'Fastest,' 'most performing' yet surprisingly comfortable: a first ride review of Pirelli's new flagship tire

Celebrated Italian tire manufacturer Pirelli announced the launch of a new flagship tire today. Made in partnership with the Lidl Trek WorldTour team, the all-new P Zero Race TLR RS sits at the very top of the brand's offerings, unseating the P Zero Race TLR when it comes to pure performance. 

Perhaps better known for its 120 years of experience of making tires for motosports, Pirelli returned to the bicycle market in 2017 with decent success, leveraging its partnership with the Lidl-Trek WorldTour team to develop its high-performance models.

Ahead of today's product launch, Lidl-Trek's team mechanics had a busy night prepping for Stage 10 of the Giro d'Italia in Pompei. They swapped all the team's wheels from the previously branded Pirelli #Prototype tires to the official version embossed with P ZERO Race TLR RS on the side walls. 

The RS moniker stands for "Racing Speed," and the tubeless-ready tires were optimized around rolling resistance, handling, weight and wet-weather grip. 

The Italian brand says that while the tire is certainly capable of endurance road riding, the P Zero Race TLR RS was "developed specifically for racing purposes, being our fastest and most performing cycling tire to date." Superlatives aside, however, Pirelli did not offer any stats or specific details in regard to the RS's performance over its predecessor. 

The tire is the result of lessons learned in developing the rest of the Zero tire family and boasts familiar, though improved, technologies such as:

• Pirelli's patent-pending SpeedCore technology, which consists of a thin, airtight layer of rubber compound infused with aramid particles, aims to lighten the casing structure and overall thickness and reduce rolling resistance.
• The brand's so-called SmartEVO compound, which combines three different polymers into one compound, has been improved to increase speed and provide better handling and grip in dry and wet conditions.
• Finally, the tire sports a newer TLR (tubeless ready) bead design for increased air retention and rim compatibility –hookless included– with more wheel manufacturers. All were developed to meet ETRTO and ISO standards.

The hookless rim compatibility is important to note here, as the previous flagship tire, the P Zero Race TL, underwent a voluntary product recall due to incompatibility. The recall affected some 14,500 tires worldwide and came after the brand received reports of rapid air loss resulting in minor injuries. Apparently, a certain rim-tire-pressure combination led to an unsecure bead retention, compromising the safety of the whole wheel system,

These issues were addressed and won't pose a problem in the new tire, a Pirelli spokesperson told Cycling Weekly.  Not only had only a small set of tires within the larger production runs been affected, these new "RS" tires are being manufactured in Italy in a factory adjacent to the brand's headquarters for more oversight.

The P Zero Race TLR RS tires are available in 26mm, 28mm, 30mm and 32mm widths, and come with the premium price tag of USD 99.90 / £84.99 / € 89.90.

AUD: 144.90. And the existing P Zero Race TLR is now repriced at $89.90 / €70.90, and repositioned as a "great all-around race tire with additional durability." 

First Ride Impressions

We received a set of the new RS tires in the 700 x 28mm size a few weekends ahead of the launch, just enough to get some first test rides in through some Spring showers and fake-summer heat alike. 

The first thing to note about the new RS tires is that they're remarkably easy and quiet to fit. With just some mild air pressure and a single 'pop' the wheels were set. 

The second noteworthy observation is that while these tires roll along speedily, they're surprisingly comfortable and supple for a race tire. The ride quality is very pleasant and noticeably smoother than the common Continental GP5000 or Vittoria Corsa Pro performance tires. They're also quite light, weighing in at 290 grams for the 700 x 28mm model, which is 5 grams lighter than the P Zero Race TLR we previously reviewed. 

The wet-road performance impressed, too, instantly installing a sense of trust in the grip and handling. 

Made for racing and pure performance,  speed, comfort, weight and grip took priority over durability and protection. Our brief testing period hasn't allowed us to assess the tire's puncture- resistance and wear, though based on their predecessor's track record, we'd anticipate some decent use out of them. Of course, at $99.90 per tire, one would expect no less. 

Our initial tests of the new RS tires have left us impressed. Pirelli set out to make a fast, comfortable and grippy tire, and it indeed ticks all those boxes. A full review will follow once we've had the opportunity to thoroughly test these tires over an extended period. Stay tuned for further insights into their long-term performance and durability.