Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H tyre 700x40

Pirelli's Cinturato Gravel H tyres roll well along the hard terrain that they're designed for, and although not as supple as some, they're hardwearing and robust enough for rocky routes.

The H in the name stands for 'Hard Terrain', with Pirelli saying that this tyre is best for compact surfaces. For muddier and looser conditions Pirelli also makes the M variety – for mixed terrain.

> Buy now: Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H tyre 700x40 from Lordgun for £34.07

The Cinturato H features an almost smooth centre section to aid rolling resistance, and then bigger shoulder knobs to provide off-road capability. The low, tightly packed knobs around the centre mean that there's a large contact area on the firm terrain they're designed for. Many hardpack gravel tyres feature a similar tread pattern – for example, the Goodyear County Ultimate Tubeless Gravel or Specialized Pathfinder Pro 2Bliss Ready tyres.

The 700C tyres on test are 40mm wide, and the Cinturato H is also available in narrower and wider guises – 35 or 45mm – and also in 650B form, in 45 and 50mm widths.

At 489g apiece on our scales (480g claimed), the Pirellis aren't too heavy, though they're not exactly light. The Panaracer GravelKing SK tyres that they replaced weigh 60g less, but they are 2mm narrower. Schwalbe's G-Ones are often regarded as the benchmark for all-round tyres, and are a comparable weight for a similar width.

Although a lighter tyre is often quicker because of a lower rotational mass, that's of little benefit if you're stood by the side of the track at a standstill with a puncture. To help prevent this, the Pirellis have a reinforced casing construction featuring a woven-fabric bead-to-bead layer. Having puncture protection from bead to bead basically means you get beefed-up sidewalls, which is particularly important on rocky terrain where a sidewall slash would more than likely end your ride.

During a warm month of testing, the Cinturatos have taken a battering on my local bridleways, fire-roads and even off-road trails that they really weren't designed for. The tyres haven't skipped a beat – not one puncture, despite regular visits to rock gardens and flint-filled tracks.

Grip has also been good – as good as I could expect from a gravel tyre, anyway. I've felt confident when chucking the bike into loose gravel or dirty corners and the shoulder knobs bite really well.

The only times I've felt slightly less confident on the tyres is on fast road descents; there's a noticeable transition between the centre tread and shoulder which can be offputting when turning at speed – although it's by no means limited to these tyres. This does, however, give an indication of just how well they roll along – I felt little difference between the Pirellis and a set of 33mm slick tyres.

One area that I feel could be improved is the suppleness of the tyre. If heading off-road then I tended to run the tyres at around 35psi, increasing this to 45 if sticking to the tarmac. Despite the 127tpi compound, it did feel harsher at comparable pressures than other gravel tyres I've used, such as the Panaracer GravelKing ACs.

> How to choose your tyre pressure for speed, comfort and grip

This is most likely because of the compound and thicker sidewalls, and is by no means a deal-breaker – rather, a compromise that could well be necessary depending on the terrain you ride. This could also be improved if you use wider rims: Pirelli claims that the Cinturato is optimised for wider modern rims, which would increase the tyre volume and aid comfort. I was testing them on a set of rims with a 19mm internal width.

The tyres are also tubeless-ready, which means they can be run at lower pressures without the risk of pinch flats. Fitting them without tubes, they popped onto my rims with relative ease, although they did take some work to get seated properly.

The Cinturatos also seem to be harder wearing than the GravelKing ACs and Schwalbe's G-One Bites, which is an important factor if you require them to do a lot of road miles, as they're not cheap.

With an RRP of £54.99 each they're a fiver less than the quite similar Goodyears I mentioned earlier, but there are cheaper options available, such as the Panaracer GravelKing SKs that David rated highly, now £44.99, and others in the guide below.

> Buyer’s Guide: 25 of the best gravel and adventure tyres

Overall, the Cinturato H performs well, in the right conditions. If you plan on sticking to roads and canal paths then I'd probably go for something a bit lighter and with a more continuous tread pattern, such as the Schwalbe G-One, and if you plan on finding wet mud then I'd go for something like the Panaracer GravelKing AC. If, however, you want a do-it-all, fast-rolling, hard-terrain tyre with a bucketload of puncture protection that can cope with rocky conditions, these Pirellis are well worth considering.

Verdict

Hardwearing and robust gravel tyre for compact and rocky terrain