Pirelli Cinturato Adventure gravel tyres

The Pirelli Cinturato Adventure is a quality all-round gravel tyre that is great on the road and perfectly capable on looser surfaces, making it a good bikepacking option.

If you're in the market for new gravel tyres check out our best gravel tyres buyer's guide or our best road bike tyres buyer's guide for more road-orientated rubber.

I tested the Gravel RC version of these tyres a couple of months ago and really enjoyed using them – they were good on the road and performed just as well on looser surfaces, while being comfortable and gripping well.

The main differences between the two tyres are in their grip patterns and the compounds used, as well as the price. The Gravel RC tyres boast a SpeedGrip compound in the tread and Techwall on the walls – the Adventures feature a ProCompound Gravel tread and Pirelli's new Pro WallGravel tubeless-ready casing sidewalls.

The Adventure has a much shallower pattern across the central band of the tread and smaller knobs on the shoulders, for its greater focus on bikepacking, puncture resistance and endurance, with the Gravel RC designed more for off-road grip and speed.

As you would expect from those aims, the Adventures work best on the road and compacted gravel surfaces, and if you venture off road they're not as fast as the Gravel RCs. While they did prove perfectly capable off road, in wetter conditions they lacked the grip of tyres designed primarily for off-road use. On well-worn gravel tracks I had no problems, and though there were no major issues once I hit the mud, there was definitely less grip and they didn't shed mud as well as the Gravel RCs, particularly on the shoulder knobs.

Rolling resistance is good on the road, which is no surprise given the tread patterns and a compound that is more focused on multi-surface use. Given the tyre's bikepacking ambitions, there is a greater focus on durability both in terms of its lifespan and puncture resistance. The review period is obviously limited in judging their longer-term prospects, but I didn't see any signs of degradation during testing. I suffered no punctures with either these or the Gravel RCs, so I think's it's safe to say that both compounds appear to work well in preventing punctures.

Pirelli hasn't just added puncture protection to the tops, but has also included ProWall compound on the sidewalls, which is designed to give better protection against lateral cuts. This offers 60tpi (threads per inch) protection, compared with the 120tpi offered by the higher-spec Gravel RCs – but seemed to offer a similar protection for the kind of the riding I was doing.

> Fitting tubeless tyres – learn how with this simple guide

One of the reasons for the lack of punctures may be that these were set up as tubeless, which both decreases the likelihood of punctures, and reduces the chances of noticing a small puncture, which will automatically be sealed by the sealant.

They were also pleasingly easy to set up too – they were easy to seat on the rim without requiring a blast from a tubeless-specific pump, which is always a bonus. I haven't noticed any sealant leakages and after the first ride, where the sealant was spread around the inside of the tyre, air loss has been minimal.

Their 595g weight compares with 520g for the Gravel RCs, which is unsurprising given their extra size and the added focus on durability. They're also heavier than similar tyres such as the Bontrager GR2 Team Issue TLR Gravel, which are just 414g each. Vredestein's Aventuras also carry less weight, coming in at 430g. That said, much of the extra weight of the Pirellis comes from their extra puncture protection and the additional sidewall reinforcement.

Value

The Adventures may be heavier than the Bontrager GR2 Team Issue TLR Gravel Tyre that Vecchiojo rated very highly, but the Pirellis do come in around a tenner cheaper, which I think is a pretty reasonable price for tyres with this level of technology and performance.

Matt was equally positive about the Vredestein Aventura gravel tyre, praising it for its low weight and impressive grip, but at £49 it's also more expensive than the Pirelli.

And while not technically a gravel tyre in spite of its name, Hollis reckoned that the TLC Panaracer GravelKing Slick TLC excelled in on-road/bad road scenarios, which is some of the same ground the Pirellis are designed to tackle.

Conclusion

I was impressed by the Pirelli Adventures. They don't offer quite the same level of performance or speed as the Gravel RCs, but overall and for the sort of cycling they're designed for, they're hard to fault. There is a weight disadvantage compared with similar tyres, but to be honest, if I was going on an adventure holiday, I'd rather carry a little extra weight if it reduces the chance of puncturing.

Verdict

A good all-rounder tyre for adventuring and bikepacking