Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M 700x35C Tire Review
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It’s been a busy summer of gravel riding here at Mountain Road. Everything from multi-day bikepacking trips to extremely challenging gravel races have been undertaken over the last few months and all this riding has resulted in lots of lessons learned and experience gained. It has also provided lots of opportunities to test new products throughout the season. Over the next few weeks, the racing schedule looks a little less congested, which allows for more time to share my thoughts and key-takeaways related to the new additions to my bike. In this post (and the associated video), I'll take a closer look at a new multi-surface tire that I fitted to my bike - the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M 700x35C. Let's dive in to see how it fared throughout all my testing.
Pirelli's Gravel Tire Line-Up
If you’ve been following along with all my cycling adventures over the last few months, then you might remember how I’ve already put Pirelli’s gravel tires through the wringer. Just before the winter, I purchased a set of Hunt 650b wheels and kitted them out with Pirelli’s Cinturato Gravel M 50x650b tires. I’ve already reviewed these tires in full and l wholeheartedly stand by my original findings about how extremely capable they are when the conditions require additional traction. I’ve added many more miles to my 50x650b tires since that review and have been extremely pleased with how well they’ve performed. So much so, that I had a hard time selecting a different tire when it came time to replace my 700C tires.
After wearing out my trusty WTB Nano 700x40C tires, it became time to look for something that could replace it. I had a few requirements for my new tires which included: 1) good grip on loose and / or chunky gravel, and 2) a fast tire with low rolling resistance that would excel on the paved roads. Basically, like a lot of gravel cyclists, I was looking for the holy grail of tires that would be super fast when I needed it to be, but also extremely rugged when required. Did I find it? Not exactly.
This brings us to Pirelli’s gravel tire line-up. Pirelli offers three tire sizes for the 700c wheel size: 35mm, 40mm and 45mm wide. They also offer two variations of their gravel tires in the form of the Gravel H (for hard-packed surfaces) and the Gravel M (for mixed surfaces). I’ve been intrigued by the Gravel H offering and it would most certainly meet my requirement for a faster tire, but most of the gravel riding that I do includes sections that require a tire with a more aggressive tread profile. This left me coming back to the ever-capable Gravel M profile that I enjoy so much on my 50x650b tires.
Picking the Correct Tire Size
After settling on the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M tires, the next question was, what tire size should I go for. This is where my selection method gets a bit subjective. Many riders now-a-days are looking for that perfect tire that can do it all, a true all-rounder. This approach leads many to go for the middle option when picking a tire, and in Pirelli’s case, that would represent the 40mm tire width. However, as with many things in life, being a specialist in a particular area often delivers the best results. When I selected my 50x650b tires, I picked them because they were the widest tires that I could fit into my 3T Exploro’s frame. They fell on the far end of the gravel tire spectrum, which made them a specialty tire for more extreme riding conditions. This selection of a dedicated tire for challenging conditions might just be the reason why they've delivered such great results. They excel in challenging conditions, simply because they're geared towards this type of riding.
WAM (Width as measured) does not always match with the stated width.
This same thinking led me to consider the 700x35C tire over the 40C version, as this represented the other extreme end of the gravel tire spectrum. A 35mm tire borderlines the world of Cyclocross tires (which usually measure in at 33mm) and I've even been asked at gravel events why I'm running a Cyclocross tire on the bike. However, this is not your typical muddy conditions / grassy field Cyclocross tire. There is a bit more to these tires that demands a deeper dive into the specifics. Let’s start things off and address the two requirements that I had for the tire: speed and grip. I'll touch on each of these separately.
Tread Profile (Grip)
Take a quick glance at the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M tires and you’ll be able to tell how the tread profile leans itself to aggressive riding scenarios. There are plenty of knobs, with some good height, that are spaced out over the surface of the tire. This tread pattern provides tightly spaced knobs along the centerline (more about this later), while the outer edges offer lots of confidence-inspiring grip when it comes to tilting the bike into sharp corners. This aggressive tread pattern also means loads of rubber to wear down, giving them excellent long-term durability.
Aggressive side knobs provide lots of cornering confidence
On paper, they definitely ticked the box for a tire that would be able to get me through the rough gravel sections without slipping and sliding around too much. I’ll cover all the real-world performance in a later section, where I’ll discuss how the spec details translate into actual results, but for now, let’s turn our attention to my second requirement: Speed.
Tread Profile (Speed)
As mentioned above, the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M tires come with a fairly tight centerline knob spacing, which in theory, should make them well suited for sections of paved roads along a gravel route. When I selected these tires, I placed a big bet on this centerline to provide the speed that I wanted when conditions leant themselves to fast riding. My reasoning was further extended when I purposefully selected the 35mm version of the tire in the hopes that it would deliver an even speedier ride, given the slimmer profile and lower wind resistance.
Tightly packed center tread helps with rolling resistance on smoother surfaces
I did not factor in the counter-effect that a slimmer profile would have on the centerline tread pattern. To illustrate this, take a close look at the side-by-side photos of the 50x650b and the 35x700C tires. Note how the wider tire size completely changes up the knob layout, including the centerline. On the 35mm tire it might be tightly spaced down the middle, but this only represents a very small part of the tire. When compared to the popular Specialized Pathfinder tires, the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M in the 35mm width certainly offers a narrower centerline. More about this limitation and how it translated to real world performance later.
Weight
Another consideration when deciding between the 35mm and 40mm Gravel M tires was the weight. I still step into the trap of thinking that speed on a gravel setup relies mostly on the weight of the bike and this tire selection unfortunately displays my flawed reasoning. When shopping around for a suitable tire, the weight factored heavily into my decision.
The 700x40C Cinturato Gravel M tire is stated to weigh in at 500g per tire, while the 700x35C version comes in at a claimed weight of 445g per tire. This 110g total weight saving was enough to convince me to go for the slimmer tire.
Actual weight was higher than stated. Note: Weight was only measured after 800 miles (1300km) of use.
Before you instantly give in to your inner Weight Weenie and rush to swap out your heavier gravel tires, first consider the effects that a lighter/slimmer tire might have on ride quality. I’ll touch more on the actual ride feel in a later section, but for now it’s worth noting that lots of research has been done on the subject of optimizing rolling resistance. Weight forms only a small part of this equation. What is far more important is the width of the tire and the pressures to which they are set. Achieving speed on rough gravel requires far more than just a light-weight skinny tire. This is a lesson that I only learned after racing with the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M 700x35C tire for some time.
Installation & Measurement
All too often in bike tire reviews I see the section that deals with the “Ease of installation”, but no reference is made to the type of rim that was used during the installation. The wheel’s internal rim width is by far the most important factor to consider when you want to know how easy it will be to mount a new tire. It also plays a vital role in how wide the tires will inflate once seated on the rim.
I experienced this characteristic firsthand when installing the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M 700x35C tires onto two different wheelsets. One was the most frustrating tire fitment I’ve ever had, while the other was a breeze.
At first, I fitted the tires to my Fulcrum 7 Racing wheels which came as the stock option on my 3T Exploro. These rims measure in very narrow when compared to modern gravel wheels, with the internal rim width coming in at only 19mm. The process of getting a tire onto this rim was an intense wrestling match and one that left me with scars on my hands after numerous attempts to roll the ultra-tight tire bead over the rim. The actual seating of the tire furthermore required that a compressor pump be used to force the tire to sit correctly onto the rim. Once inflated, the actual width came in at 34mm, just a touch under the stated 35mm width.
Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M 700x35C Tires inflated to around 34mm when fitted to a rim with 19mm internal width
The installation process on the second wheelset tells a completely different story. After running into a number of issues with the Fulcrum wheelset, I decided to purchase a DT Swiss G1800 wheelset. The key difference with the DT Swiss wheels is the 24mm internal rim width. Getting the tires onto these rims was an absolute dream. The tires went onto the rim without any fuss and even seating the tubeless tires could be done with a regular floor pump. The measurement once inflated also provided a completely different profile, with the actual width coming in at 36mm. The same tire, fitted to two different wheels, provided a vastly altered final profile and fitment experience.
Real World Performance
It’s time to get into the core of this review and focus on how the tires have performed throughout all my testing. I’ve been able to put a solid 800 miles (~1300km) on these tires and have formed some meaningful conclusions during this time. I have lots of visuals that go along with this section and many of my recent Gravel Ride of the Week videos were filmed while having these tires fitted to the bike. Be sure to check out the Maiden Gravel 100-Miler , TransVirginia Bikepacking, Loudoun 1725 Gravel Grinder, Gravista and GRUSK videos to see what these tires can do.
I‘ll start by circling back to the grip and speed requirements that I set for this tire, but I’ll also mention a few of the other observations that I encountered while riding with the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M 700x35C tires. Let’s get into the details.
Grip
My main take-away with the 50x650b tire review was how extremely capable these tires were when additional grip was required. This same observation is 100% applicable when dealing with the 700x35C version of the tire and they’ve performed exceptionally well during my testing. I do many of my rides in a local state park, where I’m faced with a number of trails that aren’t exactly designed for gravel bikes. I’d say that they are borderline MTB trails, with many of the steep climbs covered in loose gravel.
On these steep trails, I’ve come to gain great respect for the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M 700x35C tires. They are very capable over this terrain and can scale slippery slopes without too much loss of traction. These tires have also taken me up and over some crazy Blue Ridge Mountain climbs during the Gravista gravel race and I never felt that I lacked any traction on the loose and chunky gravel ascends. The downhills, on the other hand, were a slightly different story.
If there’s one catch to the 35mm wide tires it’s this: slimmer tires are exactly that, slimmer. A slimmer chasing has the potential to significantly alter the way that a tire grips, making line choices and bike handling so much more important. Let me explain by way of a few examples.
Let’s assume you’re flying on a fast downhill and hit a section with deep sand or a pile of loose gravel at high speeds. A wider tire will hit this patch and displace the obstacle in a way that allows for more grip. A slimmer tire on the other hand will not create the same level of displacement which can lead to the front wheel instantly wobbling into a super unstable slide. Another example relates to the amount of confidence generated while cornering aggressively. When leaning into loose corners the amount of surface area that is in contact with the ground is less on a slim tire when compared to a wider tire. I’ve seen this on countless downhill sections that I encounter on my regular park rides. When using the 50x650b tires, I’ve been able to comfortably push the pace on tricky descents, but the same level of confidence is missing when riding the 700x35C tires.
The lesson learned here is that grip does not come from the tread pattern alone, but from the total surface area of the tire that is in contact with the ground. While the 700x35C tire offers good grip, even better results can be achieved when using a slightly wider tire. If you’re after a more confidence-inspiring setup, then definitely opt for the 40mm version of this tire over the 35mm one.
Speed
One of the primary reasons why I opted for the 35mm version of this tire was to try to squeeze out some extra speed, thinking that the slimmer tire would allow for additional wind cheating characteristics. This logic works great in theory, but the reality of gravel riding is that the surface type is far different when compared to a perfectly smooth paved road. I mentioned in the Tread Profile section that my decision to opt for the slimmer tire actually restricted the surface area of the tightly spaced centerline and my reliance on this small strip of tread to deliver additional speed didn’t exactly work out as planned. The outer knobs tend to push into the ground a lot more than I had anticipated, adding extra rolling resistance. Given the narrow centerline profile, it just doesn’t deliver that smooth rolling tire that you want when the surface level allows for faster riding.
My overall observation is that this tire isn’t super slow, but it certainly isn’t all that fast either. The aggressive knobs on this tire just cannot be ignored. You’ll be able to hear a noticeable sound coming from the wheels as you ride along a paved road and this sound isn’t coming from the interaction with the road surface alone. The actual wind resistance is actually very audible when riding with these tires and it was something that immediately struck me the first time I rode a fast descent.
Don’t get me wrong, this tire is still very capable of covering long distances over mixed terrain. I completed my whole TransVirginia bikepacking trip (220mile over 2 days) with these tires fitted to my bike. It rolled well over just about any surface that this route threw my way, but there were a few long, paved sections where I wished that I had a less aggressive tire fitted to the wheel.
Stability
I hinted at the rolling resistance optimization earlier in this review and it’s time to revisit that topic now. The stability of a tire over a bumpy surface plays a major role in how much speed you can carry over that surface. If a tire is very unstable and shifts around beneath the bike too much, it can easily lead to unnecessary energy losses which could otherwise have gone into propelling the bike forward.
This might seem like a repetitive argument by now, but the stability of these tires just wasn’t as high as I was expecting, mainly due to the narrower size. I’ve seen what the wider 50x650b tires are capable of, and the 700x35C just aren’t anywhere near this level when it comes to stability. There’s lots more “floating” happening beneath the bike on loose and rocky surfaces and it’s something that demands a higher degree of bike handling skills. I’d say that this tire is capable of going through the rough stuff, but the lack of stability, as compared with a wider tire, might just push the limits of what most riders are comfortable with.
When dealing with stability, there is also another aspect that needs to be addressed and this one relates to how well the tire conforms to the surface it’s riding over. I’m going to split this one out and address the topic of suppleness as a stand-alone concept.
Suppleness
Ah yes, the all-important “suppleness” quality of tires that are so hard to quantify. How do you know you’ve found a supple tire? It’s that first time you hit a rough patch, while on a gravel ride and it feels like you’re simply breezing over the bumpy terrain. This wonderful sensation is sadly missing when it comes to the Pirelli Cinturato tires. I’ve found these tires to be fairly harsh and somewhat unforgiving when riding over rougher roads. The 127 tpi casing of this tire is certainly very well made and features a woven fabric that offers bead-to-bead reinforcement, but the downside of this layering is the loss of suppleness.
Recommended pressure range
I’ve played around with tire pressure quite a bit on this tire, but have yet to find the sweet spot that provides the right level of support, while being comfortable. It’s mostly a trade-off between having a solid (and somewhat harsh) setup, or a lower pressure, which can lead to a soft ride or potentially even bottom-outs when you hit a rock or root. The official recommended pressure ratings as printed on the sidewall of the tire range from 43psi (min) to 72psi (max), but I’ve had to drop the pressure well below that range to get it anywhere near comfortable. On most of my gravel rides, I’ll set them to 40psi, but have on occasions even dipped as low as 36-38psi. Sadly, this tire doesn’t get a very high rating when it comes to suppleness, but what it lacks in one department, it more than makes up in the next – durability.
Durability
As far as durability goes, the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M 700x35C tires have done nothing wrong thus far. The more aggressive knob heights provide lots of rubber on the tire that can stand up to wear. There is no doubt in my mind that these tires will provide excellent long-term use and even after riding with them for 800 miles (1300km), they’re still in great shape. You’ll be able to tell from the pictures throughout this post that the accumulated wear to date is fairly minimal.
Plenty of life left in the tires after 800 miles (1300km) of use
I might not have uncovered the perfect do-it-all tire, but this is surely a tire that will stick around for a long time. If super-fast riding speeds aren’t required and you can live with a slightly more harsh ride feel, then this is a tire that can absolutely be recommended for long-term use. They certainly don’t come cheap and cost around US$70 (at the time of writing), but in the long run, you’ll extract lots of value from them, given the longevity.
Puncture Protection
No off-road tire will be any good if it doesn’t offer some solid puncture protection. In this regard, the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M tires have performed very well. The durable tire casing that I mentioned in the previous sections once again come in handy to assist with puncture protection.
During my time of testing, I only suffered one puncture. This was a rather sizable cut in the tire that didn’t always seal completely. At first, I allowed the tubeless sealant to do its job, but with some additional riding, the hole opened up again, leaving more sealant to spray out as I rode along. I eventually got tired of cleaning off the sticky sealant from my frame after each ride and decided to plug the hole. This worked as expected and I haven’t had any further issues with leaks ever since. One puncture in the grand scheme seems like a fair deal, especially when you consider what I’ve subjected them too and the challenging conditions I’ve thrown their way.
Wrap-Up
In the end, the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M 700x35C tire leans more favorably towards conditions that demand grip, durability, and puncture protection. I’ve highlighted a few of the shortcomings throughout this review and the lack of speed and suppleness stand out as the two major limitations that I see with these tires. The 35mm tire size certainly enhances some of the shortcomings and if I had gone with a wider tire profile, many of the limitations might have been reduced. The 35mm wide tire sits on the far end of the gravel tire spectrum and nearly crosses over into the realm of Cyclocross, but the Cinturato Gravel M tread profile easily places it back into the world of gravel riding, where riding conditions require a wider range of application. The Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M 700x35C is a tire that is extremely capable over a wide selection of surfaces, but unfortunately does not excel in any one of those areas. The saying of "Jack of all trades, master of none” comes to mind when you ride with these tires, especially in the narrow 35mm size. Who is this tire best suited for then? Well, it depends on your requirements. In my opinion, most riders will be more comfortable and feel a higher level of control with the 40mm or even 45mm version of this tire. Which riders will enjoy the 35mm version of this tire? Those who are extremely sensitive to weight, have additional bike handling skills to overcome the lower level of stability and don't mind a slightly more harsh ride feel. The Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M tires are still amongst the best on the market when it comes to overall performance. It's just a matter of selecting the correct size that meets your riding needs.
- Wiehan
