When Will Pirelli Launch Their Cycl-e Bike Tire?
If you follow the cycling-related news or frequent popular industry websites, you may have heard about the Pirelli Cycl-e line, which promises to deliver better urban performance, especially on e-bikes.
Pirelli advertises that their Cycl-e bicycle tires are designed for safer, faster, and more sustainable cycling in urban environments, especially for riders on e-bikes.
Initially, a one-off tire bearing the name made its debut at Eurobike 2017, where it was custom made for Stromer’s ST5 e-bike. At the time, the company expected to use it as a launch point for a program whereby they could develop custom tires for any manufacturer’s entire lineup, or only for a specific model.
Then, at the 2018 expo, several outlets reported a much broader Cycl-e range was expected to ship in October.
Now that this date has passed, though, with no indication that it’s currently available to consumers, we reached out to Pirelli for additional insight into pricing and availability. The company hadn’t immediately responded, but here’s what we know as of this writing.
Taking a Closer Look at Pirelli’s Cycl-e Bike Tires
Overall, there are a total of three Cycl-e models in the lineup, which are available in five different versions.
Cycl-e Model Similarities
Each tire has more in common with its brethren than otherwise, including a rigid bead, reflective sidewalls, a grippy rubber compound dubbed ‘Reflex,’ and the partial use of recycled car tires for greater sustainability. The tread and carcass also feature different rubber compounds for optimal grip on the tread, as well as puncture protection on the carcass.
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Except for the GT model (more soon), each Cycl-e model is also available in traditional and Sport versions. The difference?
According to sites like Bike.eu.com and CyclingWeekly, the traditional versions feature deeper, more pronounced grooving to improve safety in the broadest range of conditions. On the other hand, the Sport version comes with a slick center tread and longitudinal grooving, which is designed to minimize rolling resistance, maximize speed, and reduce noise and vibration.
Related: Learn How Bike Tires Are Manufactured
Note: Many of these same outlets reported that the Cycl-e tire is e-bike specific, although based on the language used on Pirelli’s website, this doesn’t necessarily seem to be the case. Again, we’re awaiting confirmation.
In the meantime, let’s zoom in and take a closer look at their differences.
Cycl-e Model Differences
Cycle-e Downtown (DT)
As its name implies, the DT Cycl-e tires are geared solely toward all-weather urban cycling. Pirelli advertises their outstanding grip, high rolling efficiency, excellent reliability, smoothness, cornering, and acceleration.
They’re available in eight different versions:
| Pirelli Cycl-e Downtown (DT) | |
| Size | Weight |
| 700 x 37C – Standard | 780 g |
| 700 x 42C – Standard | 930 g |
| 700 x 47C – Standard | 1,050 g |
| 700 x 50C – Standard | 1,180 g |
| 700 x 32C – Sport | 690 g |
| 700 x 37C – Sport | 780 g |
| 700 x 42C – Sport | 930 g |
| 700 x 47C – Sport | 1,050 g |
Cycle-e GranTurismo (GT)
The GT version of the Cycl-e tire is based around the characteristics and versatility of Pirelli’s urban-oriented motorcycle tires, which make it ideal, they say, for confident, faster riding on “both city streets and the winding tracks of urban parks.” In other words, if you own a higher-performing e-bike, Pirelli emphasizes this might be the tire for you.
Granturismo only comes in one model, and in five different sizes:
| Pirelli Cycl-e Downtown (DT) | |
| Size | Weight |
| 700 x 37C | 780 g |
| 700 x 42C | 930 g |
| 700 x 50C | 1,180 g |
| 26” x 54C | 1,030 g |
| 650b x 57C | 1,230 g |
Cycl-e Crossterrain (XT)
The Crossterrain (XT) takes it one step further by adding deeper grooves and chunkier side knobs for superior performance in urban settings, as well as on looser, more challenging terrain, such as gravel country roads and other light off-road applications.
They’re available in eight different versions and sizes:
| Pirelli Cycl-e Downtown (DT) | |
| Size | Weight |
| 700 x 37C – Standard | 780 g |
| 700 x 42C – Standard | 930 g |
| 700 x 47C – Standard | 1,050 g |
| 700 x 50C – Standard | 1,180 g |
| 700 x 32C – Sport | 690 g |
| 700 x 37C – Sport | 780 g |
| 700 x 42C – Sport | 930 g |
| 700 x 47C – Sport | 1,050 g |
MIA: Pirelli Cycl-e Pricing & Availability
With appearances at two Eurobike events in a row, as well as a vastly expanded model range year-over-year, it seems that Pirelli has big plans for the Cycl-e lineup. And given the fact that the global e-bike market is projected to reach more than $24 billion by 2025 according to Statista.com, their target market is set to grow by leaps and bounds in a relatively short timeframe.
Despite its relatively high-profile appearances, though, there remains little information about when the Cycl-e bike tires will hit the market, exactly where these markets will be, and the pricing that cyclists can expect.
Again, we’ve reached out for additional details, so be sure to bookmark this article and we’ll update it as soon as we receive a response from Pirelli.
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