ContinentalGrand Prix 5000 Road Tire(Return to Product Page)

I've been riding , racing and training on Continental tubulars for 26 years on the Continental GP. Yes thats right I only ride tubulars never clincher tires (except on my MTB 29'r ) for everything asphalt. I've tried Sprinters and although less expensive the tire was not as durable as my GP Competitions . Once I found the GP tire I've rarely ridden any other model , they are that good. My other friends that also now ride tubular Continentals ( friends I have personally converted from clinchers to tubulars have been riding them for several years not 26years) were raving about their pricier top of the line GP 4000's. I've always stuck to the GP Comps but decided to try the GP 4000 S to see what the fuss was about . I was expecting better traction, a more supple tire with better traction, better cornering , and less rolling resistance. I still don't know if those GP 4000 S features really are truly better than the GP Comp because they did not last a fraction of miles as have my GP Comps did. They have been suffering sidewall cuts on every one I've tried not just once but 4 pair. They basically are , in my experiences, a big FAIL in puncture resistance after having had sidewall cuts on 3 out of 4. I thought my flats were just bad luck, that perhaps I had run over debris somewhere that would cut any tire although I don't remember doing that . After all you can break anything if you do it right ! So I bought another replacement pair and tried again , it's heartbreaking to have a very expensive top of the line tire get tossed in the garbage with perfect tread with some of the little whiskers on it. I like my tires to match, I'm funny that way but it's true, which is why I bought a replacement . Well after reading all the other reviews tonight of GP 4000 S premature failure due to flats from sidewall cuts I see it as an obligation to have share my experience as had others. . No I'm not looking for or expecting any refunds ,nor any replacement tire, or a store credit or some other freebie , I'm just adding my name to that list of riders whose new or nearly new , top of the line tires were now garbage with thousands of mikes of perfectly good tread on them. It's one thing if you have a sidewalk cut after thousands of miles on a tire but one that's brand new still really sucks . I LOVE Continental tubular tires and will continue to ride the GP Comp model , but not the 4000s , for me it's not worth another flat nor the cost , I'm just saying .... &128545,

Just an OK tire that is heavily promoted and over-priced. Ride feel is pretty wooden, almost rough, vs other higher-end clinchers. Grip, rolling resistance, and tread wear are good HOWEVER the weak sidewalls are this tire's Achilles heel. This summer I personally witnessed the same poor guy have TWO sidewall failures with low-mileage GP4kS's during the same ultra (200mile) event on typical Midwest chip-n-seal roads. At 200k SAG stop his crew showed me the tires and both were clearly sidewall (not tread) flats in near new tires. Bad luck perhaps, but I heard of NO other such failures among hundreds of other riders during the event (60,000 total miles ridden). As others have noted here, reports of sidewall issues are not at all rare with this tire. Some have said this was just a bad batch early in production, but from what I hear this is on ongoing problem. Some really like this tire, but IMHO if you like Conti's then Gatorskin is your much better choice. If you are a serious racer (or triathlete) then AttackForce is your faster option.

Recreational ride, just out there getting exercise. I purchased the 23mm tires to go with my zipp 101's. I've been a long time user of conti gp 3000 and 4000 and loved them greatly as I got a good ride long wear and 1 puncture over 4 sets of tires. Pretty awesome if you ask me. So I was a little hesitant when the new gp4000 II's came out. My bike buddy who works at a store said it was just rebranded 4000's.

I beg to differ. In my limited short time using the gp4000 II's I've had 3 flats and most recently a sidewall blowout leaving me stranded. Ugh

have been racing in NYC local races, the roads are terrible here, lots of potholes and glass. they have proven to be very durable. flats are rare and the ride quality is great, very supple and grippy.

I bought these tires as an 'upgrade' from the worn Michelin Lithion 2 tires I had. I got a great deal on the purchase price at BTD, but the tires have proven to have minimal puncture resistance. The rear got a unrepairable puncture on the forth ride and the front got a flat from a small goathead 4 rides later. Very unhappy with the money wasted on these tires. I am trying the Gator Hardskin now, hope to have better luck.

I used to ride on these tires exclusively. They offer a nice ride, good grip, and are reasonably flat resistant. They also have handy wear indicators on the tread.

But after THREE sidewall failures, I am done. Two of the failures was a large bubble that occurred in a nearly new tire that had no apparent exterior sidewall impact at all. The other was a rip that extended almost an inch from the center of the tire all the way to the bead. By some miracle, the casing didn't rip quite enough to allow the tube to exit. And this is the ONLY tire makemodel I have ever used that has had this kind of sidewall failure.

Several of my cycling friends have had the same experience ... unexplained sidewall failures. One of them is in the hospital as I write this ... from a front tire blowout while descending a mountain road.

Flat resistance, light weight, and a nice ride are all important of course, but nothing is more important than safety.

If you like Contis, the Gatorskin is probably a better choice. It has an extra Duraskin sidewall layer, and doesn't weigh much more than the GP 4000s.

I am a road distance endurance rider. I got a pair of these (x25) from BTD a little over a month ago. At about 400 miles on them I was preparing to give them a stellar review. I love how they roll and how they handle, and they have good cut resistance. Then, two days ago, I noticed a small bulge high up the sidewall on the front one, near the rim. A closer look revealed that it had split (not punctured) and the tube was protruding a bit. I never had a flat on these, the tube wasn't even scratched, and I never hit anything hard on them. Since this was the front one, I never inflated it over 100psi. The rear one, which I run at 115psi is still great. Since I think this as clearly a (probably rare) case of a defective particular tire and not road damage, I will look into warranty coverage.

I typically ride 50-100 miles on weekends on the narrow, cracked, potholed, broken, glass-strewn (are you sensing my rage?) pavement hell known of Boston exurbia - Bedford-Carlisle-Acton-Littleton-Boxboro-etc. I used to believe I could survive these rides only with tank tires - namely the incredibly uncomfortable but indestructible Vittoria Randonneur tires. These new contis are a revelation. Beautiful rounded profile with a narrow contact patch for the flats but awesome cornering traction. The 25s have enough volume that you can safely run them at 90 PSI for an incredible ride feel, even though they are rated to 120 PSI. My bike feels completely different. I rode a brutal (in terms of road conditions) century on Sunday and was grinning ear to ear the whole way. I can't yet say they are going to last as long as the Vittoria's, but at this price and with this level of performance, I would be happy if they last a few thousand miles. And since I also commute all season, I love the reflective sidewall option.

I bought a set of these and got a screaming deal at BTD. Ride was smooth and they were very grippy. On the fourth ride, got a sidewall puncture in the rear, trashing the tire, despite the supposed puncture resistance. I've never had a sidewall puncture and whatever caused it was small enough that I didn't see it coming. I can't afford to get caught 50 miles from home with a trashed tire so I ill not buy these again. I'm trying the Conti Gator Hardshell now.

Have yet to be let down by the performance or durability of this tire. However, my last pair weighed in as 205 grams, and 217 grams, respectively. What gives?

I've tried a number of tires but I keep coming back to these. It's a perfect mix of (light) weight, puncture resistance, grip and cost. If you can pick these up on sale it's a no-brainer. Incredible bang for the buck

This is a very good tire. It doesn't quite measure 25 mm wide but overall it rolls very well and so far no flats after a thousand miles or so.

These tires are fast, smooth and affordable.

I've got a pair of these on my Ti frame road bike. I ride 100 miles a week in cycling season (4000 miles last year). Lots of back country roads, some with good smooth pavement, some chip and seal, occasional gravel. Top speed so far 45mph. No flats in over 4000 miles.

These tires have low rolling resistance and are pretty cut resistant. The tread wear indicators are nice. I like these tires so much I bought 4 more when they went on sale.

I my opinion the best balance of rolling resistance, weight and puncture resistance.Great quality.

These tires perform great in dry conditions, and resist punctures well enough. They offer good grip and feel secure in the corners. The 25's also provide a supple ride without feeling squishy. They are soft and wear relatively quickly, and are prone to damage if you lock up a wheel, but perhaps not more than other racing tires. These are also relatively easy to mount and dismount, even without levers on some wheels. After having tried several other popular brands, I will be riding these from now on.

Stock up when they're on sale, and move fast because popular sizes/colors sell out quickly.

best tires out u can buy!

I use only the Conti 4000 series tires for my 100 or so mile per week fitness/local touring rides. They grip well in the wet and provide the comfort and road feel that I like on any paved surface while also keeping the weight down.

Also use Continentals on the cross bike and they've withstood much abuse

I use these tires all year for both training and racing. I do a thorough inspection before every ride and rarely get a flat. I'm very happy with them.

My only complaint has been from last years model. I had a side wall blow out at high speed on the front tire. Luckily I kept the bike upright. But, it could have been really bad. The tire was relatively new and it shouldn't have happened. Hence, the four star rating instead of five.

I replaced the tire with this years model and am so far happy with the product.