Pirelli P Zero Race TLR SL tyre

The Pirelli P Zero Race TLR SL is the fastest tyre in Pirelli's range and is claimed to have 'ultimate performance capabilities' while still being capable of 'everyday' riding. During testing, I've found that, although not the absolute quickest tyre out there, they certainly are speedy and very lightweight. If you can stomach the price, they're worth considering as they handle well in both the dry and wet, as well as having more rubber depth for good durability and puncture protection than other pure 'race' tyres.

The P Zero Race TLR SLs are one of two new sets to drop from Pirelli recently. The tyres have been developed with the help of pros from Mitchelton Scott and Trek Segrafredo, so it's no surprise that they are designed for racing. Both of the new sets feature the same smartEvo compound but differ in tread pattern and depth; this results in the SL version that I'm testing being significantly lighter than the non-SLs, which are marketed for more all-round use. (There's a full review of those coming.)

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The TLR SL tyres are available in 24, 26 and 28mm sizes, forgoing anything larger as they're designed purely for performance. I've got the 26mm version on test and found that they're even lighter than their 245g claimed weight, coming in at 236g per tyre on the road.cc Scales of Truth. That's insanely light for a tubeless tyre; for comparison, the pretty lightweight 26mm S-Works Turbo RapidAir tyres weigh 267g apiece, and a typical all-rounder tyre such as a Continental Grand Prix 5000 TL weighs 302g per tyre in a slightly smaller 25mm size.

Fitting the tyres was pretty straightforward – they weren't quite as easy to inflate as the new Goodyear Eagle F1s that I've been testing (full review to come), but neither were they particularly problematic like I found the Cadex Race 25s.

During the testing period I fitted the tyres to a set of Scribe Race-D wheels with an internal rim width of 19mm, a Roval CLX50 wheelset with a 21mm internal width, and some DT Swiss R32s with an 18mm internal width. I had no issues and the tyres went on all three sets with a quick blast from a tubeless inflator. It's worth noting that only the 28mm tyres are suitable for newer hookless tubeless rims because of the smaller width tyres requiring pressures which are too high.

Speaking of different rim widths, Pirelli provides a helpful guide for inflation pressures depending on rim width, which tyre size you've opted for, and your weight. As inflation pressure can completely change both the performance and comfort of a tyre, I'm surprised that more manufacturers haven't gone to the same lengths.

As a 71kg rider on 26mm tyres, I followed the guide and went for 88psi on my 19mm internal width rims and 83psi on 21mm rims. For comfort or use in the wet I'd recommend dropping these a few psi but in dry conditions the recommended pressures certainly felt fastest and are a really good starting point.

> Read our guide: How to choose the best tyre pressure

Out on the road and the tyres certainly felt fast, and this is backed up by independent testing by Bicycle Rolling Resistance (BRR) – but BRR's testing does also highlight that there are faster tyres out there. For example, the Continental GP5000TL is phenomenally fast, especially considering its versatility.

Although BRR testing has found the TLR SL ever so slightly slower than some race tyres, such as the Vittoria Corsa Speed, they appear to be less fragile. Thanks to the lack of racing at the moment I've been using the Pirellis in some conditions which, to be honest, they weren't designed for, and they've handled it very well. Despite their low weight, the Pirellis have ample sidewall thickness to prevent life-ending cuts, and although plenty of tyres are more durable, these haven't fared at all badly for a race tyre.

> How to avoid punctures: 11 top tips

During the past month I've used the tyres for about 800km of mixed condition riding and they haven't started to square off yet, which leads me to believe I'll get about 2,000km out of them before replacement. This is marginally better than my experience with other race tyres, such as Specialized's Turbo Cottons and Maxxis' HighRoad SLs (review to come).

The tyres are plenty grippy enough and I've not come unstuck despite plenty of slippery descents and greasy climbs. The rubber compound strikes a good balance between grip and durability without sacrificing rolling resistance. Pirelli has plenty of experience at designing rubber compounds – it is, after all, responsible for Formula 1 tyres. Although manufactured in Hutchinson's French factory, the compound is apparently shipped over directly from Pirelli in Italy so can be completely controlled by Pirelli.

The tyres are built on a 120TPI casing, which seems to be becoming the standard for tubeless road tyres and helps give the Pirellis a confident and close road feel. Having such a light carcass often helps to make a tyre more supple and that seems to be the case here. For riding quality, I rate these highly, marginally better than a Conti GP5000 but still not quite able to beat my favourite Vittoria Corsa Speeds mentioned earlier.

A less positive characteristic is the price: the SL has an RRP of £64.99 which is certainly at the premium end of the market. This is especially hard to swallow for a race tyre that isn't going to last as long as other expensive tyres, such as the GP5000 (£69.95). That said, they are less fragile than the Vittorias I keep banging on about while costing exactly the same.

Conclusion

Overall, the TLR SL is certainly a fast tyre and lighter than most of its opposition, which makes them ideal for hill climbs, and the balanced compound means they should be more durable than most race tyres. However, they are expensive, and the non-SL version would seem to give away very little in terms of speed while adding extra tread and puncture protection. On the whole, the Pirellis offer very similar performance to a set of Continental GP5000TLs which is no mean feat, and in my experience they're easier to fit, although the heavier Contis will last longer.

Verdict

Lightweight and fast – if not quite the fastest – tubeless race tyres