Pirelli is in the final prototype testing phase of its new P Zero Velo tubeless road tire. In announcing the reaffirmation of its partnership with Mitchelton Scott (both men and women), Pirelli also recently announced that the team is working with Pirelli engineers to further improve the performance and final tuning of the P Zero Velo tubeless tire.
The Italian performance rubber brand has made a strong return to cycling since 2017, but one product is a premium tubeless road tire.
A hint of what customers can expect from Pirelli's highly anticipated P Zero Velo tubeless road racing tire was revealed by Women's World Tour Mitchelston Scott Team rider and world champion Annemieke van Fluten.
The tires Annemike van Fluten used in the recent classic race, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, were Pirelli P Zero Velo tubular road tires, which are currently only available to professional riders. However, for fans of the Pirelli brand who are keen on tubeless riding, Anne-Mike's training bike is far more interesting.
The Dutch cyclist is currently logging non-competitive mileage on a prototype P Zero Velo tubeless tire. Images released by the Mitchelton Scott team reveal a bit more about these tires.
Pirelli has not revealed specific details about the tubeless development of the P Zero Velo, but there are clear hints in the tread and appearance of Annemike's tires.
An image of Annemike van Fruten's Scott Addict RC disc released in January clearly shows the compressed Z tread pattern, with the typical yellow logo replaced by a gray outline of the Pirelli brand name.
As in the tradition of truly good tire design, it is often a case of reinvention rather than revolution. Pirelli's designers seem to have drawn inspiration from past road bike tire designs. The tires also have visible sipes for draining water.
The tires on Annemieke van Fruten's Mitchelton Scott training bike also appear to be slightly larger in volume. This is probably in keeping with the trend for tubeless road rubber to be designed to run at lower pressures in order to optimize rolling resistance.
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