First Ride: Pirelli's Updated Scorpion Enduro & eMTB Tires
Continuing their push into the MTB world of tires, Pirelli have now updated their Scorpion Enduro and eMTB ranges. The goal was to simplify the lineup a little while also improving grip and offering some new casings. They admit themselves that their initial tire offerings were perhaps focussed more on the longevity of the rubber at the sacrifice of outright grip. But their updates promise to remedy this through some reworked compounding and revisions to the tread pattern.
Perhaps you've spotted the enormous yellow prototype logos on some of their race team tires at the World Cups and EWS? These updates to the Scorpion enduro and eMTB tires are a separate development, even though a lot of this was informed by the prototype testing and race team involvement. You'll just have to sit tight for the time being on those more race-focussed offerings.
The Scorpion M is for mixed conditions and uses a slightly shorter block height and more evenly spaced and slightly less aggressive tread pattern.
The S is for soft conditions and opens up the tread pattern by removing the intermediate block that the M has, while making each block slightly taller and more aggressive in its shape and angle.
The R is a rear specific design that brings a bunch of blocks much closer together to aid rolling speed and also provides many more edges for braking.
Pirelli attempted to make their naming a bit easier and divide both the enduro and eMTB Scorpion range by the intended usage - M, S and R denoting tires designed to be used in mixed conditions, soft conditions and a rear-specific respectively. But as soon as you add in different compounds, casing and sizes, the number of SKUs skyrockets again.
Scorpion Enduro
Where the enduro and eMTB range start to split is in the casings offered. The ProWALL casing is the lightest on offer while still having good protective sidewall inserts. It uses multiple 60 tpi nylon layers and is comparable to Maxxis's EXO casing. Schwalbe's Super Ground casing does offer a bead to bead protection layer, but suffers with more weight and rigidity in comparison.
The HardWALL casing increases the protection levels by using a bead to bead protection layer as well as rubber inserts up the first part of the sidewall. It's comparable to Schwalbe's Super Trail and offers an advantage in comparison to Maxxis's EXO+ casing by having that bead-to-bead protection layer.
The HardWALL casing increases the protection levels by using a bead to bead protection layer as well as rubber inserts up the first part of the sidewall. It's comparable to Schwalbe's Super Trail and offers an advantage in comparison to Maxxis's EXO+ casing by having that bead-to-bead protection layer.
Scorpion Enduro Details
Wheel Sizes: 27.5" & 29"
Widths: 2.4" (61mm) or 2.6" (66mm)
Casings: ProWALL or HardWALL
Compounds: Smartgrip or Smartgrip Gravity
Tread Patterns: Mixed Conditions, Soft Conditions & Rear Specific
Bead: Folding
Recommended Rim Widths: 30mm (inner width)
Weight: 1,030g - 1,230g depending on tread and casing (claimed, 29 x 2.6")
More info: pirelli.com
Wheel Sizes: 27.5" & 29"
Widths: 2.4" (61mm) or 2.6" (66mm)
Casings: ProWALL or HardWALL
Compounds: Smartgrip or Smartgrip Gravity
Tread Patterns: Mixed Conditions, Soft Conditions & Rear Specific
Bead: Folding
Recommended Rim Widths: 30mm (inner width)
Weight: 1,030g - 1,230g depending on tread and casing (claimed, 29 x 2.6")
More info: pirelli.com
2.4" and 2.6" widths are offered in the 29" and 27.5" diameters, with both widths being designed around a 30mm inner width rim. The M tread pattern is aimed to give a more all-round performance for mixed conditions and offers similar levels of grip in the wet and dry over rocky, hard pack, and mixed terrains. It still gives good performance once the ground starts to turn more loose and soft. But that is where the S tread pattern comes in.
The ProWALL casing uses 60tpi Nylon layers with sidewall reinforcement up from the bead to the start of the tread blocks.
HardWALL adds a bead to bead protection layer as well as rubber inserts up from the bead to half way up the sidewall.
The Enduro S is aimed really at the loose over hard and loamy and sandy conditions, both in the dry and wet.
The final tread pattern is the R and is meant as a rear specific tire for mixed terrain. Covering a similar spectrum as the M tread pattern, it changes the design and spacing of the tread blocks to keep good rolling speed and braking grip while maintaining a good lifespan of the tire.
For compounds, the Smartgrip compound is formulated to offer good chemical grip and rolling speed while maintaining a high mileage. It's comparable to Maxxis's 3C Maxxspeed, while offering more mileage out of the tire. Compared to Schwalbe's Addix Speed the Smartgrip compound is said to offer more chemical grip for a small sacrifice on rolling speed and mileage. But in comparison to Schwalbe's Addix SpeedGrip compound, it supposedly matches the grip and rolling performance while offering more miles out of the tire.
Smartgrip Gravity ups the chemical grip of the tire compound, has a softer durometer rubber and gives a higher tear resistance to the rubber thanks to a chemical additive called Lignin. It's claimed to be on par with Maxxis's 3C Maxxterra while offering better tread wear properties than Schwalbe's Addix Soft compound.
For both compounds, Pirelli designed the grip of the tire to last the entire lifespan. So as the tire becomes more worn down, there is no point at which the grip levels suddenly drop off. Something that can happen with other multi-compound tires as the softer rubber wears and exposes the harder rubber underneath.
Claimed weights are 1,140g, 1,090g and 1,030g for the ProWALL M, S and R respectively in 29" x 2.6". For the HardWALL those weights increase to 1,230g, 1,180g and 1,140g in the M, S and R, again, all in 29" x 2.6".
Scorpion eMTB
The updated Scorpion eMTB range uses the same M, S and R tread patterns, but simplifies things further by only offering only one casing - HyperWALL, something that Pirelli has a patent on. This construction was designed to provide the reliability of a DH tire but without the weight penalty. As eMTBs have become more capable, and their riders have expanded from the poorly stereotyped overweight and elderly, the tires regularly see some seriously high energy scenarios when you turn the wick up.
The construction of the HyperWALL casing is similar to the ProWALL and HardWALL casings offered in the enduro range, but adds multiple more protective inserts around the bead and tire as well as a bead flipper, to up the bead stability and attempt to improve the handling at low pressures.
The construction of the HyperWALL casing is similar to the ProWALL and HardWALL casings offered in the enduro range, but adds multiple more protective inserts around the bead and tire as well as a bead flipper, to up the bead stability and attempt to improve the handling at low pressures.
Scorpion eMTB Details
Wheel Sizes: 27.5" & 29"
Widths: 2.6" (66mm) or 2.8" (71.1mm)
Casings: HyperWALL
Compounds: Smartgrip or Smartgrip Gravity
Tread Patterns: Mixed Conditions, Soft Conditions & Rear Specific
Bead: Folding
Recommended Rim Widths: 30mm (inner width) for 2.6", 35mm for 2.8"
Weight: 1,290g - 1,375g depending on tread and casing (claimed, 29 x 2.6", HyperWALL)
More info: pirelli.com
Wheel Sizes: 27.5" & 29"
Widths: 2.6" (66mm) or 2.8" (71.1mm)
Casings: HyperWALL
Compounds: Smartgrip or Smartgrip Gravity
Tread Patterns: Mixed Conditions, Soft Conditions & Rear Specific
Bead: Folding
Recommended Rim Widths: 30mm (inner width) for 2.6", 35mm for 2.8"
Weight: 1,290g - 1,375g depending on tread and casing (claimed, 29 x 2.6", HyperWALL)
More info: pirelli.com
Pirelli found that the added weight of an eMTB, and so the energy when ridden hard, was meaning that many riders were upping the tire pressures to cope with the demands, which was adversely affecting the grip and comfort of the tire. HyperWALL is Pirelli's solution to that and is claimed to allow a much lower tire pressure on your eMTB without sacrificing the puncture protection and tire stability.
HyperWALL uses a similar construction to the HardWALL, but adds more puncture protection and the bead flipper insert, red, that should allow the tire to remain stable at lower tire pressures.
HyperWALL can be compared to Maxxis' Double Down casing, but the HyperWALL offers a higher rubber insert height along with the bead flipper protection that boosts the tire stability at lower pressure. Compared to Schwalbe's Super Gravity casing, the HyperWALL takes advantage of a higher rubber insert but at an overall lower tire weight.
Widths are up one step compared to the enduro range, with 2.6" being the narrowest offered in the 29" and 27.5" diameters. An additional 2.8" width is offered in only the 27.5" diameter, which fits with a lot of eMTBs being designed around a smaller rear wheel. The 2.6" width is designed around 30mm inner width rims, while the 2.8" width is designed around 35mm inner width rims.
Compounds are the same as the enduro range, with the Smartgrip and Smartgrip Gravity compounds. Tread patterns are also familiar, although slightly adjusted on the wider 2.8" width.
Claimed weights are 1,290g, 1,375g and 1,300g for the HyperWALL in M, S and R versions respectively, all in 29" x 2.6".
Options, Pricing & Availability
Scorpion Enduro tires are mostly available in the balck colour with the more discreet logos. But there are options with the more vibrant yellow logos and also a classic tan wall option. Prices are $89.90 US or €74.90. Only the yellow logo Scorpions are slightly more expensive at $94.90 US or €79.90.
Scorpion eMTB tires are only available in black with the more discreet logos and are priced at $94.90 US or €79.90.
All Scorpion enduro and eMTB tires are now available in shops and dealers, something that Pirelli has been keen to align with launching new products.
Initial Impressions
Actual weights for the Scorpion Enduro S HardWALL in 29" x 2.6" are 1,216g, 1,235g and 1,227g. Making them, in true tire fashion, heavier than the claimed weights by between 36g and 55g. Which, compared to some other claimed versus real weights, is actually pretty close.
The taller tread block design and more spaced out pattern of the S version have been working well in the softer conditions that you find in the Alps in spring. Grip levels have been up there as well as predictability as you lean over onto the side blocks, and the tires do feel like they bite well into the soft ground, be that soft from its composition or soft from being wet.
When the tire does let go, it's still a predictable affair and there's no sense of a sudden snap loss of grip that can leave you second guessing what the tire is going to do. The Scorpion Enduro S allows you to just crack on, safe in the knowledge of how much grip there is when traction is there, but also when it isn't, that it'll let you slide controllably. After all, it's more fun when you're sliding around.
Normally I run more Double Down or Super Gravity and above types of casings, but the HardWALL casing has been holding its own so far. It definitely feels similar to its EXO+ and SuperTrail rivals in terms of tire stability and puncture protection, but they're been holding onto their air remarkably well, both in sharp impacts that compress the tire to the rim or burping from high cornering forces.
The Scorpion eMTB M has been proving to live up to its name so far. Its mixed terrain design has been providing good predictable grip over a multitude of terrains and it shows no signs of leaving you wishing for more when you really lean the bike over and push hard. It does come across as a good all-around tire that you can have on your bike and not have to worry too much about what's coming its way.
The HyperWALL casing has also been delivering on its promise of increased tire stability at lower tire pressures. Granted, I'm not running Artic 4x4 crossing pressures, but at similar pressures to what I'd be running on non eMTBs (between 22psi and 26psi), the tires have felt sturdy and secure when you push hard while still providing good comfort and impact absorption. At times a lot of components fitted to eMTBs can feel undergunned, especially when you really go for it. But the HyperWALL Scorpions haven't been waving their white flag at all and do feel incredibly similar in feel to running a DH tire on an eMTB.
Unfortunately I've not yet given the tires enough of a beating to comment on the wear and if the grip levels do continue to last throughout the tire's lifespan. But the braking and cornering edges are holding up very well so far and show little sign of the usual tearing that you can see after many rides. It'll also be interesting to experiment with the eMTB tires to see just how low you can go with the pressures while still having good tire stability.
Given that Pirelli do admit that they maybe sacrificed grip for longevity on some of their initial tire offerings, these new Enduro and eMTB tires certainly do seem to have upped that grip level, while adding unique but well performing solutions suited to the demands of eMTBs.
PHOTOS: Gaëtan Rey - Shaperideshoot & Mountain Bike Connection Winter
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Cars have that stupid logic, yet buyers follow it: Bigger is more expensive. They can sell a big truck for 20000€ more than a Smartcar, without any extra technology. They just need an extra ton of steel, which costs about 1000€. Quite a margin, I guess...
But you know what else 6700$ can get you? A new Kawasaki KLR 650 with fuel injection. 500$ more even gets you ABS and a few other features.
The (pedal)bike industry has gotten very proficient at ripping people off.
If you want carbon everything with wireless shifting and all the shit a pro rides you will pay more.
If you buy the most basic motorbike you can it will cost less than the highest end mountain bike but I’d hope that isn’t a huge surprise. A truly top of the line motor bike costs a lot more than 10k so its not really a valid comparison to compare the cheapest motorbikes to the most expensive bikes. Compare an aluminum frame nx or deore build from a company like giant to actually have a fair comparison.
www.decathlon.be/fr/p/pneu-vtt-rockrider-grip-500-27-5-x-2-4/_/R-p-331495
I think what you meant to say was a "good tire for $50", those already exist
agree with your statement, Nasty Buck.
But dayum switching over from tires to frames, the new Hightower frame is $4100. I don’t doubt it’s quality or performance but damn, drill a couple holes in the frame and then rerelease it at a premium as the corporate overlords have demanded.
Santa Cruz is a high volume company now with economies of scale but a stumpy evo carbon frame is $2900. Yeah sure Spesh is higher volume still but I think we can still see which companies are pushing the price envelope for profit’s sake.
This is also a distorted vew of a motorcycle price compared to a bike. Also, bike suspension has way, way more technology, bikes are made to take more out of the rider in specific ways. motorcycles can rely on their engines. And motorcycles are one size fits all. We know it doesn't fit, but they tell otherwise.
Well, put that tire in your bike then.
You certainly can buy upgrades for an mx bike you don’t have to be pro to do it. It’s just expensive so it doesn’t really make sense for people to do. But it’s pointless to compare a factory spec mountain bike cost to a consumer mx bike and pretend they’re both top of the line. Would you rather biking goes mx style where if you want what the pros ride you have to buy everything aftermarket yourself so the top of the line bikes they sell go for less?
I don't get it; there are plenty of good tires if you want to spend $100, we really don't need any more. This is just another decent manufacturer jumping into the high end/ebike tire market to get some of that sweet rubber money, adding nothing compeling to the equation.
#TIL
The factories aren't spec'ing us prototype/custom built frames, custom machined linkages and other bits, electronic adjusting suspension, blackbox suspension, carbon fiber everything, etc. Yes if you want you can upgrade that if you want for thousands more. Maybe this argument was more true at one point but incase you haven't noticed the bikes are getting more expensive and the components on them are getting shittier. SX groupsets? bottom barrel rockshox, sr suntour, and x-fusion? tektro or not even deore level shimanos? Yet their price tags are still $3,000+ okay.
As I said previously a giant trance with deore and marzocchi suspension is 2600. It is an excellent bike for the price and more than the majority of people really need in terms of performance. It’s not the industries fault that people want boutique brands and high end parts that they don’t really need.
Buy to my needs, get serious! I would need a e-fatbike with a rack on the back for the post ride beer cooler not a giant trance!
We are riding super high end stuff. You can get mtb tires for 15€, yet I wouldn't wanna ride them.
I don't care which tires I have on my car, I just take the cheapest ones. They are still 80€ or so (don't know actually, I couldn't care less)
TLDR: Good, Fast, Cheap - pick two.
By asking for a $50, awesome tire, you are stating what you value. The bike industry is as close to a perfect competition market as you can get, and so this tire costing more than you are willing to pay is an example of that. There are $50 tires. Likely some OK ones too. But you get to do the work finding them, and waiting for them to arrive from wherever they originate on the planet, and don't get to benefit from PB reviews, buying it locally & conveniently, when your weekend ride plans hinge on getting a new, good tire ASAP, or having someone to get your tubeless sorted when you can't figure out why it won't hold air (it's the rim tape - it's almost always the rim tape).
You want convenience, high quality and low cost - that doesn't exist. Pick what you value, vote with your wallet. Stop complaining about it.
Long overdue, long version inspired by this comment thread here: https://www.indycycleshop.ca/indy-stories/good-fast-cheap-pick-two
Aka, “These numbskulls will pay the same price as a car tire for a bike tire that uses 1/4 of the material? Count us in”
There’s no justifying these prices outside of it just being for suckers that will keep paying no matter how much higher they crank the prices in this hobby.
You can find bike tires for a lot less than 100 dollars just like you can find car tires for a lot less than 400, it’s stupid to compare budget car tire prices to high end mountain bike tires.
No liability issues to worry if the tire fails. They all know the racket and no new player wants to upset the pricing scheme.
That's were the marketing bs of mtb comes in,performance lasts a few laps. my heavy 4x4 tires outperformed my previous 4x4 tires in all conditions, they grip and also last as well. Problem is, there's no performance mtb tires. don't last, get f*cked pretty easily, quality is a hit and miss and are quite expensive.
Maxxis also has some of the fastest wearing tires, my other shop friends who had a similar amount of money wouldn’t run maxxis cause they cost too much for how long they last. Schwalbe, Michellin and conti all make bike park tires that last a very long time and are super cheap just not super grippy.
That's what I asked you, how do you rate performance? By the amount of traction that last 3 rides the most? Wear rate? Puncture protection? The saying here goes that maxxis never puncture, because you change them so often. maxxis wear rate is by far the worst, close enough was the old shwalbe mixtures that the side knobs fall appart just by looking at them. Michelin last long, grip tremendously well even when are worn down because knobs hold their shape and don't look like moles and have good puncture resistance and were half the price of maxxis, now are even more expensive, I buy what ever is on sale now
20$ kinda on a commuter bike will last you long life, similar to corrola tires.
It's similar to everything else in overpriced MTB world - the prices reflect what the market will bear.
I found a $30 coupon for some michelin mtb tires last week. Spent 45 minutes trying to decipher michelin's current equivalent product to maxxis DHF/assegai/DHr2 w/ maxxgrip or maxxterra casing in exo+ or DD and in the end just gave up cuz I couldn't 100% figure it out.
Pirelli, Michelin, Vittoria, Schwalbe no clue and im not going to spend 3 days deciphering their idiotic marketing/product structure.
If you are willing to experiment it is not that difficult. All you have to dechiper is which rubber is the softest and go from there. I usually go with the most open thread pattern with grippiest rubber and lightest casing I can get for front and hardest rubber mid weight (1300g-ish) casing and thread pattern with the most knobs and I was never really dissapointed with my choices and I never replace tires with the same model I had before. You just have to figure out what you want from tire and go from there. Currently on der baron/hans dampf (sg/soft) combo and for what I ride I am very happy with it, but when I will be buyin a new front tire I will probably go with something else just because I can lol.
There are XC tyres, labeled "XC".
Trail tyres are labeled "AM".
Enduro tyres are called "Enduro".
Front tyres are called "Front", the rear is called "Rear".
There is only one casing option. The super tough tyres for racing are called "Racing Line". The only slightly tricky part is figuring out that the Magi-X compound is more grippy but requires lots of speed and commitment, while the other compound (Gum-X) is the allround solution.
Maxxis, on the other hand, has by far the most obscure and incomprehensible product descriptions and naming scheme.
The 15+ XC tyres are all labeled differently.
Enduro and trail tyres are labeled "DH" (F or R).
Or "Assegai" (whats an Assegai?) or Dissector or Aggressor or High Roller 2 or Shorty.....
For casing, you want EXO for trail, or maybe on the front for Enduro, or DD. Or EXO+? But wait, there is old Exo+ and new Exo+ being sold at the same time!
Do i need the "WT" Version or not? Why is the 2.3" size wider than the 2.35"?
Good luck figuring out what you need.
Now I had a Michelin wild AM2,it has more grip than the T7 butcher but is a slow rolling tire.
Christina picks a top end set of mtb tires and gets to buy a bike for that amount of money and do a hotlap ( bring back the hotlap now that COVID is over mostly) against her trek. She can put the new tires on it.
Tom buys the most expensive set of tires at his local Canadian tire and then need to buy a car off kijiji or Autotrader for that amount. He then needs to use the car to shuttle the PB crew for a weekend of riding. ( He is allowed to spend the price of the tires a second time to get it to pass the road safety test, we don't want them to die)
And i bet a retail priced P-Zero (F1 tires) would cost more than that.
Or maybe those were prototype Pirelli DHR ripoff?
I wrote most of this out before realizing I was describing the Schwalbe Eddy Current... #notanebiker
So they have them for, mtb, trucks, mx, enduro, trail / adventure mc’s and the list goes on.
As you say most seem to be mediocre.
Black Sharpie?
Goodyear also has Eagle road tires that look just like the nascar/NHRA slicks
youtu.be/lLq9m07wx8c
I've been very satisfied with Schwalbe Pro One TLR,I can get it online for 45€,maybe someday I'll try the Pirelli's.
Not really. DoubleDown is a double 120-tpi casing with rubber apex, not single 60-tpi with a rubber apex (bead flipper?).
And for that reason…I am out!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLq9m07wx8c
How come these tires are so f.... expensive?