Pirelli Builds Cinturato Gravel S to Grip Hard in Deep, Loose Rock

If you plan to churn through the deep stuff, you might want to look at Pirelli’s new rubber.

For rough, techy trails where riders have to prioritize safety and grip first, Pirelli today introduced the Cinturato Gravel S.

What stands out about the Cinturato S is its sculpted tread pattern. The brand formulated it by walking back the Scorpion S MTB pattern. That layout, designed for the softest substrates like deep loam or sticky mud, uses offset center knobs and transitional side knobs to stay anchored in the fluff.

Check out the Cinturato S, and you’ll see a less-aggressive application of the same thing. Lower-profile knobs in a similar pattern with softer angles should lead to less rolling resistance.

Pirelli Cinturato S Rubber

Like the rest of the Cinturato lineup, the new tire uses Pirelli’s SpeedGRIP compound. The company developed the proprietary compound specifically for gravel based on its motorcycle racing experiences at the World Rally Championship.

To build it, engineers started with the MTB-focused SmartGRIP and sought to cut rolling resistance. Better energy efficiency led to some sacrifice in grip, according to Pirelli. Gravel riders, of course, need both relative to MTBers: less squish and less grab.

Bead-to-Bead Casing; Purchasing

Pirelli combined its road- and MTB-focused materials to get a casing that made sense for gravel. Considering most road punctures come through the treads and most off-road punctures come through the sidewall, it reinforced the Cinturato S with a 120tpi fabric from bead to bead.

You can get the tubeless-ready Pirelli Cinturato S in 40-622 and 45-622 with either a black or gum wall. MSRP is $83 for the 40mm and $85 for the 45mm.

Pirelli Builds Cinturato Gravel S to Grip Hard in Deep, Loose Rock

Pirelli drew materials and designs from its MTB and road tires to construct the Cinturato S — the grippiest tire in the gravel array. Read more…