Continental Grand Prix TT tyres

[rastapasta]

Morning All

Ive just been given a set of these tyres from a mate. Did some interweb research and turns out they are quick but have a short shelf life. Has anyone else much to add to this??

cheers

[okgo]

Would imagine its a pointless tyre to ride on anything other than a crit circuit, or as designed, a TT course (that generally are on bigger roads). I've had it on my TT bike before, it was good for that, bit more robust than a supersonic, but not actually any quicker than the latest Vittoria Corsa's which will be far more durable.

[anonymous-user]

I would be surprised if you bought another set when the free ones wear out

Nothing wrong with them and, as others have said, for TT / triathlon races, they are probably the tyre of choice for many fast riders

But for general use on most UK roads, they will be finished is a surprisingly short time

[rastapasta]

Thanks for this. whats the lifetime of such a tyre in km/miles? are they puncture prone ??

[z4RRSchris]

I had a pair, didnt last long, but mainly because i stacked it and they exploded.

I have supersonics lying around i use on a pair of 202's, really like those. but again, dont last long.

But in general nothing wrong with Corsas, or mich powers i rather like too.

[GOATever]

Most of the ‘high performance’ Continental tyres are about as durable as toothpaste smeared on your tubes, in my experience. They grip and roll brilliantly, but at the expense of not lasting very long ( I’ve had a pair of GP4000 sII cut to ribbons inside 200 miles before now ). You pays yer money, you takes yer chances.

[keith2.2]

GOATever said:

( I’ve had a pair of GP4000 sII cut to ribbons inside 200 miles before now ).

Where on earth were you riding for that to happen? That's definitely an outlier experience.

Re the TT's - I hve them on my race wheels. They're about half the thickness of the GP4000 - with the obvious weight and durability reductions. Touch wood I haven't had an issue with them in about 1000 miles of riding - I'm not sure how long they're likely to last so I suspect my next race will be their last time out. I think the've already outlived their life expectancy - I'm considering sticking with the front and putting a 28mm 5000 on the rear.

The performance of the GP5000 is almost on par for rolling resistance (within about a watt if I recall correctly) and the 5k is supposedly more aero.

The TT is a race tyre - not a general use tyre - but hey they were free so give them a go and have something ready to replace them as and when.

[mcelliott]

I bought a pair a few years ago, quite difficult to get onto the rim, and they like to go pop.

[mcelliott]

GOATever said:

Most of the ‘high performance’ Continental tyres are about as durable as toothpaste smeared on your tubes, in my experience. They grip and roll brilliantly, but at the expense of not lasting very long ( I’ve had a pair of GP4000 sII cut to ribbons inside 200 miles before now ). You pays yer money, you takes yer chances.

Regarding the GP4000 that's simply not true. I rode the entire length of the Pyrenees on a fairly worn-in set a few years ago, no problems.

[GOATever]

mcelliott said:

Regarding the GP4000 that's simply not true. I rode the entire length of the Pyrenees on a fairly worn-in set a few years ago, no problems.

YMMV, and actually the tyres were damaged to the point of needing patching within 10 miles, I persevered with them until they became so full of holes that they were too risky to continue with, after 200 odd miles, just because of the cost. I’ve had nothing but poor reliability from them. Cutting up was one issue, carcass failures were another. I’ve given them a fair chance, by not letting one set of failures sway my judgement, and giving them another go, only to find exactly the same issues. So I don’t use Continental tyres at all now. I even tried a pair of GP5000 tubeless, and the side walls cut / tore apart within 500 miles, so they get a massive thumbs down as well. Oddly, the best tyres I’ve found regarding a balance of grip and durability, have been a pair of Hutchinson Equinoxes, which I found in a storage box, and I don’t even remember where they came from, or when I bought them.

Edited by GOATever on Wednesday 14th August 11:28

[anonymous-user]

I switched from Vittoria Open Corsa CX to Conti GP 4000 RS last summer (special offer) and I can't tell any difference on the bike

Happy enough with the durability of the Contis and, whilst I don't dispute GOAT's experience, it doesn't match mine

I have 2 more pairs of the Conti's in stock and expect that will do me for about 8k miles all being well

[lufbramatt]

re. conti tyres- Sounds weird- maybe you had a duff batch? I've had the same pair of gp4000s2 on my road bike for the last 2 years and had exactly 1 puncture during that time, which was my fault for riding down a gravel road like I was on my MTB and got a pinch flat.