is positioned in the premium market segment and is dedicated to the cyclist who seeks pure and unconditional performance.
P Zero Velo: one name for three different models aimed at the three main road uses and colour-coded according to the P Zero used in F1 motor-racing.
The silver label showcases the P Zero Velo, aimed at road racing. It is light and the most versatile of the three as it provides speed and handling along with dry and wet grip meaning top cycling safety. It is ideal for competitions or training on any type of surface.
The red label denotes P Zero Velo TT, the fastest and lightest of the whole range. Designed for breathtaking speed, it features great handling as well as top wet behaviour.
Lastly, the blue label showcases the all-season tyres. P Zero Velo 4S tyres are ideal during autumn and winter. They offer high puncture protection and an outstanding wet grip guaranteeing, at the same time, rolling, comfort and mileage.
Balanced all-round performance
“Perfect Balance” is one of the key characteristics of Pirelli's new bicycle tyres: tyres with optimal and balanced performance in terms of rolling resistance, wet and dry grip, handling behaviour, puncture protection and longevity (intended not only as time duration but especially as performance reliability over time).
To meet such design requirements, Pirelli researchers worked on three fronts – the tyre shape and construction, the tread pattern and tread compound – developing F1 and World SSP-inspired technologies as in the case of the pattern or conceiving exclusive and ground-breaking patents like the compound.
The SMART tyre
Several factors make a tyre excellent, but its core is always the compound. This is why Pirelli developed a new molecule patent for the bike world, the unique, exclusive and innovative SmartNet Silica™.
Composed of more than seventeen elements, the Pirelli compound was synthesized at the company's Milan Bicocca Technology & Innovation Centre. The researchers who worked on this project are the same that worked on the F1 P Zero compound, currently the only tyre used in F1 racing.
SmartNet Silica™ is a silicate-based molecule whose configuration differs from traditional silicates: it has no spherical shape but is an elongated stick. The molecule demonstrates a natural self-sorting tendency instead of being randomly positioned within the matrix. Such configuration assures numerous benefits in terms of performance: its longitudinal position positively affects the tyre smoothness allowing high directional performance, thanks also to its high elasticity leading to decreased heat generation and rolling resistance. A further advantage of SmartNet Silica™ is its anti-cluster ability; it spreads evenly and fully within the matrix: this property, added to the natural chemical affinity with water, results in outstanding wet performance.
The word ‘Net' clearly does not appear by chance. A further characteristic of SmartNet Silica™ is its ability to create a genuine particular matrix that binds other compound elements to it. The stability of the molecular weaving is vital for providing reliable performance and contributes to natural puncture protection without adding weight to the tyre structure and prolonging its longevity over time.
