Ashley Quinlan’s Gear of the Year 2022 | Making all kinds of road riding better

By Ashley Quinlan

Published: Friday, 16 December 2022 at 12:00 am

On a personal level, 2022 has been quite the year. 

I arrived at BikeRadar in the summer, taking on a role that’s been on my career wishlist for well over a decade. Naturally, this has opened the door to a little more riding than I’ve been able to do for a number of years – however, I assure you, my job isn’t all riding bikes!

So, although I only have half the year to call upon, there are still plenty of bits of kit that have really impressed me.

Let’s dive in.

Pirelli P ZERO Race 4S tyres

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The Pirelli P ZERO Race 4S tyres offer great year-round performance.
Ashley Quinlan​ / Our Media

You’ll often hear us say that one of the best upgrades you can make to your bike is fitting new (and better) tyres. 

And there may have been flashier products in my 2022 test bank, but arguably none have had as large an impact on my riding than the Pirelli P ZERO Race 4S tyre.

The P ZERO 4S might seem an odd choice. After all, in 2022 I’ve tried out (among others) the outstanding Continental GP5000S TR and GP5000 Clincher, Schwalbe’s raciest Pro One TT rubber and Vittoria’s highly rated Corsa tyres. 

Those might be faster/grippier/more supple/lighter/tubeless (delete as appropriate), but it’s the P ZERO 4S that impressed me the most.

It offers the brand’s race-derived SmartEVO compound and a 120 TPI (threads per inch) casing, plus it tips the scales at just 261g per 28c tyre. 

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That siping pattern is said to help with tyre deformation.
Ashley Quinlan​ / Our Media

That’s 20g or so heavier compared to the lightest and fastest road bike tyres around, but don’t forget there’s more of the compound here to present a thicker barrier between the inner tube and any errant road debris. 

This approach helps the tyre preserve the P ZERO 4S’ compelling overall performance and ride feel, while improving puncture resistance. I haven’t had one flat in more than six months of regular use.

This offers peace of mind for a regular tester such as myself. And I bet it will do the same for those of you who want performance without the risk of standing by the roadside swapping your inner tube.

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The tyre was the first to be made in Pirelli’s new factory in Italy.
Stan Portus / Our Media

Don’t get me wrong, tubeless has its plus points in that regard, but in my mind there’s still comfort in the ease of a traditional clincher setup should things go wrong. 

In short, it offered the most compelling blend of the majority of factors performance-oriented riders often look for, and it’s proven hardy to boot.