Pirelli Cinturato Gravel RC-X tyre review

Pirelli’s Cinturato Gravel RC-X tyre is effectively a Cinturato Gravel RC on steroids, with the ‘X’ standing for ‘extreme’. 

It has been designed to withstand the demands of gravel racing and bikepacking, while balancing speed with puncture resistance on mixed terrain. 

With the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel RC scoring a very rare 5 stars in our review, this souped-up sibling has a lot to live up to. 

In testing, the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel RC-X proved similarly impressive in almost all conditions. I just wish it was offered in wider sizes. 

Pirelli Cinturato Gravel RC-X tyre details and specifications

The Cinturato Gravel RC-X is a new addition to the Cinturato family, sitting alongside the racier Cinturato Gravel RC and the all-rounder Cinturato Gravel M. 

The brand also has the hardpack-optimised Cinturato Gravel H and the mud-oriented Cinturato Gravel S in its range. 

Pirelli has explained to BikeRadar that it decided to build this more protective tyre in order to meet the demands of gravel racing, specifically in America. 

In keeping with its other tyres, the Gravel RC-X is constructed from Pirelli’s SpeedGRIP compound. 

This is claimed to offer a balance of speed and grip, both on and off-road, with comparable durability to the SmartGRIP compound used on its mountain bike tyres.  

The Cinturato Gravel RC-X uses a new TechWALL X structure, with a 60 TPI (threads per inch) nylon casing that has a longer overlap on the sidewall compared to its other tyres, such as the Cinturato Gravel M.

Pirelli says these features make the Cinturato Gravel RC-X “more resistant to cuts on the sidewalls”, in addition to the bead-to-bead protective layer of high-density fabric.  

Gravel races such as Unbound are notorious for their loose flintstone, with sharp stones waiting to pierce rubber. 

The Gravel RC-X shares the same tread pattern as the RC, which sees the tread alternate between two short arrow-shaped knobs at its centre, one larger than the other. 

Two sets of parallelogram-shaped knobs run along either side for cornering grip, but the knobs on the tyre’s shoulder are significantly larger and taller than on the RC. 

Being a tubeless tyre, the RC-X can be installed on both hooked and hookless rims, and Pirelli recommends a maximum 65psi / 4.5 BAR tyre pressure (although it’s unlikely you’d ever need to go this high). 

The Gravel RC-X is only available for 700c wheels, with ‘Classic’ (tan) sidewalls in 35 and 40mm. Plain black sidewalls are offered only in a 40mm width. 

It seems remiss there aren’t any wider options given the tough terrain focus, where wider tyres are more likely to be preferred. Interestingly, the more race-oriented Cinturato Gravel RC is offered in a 45mm width. 

The black 40mm-wide tyre on test weighed 571g, 11g more than the claimed weight (and a 45g penalty per tyre over an equivalent Cinturato Gravel RC). 

The Cinturato Gravel RC tyre itself isn’t the lightest gravel race tyre out there, with the Vittoria Terreno Dry and WTB Byway SG2 undercutting it at 450g (in a narrower 38mm width) and 463g respectively. 

Pirelli Cinturato Gravel RC-X tyre installation

I set the tyres up tubeless on Fulcrum Rapid Red 500 rims with Pirelli’s own Cinturato sealant. 

This combination was as straightforward as it gets – I could get the tyres on by hand and the tyres seated easily on the first attempt using a track pump. 

The tyre measured 40.48mm on the hooked Fulcrum rims at 33psi (2.3 BAR), which sport a 23mm internal rim width. 

It's worth noting I used another set of RC-X tyres as a control tyre to help test the Campagnolo Zonda GT wheelset. These also proved very easy to install and the tyres measured 40.24mm, with the hooked Zonda GT wheels also featuring a 23mm internal rim width. 

Pirelli Cinturato Gravel RC-X performance

My testing took place on predominantly dry trail conditions around Bristol and the Chilterns. 

The tyres were also thrown into the deep end on The Seven Serpents – an 850km ultra-endurance gravel race from Ljubljana, Slovenia to Trieste, Italy via the Croatian islands of Krk and Cres. 

As when I tested the Cinturato Gravel RC, I ran a pressure of 33psi / 2.3 BAR (I weigh 74kg) to find a balance between grip and suppleness. 

I increased the pressure to 35psi / 2.4 BAR for my race, to account for the heavier load. 

Just like the Cinturato RCs, the RC-Xs dealt comfortably with all surfaces, with only the thickest mud overwhelming them. They were at home on everything from smooth princess Slovenian gravel roads to twisty singletrack. 

They even held up to an incredibly rocky Croatian descent, which was akin to an extended Alpine-like rock garden. Even on a mountain bike, I’d have exercised considerable caution, but the tyres came away completely unscathed from this bone-shaking descent. 

Overall, I felt a slight speed penalty compared to the RC throughout testing, but considering some of the rocky, mountain-bike rated terrain on the race, I was glad I opted for the tougher tyre – it was a worthwhile compromise. 

The RC-X still felt supple though, especially once up to speed. According to testing carried out by BicycleRollingResistance.com, the Cinturato Gravel RC-X delivers only a 1.5-watt rolling resistance penalty compared to an equivalently sized Cinturato Gravel RC at 33psi / 2.3 BAR at 29kph. 

I was also impressed by the Cinturato Gravel RC-X’s road performance and I was able to carve confidently around hairpins on many of the race’s descents. 

The tread pattern is a winning design – apart from an exceptional peanut-butter like mud section, the tyres shed mud easily and debris didn’t accumulate between the knobs. 

I didn’t experience any punctures in the entire 1,100km test period, nor could I detect any rips or cuts to either tyre's tread – a pleasant surprise given the trials I'd put them through. 

The rear tyre’s tread height has reduced noticeably but there’s still plenty of life left and it’s normal for the rear to wear faster than the front. 

It’s fair to say the Gravel RC-X has comparable, if not better, wear life than other race-oriented tyres (such as the Vittoria Terreno Mix and Continental Terra Trail), but with the bolstered puncture protection. 

Although the RC-X carries a £7 / $7 premium over the RC, it’s priced in line with other higher-end gravel tyres. 

Although the RC-X doesn’t have a direct rival, it’s more expensive than the also-tough Vittoria Mezcal III at £54.99 ($76.99 / €72.95) but in line with the Schwalbe G-One Overland at £65 ($88 / €65). 

Pirelli Cinturato Gravel RC-X bottom line 

Just like its racier sibling, Pirelli’s Cinturato Gravel RC-X tyre impresses with its balance between speed, grip, suppleness and puncture protection. 

While you pay a weight penalty and they feel as though they run a touch slower than the Cinturato Gravel RC tyres, the RC-Xs have proven a potent option for the right course. 

I wish Pirelli offered them in a wider range of sizes, though. It’s odd that tyres designed for the toughest races top out at 40mm, especially when 45 and 50mm tyres now feature heavily in key gravel races (such as Unbound). 

Fundamentally, though, they’re a great option for spring, summer and autumn and – save for the thickest mud – will get you through most terrain with little-to-no difficulty. 

You just need to be sure you’re going to be riding on challenging enough terrain to benefit from the performance versus the weight penalty.