July 14, 2022 - *Milan, Italy) – Pirelli presents Angel Urban, the new line of tires for bicycles and e-bikes, dedicated specifically to metropolitan and extra-urban travels. The new tires capitalize on Pirelli’s decades of experience and technological leadership in the world of motorized two-wheel vehicles and make their debut at Eurobike, the international bicycle trade show that starts the day after tomorrow in Frankfurt, Germany.
People living in urban environments are increasingly moving towards forms of transport that allow them to get around quickly, with an eye to environmental impact and a healthier lifestyle. In this respect, bike – whether traditional or electric – has now established itself as the privileged form of transport.
Pirelli Angel Urban is dedicated to the new e-mobility and brings to cycling Pirelli’s great experience in the world of tires for motorized two-wheelers, particularly motorbikes and scooters. An important asset, especially considering that the latest generation of e-bikes are more and more powerful, much faster than a traditional bike and with features, including dynamic and cycling characteristics, that resemble, more than in the past, those of motorbikes.
The name of the new range of tires immediately evokes this strong link: Angel, in fact, is also one of Pirelli’s most recognized tire lines for motorbikes and scooters. This reference is also evident in the similarity of the tread patterns and tire profile of the different Angel solutions proposed for modern bikes.
Three Versions for Three Different Uses
Pirelli’s Angel Urban offers three different tire models, for three different types of users.
Angel GT Urban is dedicated to the urban cyclist who is looking for handling, grip, and speed. It is for those who, with their e-bike or, more likely, with a “speed-pedelec”, ride mainly in the city, but do not abstain from the occasional trip out of town, always enjoying a dynamic and sporty ride. The tread with sparse, well-spaced grooves derives from Pirelli’s patented design of the famous Angel GT motorcycling tire, winner of numerous comparative tests and still the choice of original equipment of the most famous sports bike brands, such as Ducati. It offers dynamism and responsiveness even in wet conditions and great resistance to perforations.
Angel DT Urban is oriented towards the pure metropolitan cyclist, who looks for reliability and responsiveness from his/her bike tire, in any weather, on any surface and under any city circumstances. With a sipped tread with all season characteristics, inspired this time by the Angel Scooter, this tire is capable of tackling any surface or city barrier, from various road imperfections to tram tracks, and offers a very comfortable, agile and fluid ride; just like its motorized cousins.
Angel XT Urban, finally, was born to explore the city limits, to push off-road on easy gravel paths, along riverbanks or for short bike rides, on- but also off-road. A true multi-purpose tire, in the best Pirelli tradition, Angel XT has a tread in the on/off category: well sculpted, but still suitable for long rides on asphalt, with a low-profile central tread and sidewalls with higher and more aggressive blocks, for better grip when cornering on irregular surfaces. Similar to the Pirelli MT60 RS motorbike tire, this design offers on-road handling, comfort, and grip, as well as great traction in light dirt or gravel conditions.
NEW STRUCTURE FOR HIGH PERFORATION PROTECTION
At the heart of the new Angel Urban tires is the tread structure. It consists of two different layers: a surface compound (PROcompound Urban) based on silica, in contact with the asphalt, and a thick reinforcing layer underneath, with a protective and anti-perforation function. The formulation of the first favors great driving safety and grip, with the typical precision of Pirelli high performance tires. The reinforcement layer, called HyperBELT, with an average thickness of 5 mm, offers excellent resistance to perforations.
The protection prevents detritus and external bodies from reaching the inner tube and, in addition to constituting a physical barrier thanks to its considerable thickness, has a formulation designed to encapsulate sharp objects. In this way, perforation of the tire is avoided without compromising its dynamic characteristics and maintaining the drivability and comfort typical of Pirelli’s Angel line even on motorized 2-wheel vehicles.
The entire Angel Urban range complies with ECE-R75 certification, meaning that it meets the specific European standards required for e-bikes that reach speeds of 50 km/h (31 mph). All tires are also equipped with reflective sidebands, which meet the homologation requirements of the European ECE-R88 standard.Pirelli Angel Urban, which replaces the Cycl-e range, is already available for purchase in cycling shops and online.
