Pirelli keeps filling out their more refined and ever-growing mountain bike tire line-up, now adding a wider 2.4″ version of the Scorpion XC RC cross-country race tire. It’s a subtle update for their fastest-rolling MTB tire. But with larger volume and both extra-light or reinforced casing options, it’ll go a long way towards expanding the real application of this fast, small-knobbed XC tire from beyond race day to riding dry, hardpack trails as well.
Pirelli Scorpion XC RC 2.4″ wider cross-country tire opens up to dry trails
While we’re probably still most anxious to learn more about their all-new upcoming gravity tires developed under Fabien Barel, Pirelli has slipped out a wider 2.4″ XC tire that’s maybe more useful to a great number of riders. Keeping the same tread pattern as the original 2.2″ XC RC that debuted just over a year ago, only scaled up to be 10% wider, it’s still meant for going fast over the same generally hardpacked terrain – with low & continuous fast-rolling center blocks that transition to wider, open should lugs for cornering grip.
But as even more than the original that was designed for the varied surface of the XCO World Cup race circuit with Trek-Pirelli MTB team racers, this substantially larger volume lets riders run significantly lower pressure to find grip over the occasional wet rock & root.
This is still generally a dry conditions tire, not really intended for much mud which can clog its lugs. But now optimized for the light 30mm internal rims that are popping up even under XC pros, it likely becomes a more versatile tire overall – especially for more hardpack singletrack riding in its reinforced sidewall version.
Tech Details
Construction is exactly the same as the original XC RC, with supple 120tpi casing and Pirelli’s single compound SmartGrip rubber. Much like the rest of the lightweight XC range, two sidewall options are offered with the same light casing. Lite omits any extra reinforcement to maximize speed & suppleness. And ProWall adds an extra layer of woven nylon reinforcement at the sidewalls to protect against cuts and also offer more sidewall support at lower pressures.
One new feature that seems to be mostly aesthetic (and that also popped up on the latest P7 road tire), the new 2.4″ Scorpion XC RC gets Pirelli’s signature sidewall patterning, much like you see on their motorsports tires.
The 29er-only 2.4″ tire is said to add 50g over the 2.2″ version with claimed weights of 650g in Lite casing or 700g in ProWall casing. The ProWall test samples we got ahold of weighed even a bit under that at 691 & 699g, respectively (695g average).
Pirelli Scorpion XC RC 2.4″ – Pricing & availability
Available only in team yellow sidewall labels, the wider Pirelli Scorpion XC RC 2.4″ tires have officially appeared on Pirelli’s website, but are still trickling our to various retailers. We don’t have official pricing from Pirelli other than that they should be around the cost of the 2.2″ version ($70 / 60€). But we have seen a couple shops already offering them, selling for the same price.
Update: Official pricing from Pirelli is $75 / 60€ for the Scorpion XC RC 2.4″.
