
Have always had good luck with Continental tires, and I especially like the GP 4-Seasons for my winter bike due to its nice ride quality, excellent grip on wet pavement, and decent flat resistance. The tread compound does seem fairly soft, which is undoubtedly why they grip so well, so they may not last as long as tires with a harder compound - but for me that's a worthwhile trade-off. I'm happy to get 1,500 - 2,000 miles on a set of tires and the GP 4-Seasons will do that easily.
I ordered these tires as backup to the identical tires I've been using on my two road bikes. They are super. So far - resilient, long lasting and having good grip on the road. And the purchase experience with Biketiresdirect was superb.
It's packed with features! The Vectran is tops for preventing flats without ruining your road feel. The Duraskin helps prevent sidewall cuts. The extra soft rubber compound makes the tire grip exceptionally in bad weather. ...and all this without weighing a ton or feeling like a training tire. It's great! But somebody's got to pick up the tab, and it's a bit pricey for a training tire. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.
I have used the Vittoria Corsa G2.0 tire in my long ride for a long time.
However the recent ride, I had several experiences with the flat tire in my recent ride.
When I checked the tire after riding, I could see many stone and glass chips nailed to the tire surface, and removing them was a sort of headache and I was worried about the flat again.
Finally, I purchased the Grand Prix 4-season clincher and it was quite impressive because I haven'
t had a flat tire during my 200km and 300km ride even I rarely saw chips on the tire.
I am not sure about grip on wet surfaces, but I am pretty confident on the dry pavement.
If you are worried about a flat during the long ride, I strongly recommend this tire for you.
I have tried a variety of tires over the years - Michelin, Vredestein, Vittoria, and several other Conti tires too, but these Grand Prix 4 Season strike the perfect balance between grippiness and durability. I do about 3 rides a week, 20-40 miles., usually in mild dry weather, but often on wet roads. There is often debris ranging from rocks to glass, and these tires are the most resistant to flats of any tire I have ever ridden.
As for mileage, I have squeezed over 3000 miles from them, but that wasn't a good idea. After 2000 -2500 they do start to feel less grippy to the point that even with some decent tread left, it makes more sense to change them. Not unsafe, just less grippy than you'd want.
They are expensive, but if you buy on sale and hold them until you need them, they are not unreasonable.
When the rains start and the roads fill with debris, these tires go on and the GP 5000s come off. I think this tire is a good compromise between the GP 5000s and the Gaterskins in terms of rolling resistance and puncture protection. I've only gotten one puncture in these in over 2 years, although it was a sizable nail that no tire would have survived.
My one gripe with the GP 4-Season is the sizing. I have very tight tolerance with my Ridley Noah and a 25mm tire measures nearly 27mm at 105psi. I can run 25mm with the GP 5000s, but have to run 23mm with these. Very annoying!
I've been using variations of the Continental Grand Prix tire for 30 years. I've used them, not so much because of the ride quality, which is fine, but the flat resistant durability has been outstanding. This new Continental Grand Prix 4-Season edition holds up well riding the rough farm roads in my area while still light weight.
Have been riding, training and racing on tubular road tires for the past few decades. 1st set of road clinchers since the early 80's. Picked up a set of 25mm for the FGSS bike. Running relatively low psi (85-90psi for my 58kg mass) for the last 2000km over gravel to smooth roads. Tires after 4000km are fine. A bit square and tread worn. Not the high level of performance (cornering, rolling resistance, supple ride, mass) of a high quality tubular. But for my specific use the tire is more than adequate. Liked them enough to purchase a set of 28mm. Sort of enjoy gravel grinding&128539,.
Recommend these tires if in need of a durable, decent performing, easy to mount training or general use tire. Bit pricey off the shelf. A good value considering wear after the number and type of km. put on these tires.
The Continental Grand Prix 4-Season tire is my go-to winter tire for the mild winters of California. The GP 5000s come off the bike in January and go back on in April or May. The GP 4-Seasons are not as supple, obviously, but they have good rolling resistance and puncture protection is superb. These tires handle gritty chip/seal roads with winter storm debris, twigs, small branches, small stones, etc., without concern. My BIGGEST complaint by far is the sizing! A 25mm tire actually measures 26.8mm at 7 bar and rubs on my Ridley Noah frame. I have to run a 23mm version on the rear which rides harder.
I couldn't believe it when Michelin changed the compound on their Pro4 Endurance tires (the New Power Endurance are terrible). After skating around corners for a couple of weeks I called Bike Tires Direct and asked for a recommendation. He asked if I was ready to upgrade to the Continental Grand Prix 4-Season, so I dove in head-first. These are as tough as nails and handle beautifully. Not only are these wonderful tires, but I was able to return my unused Michelins for a full refund. Win-win: a great tire from a great business! I put 3,000 miles on three sets this year and I'm not going to buy any other tire. As a 200 pound rider I usually only expect about 800 miles from a rear tire, but these easily handled over 1,000 miles. They're expensive, but worth it, and BTD puts them on sale about once a month for Gold Members.
I bought the GP 4-Seasons (28mm) to use on my '92 De Rosa for general riding, which includes solo training rides, club rides and medium touring (rear rack & panniers). I've put 1,000 miles on them since June, with zero flats. Hit a few rain pockets and traction was excellent. Loved them so much, I bought the same set for my Moots, which I just built-up at the end of July. I have 600 miles, with same type of riding (training & touring), and they've been nothing short of perfect.
I've used Continental tires for approximately 30 yrs. I started using the Grand Prix 4-Season road tire when it first became available and, as with other Continental tires, I have very few flats, the ride is great and I get about 5,000 miles per tire, barring any flats. I only buy the tires at BikeTiresDirect because the prices are always reasonable.
I currently have the Continental GP 4-Season tires in both my bikes (700x25 and 700x28 sized) so you can say I really like them. I bought the 4-Season because I prefer the extra protection vs their normal racing ones, however the 4-Season tires are fast tires too. They are light, great traction and have not had any issues with them (only had 250-300 mi on them). I was riding Schwalbe One DD before, and I can say that Continental GP 4-Season seem to provide a smoother ride with better rolling resistance.
Usually used Gatorskins. These have a more effective looking tread. Also, with the Gatorskins, I hit something sharp and one of the belts within the tire broke and punctured the tube. Weird.
I've ridden in the rain, occasionally in the high 30s, but no snow. Anyway, so far so good with the 4 Seasons, but it's early.
Comfortable ride for a tire that is so puncture-resistant. I've had a lot of issues with the GP5000s puncturing, but so far never with the GP 4-Season. My go-to for winter riding where changing a tube would be uncomfortable due to cold.
Beware of size change without spec change 2018
My road bike's brakes used to fit 28mm Continental Grand Prix 4 Season Road Bike Tires, now they don't. Seems Continental changed the size of the tires without changing the numbers or names or actually telling anyone. If your framebrakes used to barely fit the 28 size, the new revision will be too big.
How to tell the difference
Older 28c is embossed MAX. INFLATE TO 116 PSI - 8.0 BAR
Newer 28c has MAX LUFTDRUCKINFLATION 8.5 BAR - 115 PSI.
Flattened out bead to bead dimension of the newer 700x28c version has increased by 5mm. That extra 5mm of perimeter is enough to make them intermittently rub on SRAM Red caliper brakes on recent Bianchi carbon frame.
I use the Conti 4 Season Grand Prix on my weather bike - the one I ride when it is raining or just wet out. These tires grip the road in wet conditions, and they are tough enough with the Vectran to handle the extra grit that gets on everything in wet weather. We have an extremely hard quartz in our area, and this stuff is used everywhere on the roads. It is loose on the surface of paved roads, and sharp bits are embedded in the tar. The Grand Prix 4-season tires don't slice, tear, or puncture very easily so they are working out perfectly for me.
I put these on my Trek 5200, and oldie but goodie, and they feel just great. Here in N. Georgia there's lots of hills that get you up to speed quickly, and these tires roll like a dream. Unfortunately, a good amount of sharp junk on the sides of the roads to ruin your day, but no flats yet. Wonderful grip on high speed turns gives confidence when hitting them hard. The price was great also. I'll be staying with these for awhile.