What do Continental and Michelin have in common? They both compete with Pirelli on the streets, and now that competition will include road bikes, too again.
The high end automotive tire is getting back into bicycle tires, starting with the launch of the PZero Velo this summer. Distribution and deliver should follow in the fall throughout Europe, North America and Apac regions. They’ll borrow the race-level PZero moniker as well as the Formula One color coding to denote casing and tread styles. Full press release below…
PRESS RELEASE (FROM PIRELLI): Pirelli returns to cycling and launches a new line of road racing bike tyres: PZero Velo.
The PZero name evokes Pirelli’s iconic brand, for over thirty years a symbol of high technology, exclusive solutions and high performance. It is no coincidence then that Pirelli has chosen to identify the new range of tyres designed for road racing bicycles with this famous brand.
The colour code of the new Pirelli tyresí tread also evokes PZero’s language from Formula One: Silver for Road Racing, red for the Time Trial and blue for the Four Seasons.
The range will be available in September this year and will be distributed in Europe, North America and Apac regions. The new tyres can also be ordered online via the ecommerce site specially developed by the company, which aims to offer consumers digital services and tailor-made products.
The contents of the veloworld.pirelli.com site will also be tailor-made, created ad hoc to tell stories from the world of two wheels.
For the new range of high-performance bicycle tyres, Pirelli uses technological know-how matured in 110 years of competitions. Outstanding performances in the world of four- and two-wheel drive, has led Pirelli to be the only supplier of F1 single-seaters since 2011. Plus, the longest tyre supplier in the history of the Superbike World Championship and beyond to provide 350 national and international championships around the world.
Pirelli has been a part of glorious cycling success stories in the past. It’s enough to remember that in the first edition of Giro d’Italia (year 1909), the company was the partner of the event and 30 of the 49 finalists used the company’s tyres. Among the many famous cyclists that rode on Pirelli tyres at the time, one name is to mention: Fausto Coppi, that chose Pirelli tyres for his Bianchi bike.
“We are excited about this return to cycling,” says Antonella Lauriola, COO Business Unit Velo Pirelli. “For our bike tyres, we draw on a unique heritage of knowledge, technology and sporting experience. Pirelli’s offer today is completed with tyres made for those consumers who look for innovative and technological bike products as they do for their cars and bikes. We chose to start from the racing segment, which is the most challenging in technical terms, but also the most consistent with our race-marked history.”
The launch of PZero Velo to the international press will take place in mid-June, in the hi-tech frame of Pirelli’s testing centre in Milan. The new line of Pirelli bicycle tyres will also be on display at the Eurobike (D) show.
