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Pirelli ScorPion
Pirelli has called upon over a 100 years of innovation to
produce its first-ever mountain bike tyres. Taking its name
from Pirelli’s all-conquering motocross tyres, the new Scorpion
range consists of four distinctly different tyres. Rather than
splitting the tyres into discipline-specific tread patterns and
compounds, an approach Pirelli thinks can confuse riders,
the brand has adopted a terrain-first designation. Riders can
choose from Hard, Mixed or Soft terrain tyres as well as a
rear-specific version, all of which are designed to work in both
wet and dry conditions. A single SmartGrip rubber compound
is used in all tyres that Pirelli says creates a tyre that works
consistently regardless of wear. Currently available in 2.2in
and 2.4in and only for 29ers; a further 2.6in width and 27.5in
diameter will be on the market later in the year.Vittoria GraPhene 2.
According to Vittoria graphene is the future, not only for
tyres but also for carbon-fibre components. Synthesised
from graphite (a form of carbon), graphene is legitimately a
wonder material. Made up of just a single layer of atoms, it is
two hundred times stronger than steel; in fact it’s the strongest
known material in the world. It’s also the most conductive
material known and has far-reaching applications that could
revolutionise a lot of current technologies. What this material
brings to tyre technology is the promise of increased grip,
puncture and cut resistance while reducing rolling resistance
and wear. It does this by effectively filling in the gaps between
the rubber molecules. Vittoria, famous also for producing
the world’s only four-compound mountain bike tyre, is now
launching its graphene 2.0 tyre line. This new version has
a ‘functionalised’ form of graphene, able to specifically
target the aforementioned areas of tyre function to improve
performance dramatically over existing versions.GriPPed
and Sorted
The tireless quest for rad rubber
Chromag finishing kit
includes bar, stem,
saddle and pedals