Road Bike Tire Test: Pirelli P Zero Road 26

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  • Pirelli P Zero Road 26
Performance compared to all other road bike tires
(100% is best)
Pro Members get 11-point radar charts



Pirelli P Zero Road 26 road bike tire on a rolling resistance test machine

Pirelli recently released the P Zero Race and P Zero Road as their latest high-performance tube-type (clincher) road bike tires. The P Zero Race aims at the high-performance crowd as an all-round tire for racing and training. On the other hand, the P Zero Road is a training tire that should last longer, comes with more protection, and provides better grip.


Ad Buy Pirelli P Zero Road at Amazon.com


We already tested the P Zero Race (read review) a couple of months ago, and we weren't impressed by its performance in our tests. We're curious how the Road version holds up in our tests, and we feel it should give an excellent explanation of the differences between these tires.


When purely looking at the specifications, we can't find that many differences between the Race and Road versions. Both come with a 127 TPI casing and a TechBELT anti-puncture strip under the center of the tread. The main difference can be found in the compounds as the Race comes with the "SmartEVO" compound while the Road comes with the "Evo" compound.


The P Zero Road is available in the 24-622, 26-622, and 28-622 sizes. As usual, we've gone with the 26-622 version and put it through all our tests.

Manufacturer Specifications


Manufacturer Specifications
Brand Pirelli
Model P Zero Road
Year 2021
Tire Type Tubetype (clincher)
Supplied By Bought in store
New or Used New
Mileage 0 km
Price Range High
Buy At Ad Amazon.com
Manufacturer part number 3894800
EAN8019227398489
TPI 127
Compound Evo Compound
Bead Folding
ETRTO 26-622
Size Inch 28"
Specified Width (mm) 26
Specified Weight 235 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi) 116
Made In Members Only
Available Sizes 24-622 (700x24c)
26-622 (700x26c)
28-622 (700x28c)

Pirelli P Zero Road 26 Test Results

Pirelli P Zero Road 26 road bike tire on a rolling resistance test machine

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements


Size, Weight and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight 235 grams
Measured Weight 222 grams
System Adjusted Weight
(tire + inner tube (100 gr)
322 grams
Measured Width 26 mm (un-round)
Measured Height 22 mm (un-round)
Total Tire Thickness Center 2.6 mm
Total Tire Thickness Sidewall Members Only
Unmounted Casing Width 65 mm
Unmounted Tread Width Members Only
Tread Cover (Tread / Casing Ratio) Members Only
All size measurements are taken at an air pressure of 100 psi / 6.9 bars on a 17.8 mm inner width rim.

Rolling Resistance Test Results


Rolling Resistance Test Results
Inner Tube Conti Race28 (100gr butyl)
Measured Width 26 mm (un-round)
Rolling Resistance
Real tire width in mm:
22-24 = 132 psi/9.1 bar
25-27 = 120 psi/8.3 bar
28-29 = 108 psi/7.4 bar
Ultra High Air Pressure

(120 psi / 8.3 bar)
13.7 Watts
CRR: 0.00411
Rolling Resistance
Real tire width in mm:
22-24 = 110 psi/7.6bar
25-27 = 100 psi/6.9 bar
28-29 = 90 psi/6.2 bar
Extra High Air Pressure

(100 psi / 6.9 bar)
14.8 Watts
CRR: 0.00444
Rolling Resistance
Real tire width in mm:
22-24 = 88 psi/6.1 bar
25-27 = 80 psi/5.5 bar
28-29 = 72 psi/5.0 bar
High Air Pressure

(80 psi / 5.5 bar)
Members Only
Rolling Resistance
Real tire width in mm:
22-24 = 66 psi/4.6 bar
25-27 = 60 psi/4.1 bar
28-29 = 54 psi/3.7 bar
Medium Air Pressure

(60 psi / 4.1 bar)
Members Only
The Road Bike 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

Pirelli P Zero Road 26 road bike tire on a rolling resistance test machine
Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Total Puncture Score Tread 42 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 2.6 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle Members Only
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle Members Only
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness Members Only

Static Grip Test Results

Pirelli P Zero Road road bike tire on a grip test machine
Static Grip Test Results
Wet Grip Average 68 Points
Wet Grip Center Members Only
Wet Grip Edge Members Only
Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100
Road bike grip test rim width = 19.0 mm

Conclusion


  • Pirelli P Zero Road 26
Performance compared to all other road bike tires
(100% is best)

Pro Members get 11-point radar charts

Again, we're not impressed by Pirelli's latest tube-type training tire. We're not sure this would be a good training tire as it doesn't show outstanding performance in the puncture tests or tread thickness measurements. Because of the higher weight, we expected better puncture resistance and a thicker tread when compared to the Race version of this tire. The P Zero Road does outperform the Race version in the wet grip tests where it shows average grip, which would be our minimum recommendation for a training tire.


A possible explanation of the unexpected results might be found in the fact that the P Zero Road comes out of a completely different factory than all other Pirelli tires we've tested up to now. Although Pirelli indicates the specifications are nearly the same, there are more significant differences than you might expect.

Ad Buy Pirelli P Zero Road at Amazon.com


RATING: 3.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT:
Recommended


Comments



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