Heads up on Pirelli's "F1 Technology...."
 

As we've all heard by now, Pirelli's cycling tires are "developed by the same team of engineers who work on the Formula One tires." As an F1 fan, I'm definitely in :eek: To top that off, these tires literally fly on and off the wheel with no tools necessary. It doesn't really get any better. So I got their lately (2021) P Zero Road:


The Smart Evo compound which is a blend of smart polymers that combine to provide the opposing characteristics of high grip and low rolling resistance. The new P Zero range gets an all new 120TPI Nylon casing construction specifically designed for use with inner tubes and the new ETRTO 19c rim standards. As a result, the tread on the new tyres is significantly wider than that on the outgoing P Zero Velo. Under this new compound, Pirelli has added its TechBelt puncture protection with an additional Aramid layer for increased resistance.


Out of the box, I found the tire to be surprisingly soft. "I'm sure the F1 lads know what they're doing" I thought. Well, the tire rides well and has a great grip....

BUT... this is what it looks like 300KM later (ridden on smooth tarmac):

Front tire (look good, no issues):


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6be28f7d6d.jpg

And now... the back tire:


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...588e3a00a0.jpg


The bottom part of the tread gauge is almost surface.


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...55e4e0c7d6.jpg

Feels as if they've literally used an F1 compound that only lasts about 20 laps :lol:

This tire will definitely not make it past 1000km... if that!

The easy on/off sounds good.

Thanks for the heads up. Soft/grippy tires do typically wear faster. Sounds like maybe these should be saved for race day.

Huh. I haven't heard any reports of extremely quick-wearing tread (I have a set of the tubeless version waiting on the shelf for next season) and squaring of after a week's worth of riding wouldn't be acceptable even for an RDO tire. I would contact them with pics and specifics (install date, mileage) and see if they'll replace them.

I was planning on buying a set of P Zero Race TLR or TLR SL's, but would be disappointed if they showed signs of wear after just a few rides.
Following this thread to see what comes of this.

You must have selected the soft compound tire, good for qualifying, but not good for race distance. You should select the hard compound tire for race distance.:)

Id be interested as I run Pirelli's on my Ducati's but don't see any in the fatter widths for my new bike .

Yeah... funny thing is, it's supposed to be the "all-weather" tougher tire. I'm afraid to imagine how the "Race" version will wear....

It's the hardest one in the new line-up :o

I have the outgoing P Zero tyres on my road bike and it's certainly not worn that quickly! The new version must be a fair bit softer compound. Would be interesting to see other reports to compare lifespan of the new tyre.


Yes. I had a set of rims I couldn't for the life of me get GP5000's mounted to (and they're not usually super tight tyres). The Pirelli P Zero tyres went on a lot easier.

I hear ya. I'm still rocking the clinchers so getting them on/off smoothly - especially when getting a flat - makes a big difference. Yes, the older gen are way more sturdier... so I stocked up on some Velos and 4s :D

I'm on my second set of p zero race TLRs- they definitely wear faster than gp5000s, but I haven't had anywhere near that kind of wear at such low mileage. I was at around 3000 miles on my front when it got destroyed by an industrial staple in the road (guy in front of me got one too).

That's wild that you were able to get 3,000 miles (4,800km) out of them...

I have 1K miles on the P Zero Race TLR 28mm and do not have that kind of wear on mine and I ride smooth road surface. They have not even squared off or anything. I am by no measure a light weight rider and generally shy away from anything considered a soft compound tire. I learned that lesson from motorcycles. I have a lot of life on these tires.

I will say though, that the P Zero Race version, seem a somewhat softer, and I have them on my wife's bike, and she has about 750 miles on hers at this point, and they still look very good.

I’m running P Zero Race TLRs 30 mm tubeless and they are looking fine after 1000 km. Been running them on rough roads too. I did get one nasty cut on the front tyre in the middle of the tread, which the sealant just about held. But that was a one-off as I haven’t had any other issues. They are so easy to fit on my Giant SLR 1 rims without tools.

It's shocking that the rear tire wore down that much in only 300 km. I have tires with several hundred miles on them that still show the little blade of rubber in the center, where the mold splits.

I dunno. I'd like to see more users corroborating the wear rate. One thing for sure, wear rate depends on the average power one puts down. It's not going to be the same from rider to rider.

I've been selling Pirelli since they came out. I only bother with the TLR and 4 seasons now. Part of the problem is they have like 40 different tires and they keep adding to it without eliminating older ones so they are kind of all over the place.

PZero Race TLR aren't having that kind of wear at all. They last very long and are not appreciatively different than any other high performance tire.

If you got one of the super soft compounds then maybe. Also if you happen to ride in a super hot area then maybe - otherwise we are missing something about the application or this is a fluke.

Box! Box! Box!

:)

I have 600 miles on my Pzero Velos and the central molding seam is still visible on the front tire. The rear tire is in good shape though that seam is just barely visible. I should get another 600 miles out of them without issue.

noticed a big drop in wear when the outside temps dropped under 70 during the rides. I thought I'd have to replace the tire by the end of this week at the rate it was wearing last month, but now it's not the case. The traction has significantly decreased now too, as expected. Ran over some shards of unavoidable glass & they were not phased one bit.

Are you running TLR or tubes. I live in the Southeast, not considered by anyone of being cool in the summer, and my TLR's don't seem to mine the heat as far as wear goes.

Tubes in them.

I just got some 2 days ago. Different compound. Will definitely last longer.

"Let's go for the overcut. I'm staying out, guys!"