Pirelli’s Scorpion Race range of tyres welcomes burlier casings and tackier rubber compounds to excel when ridden at full gas between the tape. The Pirelli Scorpion Race T DualWall is built for traction and it delivers while balancing impressive rolling efficiency and puncture protection. Providing plenty of grip over natural trails, it does get a little vague over hardpack but one tyre can’t do it all, right?
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Pirelli Scorpion Race Enduro T tyre - Technical details
The Pirelli Scorpion Race Enduro T is designed to provide grip while accelerating, braking or cornering. The brand says that it’s built for intermediate conditions.
With a DualWALL casing, as opposed to the DH-designed DualWALL+, the tyre benefits from a 120tpi dual-ply construction combined with a pair of rubber insert that sits around the bead. This has been added for reinforcement and protection against pinch flats.
As a tyre that sits in Pirelli’s ‘Race’ lineup, it benefits from Pirelli’s super-soft SmartEVO DH rubber compound. This uses a 42 Shore A compound throughout to provide chemical grip in a range of temperatures as well as a firmer base compound to support the very soft rubber on top.
The tread pattern is fairly aggressive and points towards the tyre's intentions. It's widely spaced it mid-height knobs and tall shoulder knobs.
The Scorpion Race Enduro T is available in 650b and 29-inch sizes and only one width – 2.5in. Pirelli claims the tyre tips the scale at 1,260g, whereas I’ve weighed it as 1,345g which, in the grand scheme of things, is a considerable difference.
Pirelli Scorpion Race Enduro T tyre - Performance
Inflating the tyre onto a rim with a 30mm internal width posed no issues – even without removing a valve core. Once pumped up, the Enduro T sits at a midpoint between round and square, despite its aggressive shoulder tread.
Having ridden the Scorpion Race M tyre and liking it quite a lot, it has one main flaw – it’s rather draggy due to its packed tread pattern and uber-soft rubber. Then, with the Race T model being built for traction, I was expecting more in the way of rolling resistance as suggested by its very aggressive tread but that wasn't the case.
Despite its aggressive, spaced-out knobs and tall shoulder knobs, it rolls very well. That trait in its own right contextualises the tyre very differently from what I first perceived and, compared to the M, pedalling is pleasant despite the tacky rubber.
During my time with the Race T, it spent most of its time inflated to the rear of the bike, paired with a Race M at the front and that combination makes for an excellent pair. But the Race T is quite different and to say that it’s not quite the all-rounder as the mixed-conditions counterpart is perhaps too strong a statement.
My first few rides on the tyre were spent riding lusciously groomed bike-park trails where the tall shoulder knobs make themselves known in that when there’s nothing to bite into, they deform and roll. Because of this, over such surfaces, it’s not the most confident tyre as it’s keen to break traction. While definitely usable and fast-rolling for its type, over these surfaces, it felt rather vague and uncertain – especially under heavy cornering loads. Again this tyre isn’t designed for use on hardpack.
Once I got the tyre rolling over natural trails where the knobs have something a little more uneven and with perhaps a layer of scruff over the top the tyre came into its own, even if the trail was equally dry. Traction got a serious boost when its knobs managed to bite into the surface and bring all of the grip.
When weighted fully, the tyre gets to work, summoning great levels of grip but with a small tweak of weight distribution, it frees itself without hesitation, enabling easy rotation of the bike. The tyre is confident under breaking loads, too, where traction is still plentiful thanks to those wide scooped knobs lacing the centre of the tread. It’s almost Maxxis Minion DHR II-like but more predictable, whereas I feel the DHR II can be quite keen to lock up when braking heavily.
At the front, the tyre’s rear performance translates impeccably, whereas the Scorpion Race Enduro T makes a serious case for use at both ends of the bike. Again, over natural trails, or anywhere the trail isn’t perfectly groomed, the tyre’s aggressive and spaced-out tread pattern does an excellent job of simply biting. Braking power is equally impressive and there’s little impact on rolling resistance. The tyre’s surprisingly confident when it’s worked a little harder, and the grip is consistent through the width of the tread pattern. Those tall shoulder knobs engage with the ground rather quickly, too, boosting confidence further.
Some qualms translate from Pirelli’s other race-focused tyre, such as the not-so-supple casing. Of course, this tyre comes with that Enduro carcass with butyl strips that run along the bead. This does lovely things for puncture resistance and rim protection but they lead to a firmness that’s not subtle compared to other options. It also wears rather quickly but this is a race-specific tyre and isn’t built to be ridden for years on end, rather a few enduro weekends max.
However, with the tyre working so well at the front of the bike, it could be paired with a tyre from Pirelli’s non-race line at the rear with a firmer, thus more durable rubber compound.
With that, unlike other tyres in the Scorpion Enduro Race range, there isn’t a harder compound T tread tyre, which is fairly disappointing. I’m a fan of the tread pattern, and a dual T setup with a harder-wearing rubber at the rear would make for a good trail-friendly, not mega-racy choice. Hopefully, this is a gap that the brand will fill sharpish.
Pirelli Scoprion Race Enduro T tyre - Verdict
The Scorpion Race Enduro T comes in at £80 which isn't as highly priced as other tyres on the market. For example, the new Maxxis High Roller will set you back £80 in its Double Down casing and WTB’s Verdict is now £75. While we’re yet to review the High Roller, the WTB Verdict has always scored well for its grip, casing and previous value.
If you could live with a bit of drag, the e*thirteen Grappler looks worthy of consideration at £70. Pete rates this tyre for its cornering traction through all conditions.
With tyre prices increasing and Pirelli holding firm, the Scorpion Race Enduro T is now a much more viable option, especially for performance. If you ride natural trails and want a race-specific rubber compound in a package that rolls well, this tyre is exactly that. However, it would be great to see a harder compound variant.
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