So I ride rough roads in San Antonio. Conti gatorskins are no match. I wanted something beefy and long-lasting.
I wanted decent puncture protection. I do weekly long training rides (60-80 mile), and for that purpose these are pretty good. Sure, I lose some speed but I gain confidence. A tradeoff. Based on the review I read, I was worried that I would have trouble mounting them, but nope. Easy. BTW, I ride a 2007 Fuji Newest 4.0 entry level road bike. Tire size: 32-622. Barely fit but good enough.
Rolling the 700x47s. Had them on my commutehybrid. Super comfortable, no need to pick the best line down a bad street, just ride on. They are slow, as others have noted, but for shorter commutes, sketchy roads, light gravel, dirt, snow, rain, and short cuts through lawns and construction zones, they're a bargain buy. Plus they look awesome (the big 47's at least, that's 29'x1.75 size). They can be tough to mount, as others have said, but in my experience, most Conti's do fit tight on most rims. If you're looking for a nice, stable, stylish, and economic tire for short rides across multiple terrains, and in varying conditions, you're not going to go wrong here.
Not a super technical guy, but I can tell you what I like about the tire.
Compared to Marathons, for example, this tire is really smooth. It is a softer rubber... maybe more supple is the word. Tires seem to be wearing great. I have at least 1500 miles on them with very little wear and tear. I ride all sorts of dirt, fire roads, bike paths, asphalt, concrete, Lake Hodges (San Diego) dirt and cactus. These tires GRIP really well. The supple rubber provides superior grip to my other gravel bike with the harder rubber of the Marathons. The supple rubber seems to really absorb the bumps better as well.
Third point is the price! That price for a set of 2 tires 700 x 42? Unmatched. I expected lower quality due to price, but I am very happy with the ride, the bump absorption, the amazing grip on ALL surfaces, the traction on the dirt and dirt hills, both up and down, I have a hard time finding a con.
I have put 100 miles on these tires and cannot stand to ride them another mile. They are heavy, slow to get up to speed and extremely unstable. I have the 700 x 32s and they feel like they have about one quarter of an inch of tread on the pavement. They are cheap...but don't waste your money.
These are the best tires to date. I live in a desert town in california with a lot of tumbleweeds they shed what we call Goat Heads. Theyre a tires worst nightmare and ive gone through a lot of tubes. I am yet to have one pierce my tire since installing these. Very pleased. Quality tires. A little narrow for loose sand exploration but fantastic for road and dirt. Highly recommend. Great price too.
This is the second time I've purchased this tire. Previously I used them to update an old Schwinn, those were a 37mm width, and this go around I picked up the 32mm to upgrade from the slicks on my road bike to something that could better handle rough streets and the local trial system. A big upgrade in comfort going up from 25mm tires while not looking too out of place. A great value tire as well. If you have perfect riding surfaces then by all means go for a fancier slick, but if your roads are rough and you like to be able to hop on a trail from time to time this the tire for you!
I've put these tires on all of our bikes that we use for around town, bad weather, or winter riding. They have a nice high centerline for low rolling resistance, and some more tread for turning. Not much noise or sing on the road either. Pay attention to the tread direction when mounting them. Doing this task twice stinks.
I bought of pair of these tires for my Cannondale Quick hybrid in 32mm because I wanted a wider tire - I had been using 28mm tires with the inside rim width of only 14mm - with tread pattern for both on and off-street/trail riding, and I wanted a wider tire than the 28mm I had been riding. Initially I mounted the tires on both the front and back. After several rides on street and trail I was not happy with the tire mounted on the front strictly due to turns and cornering. Overall the tires are very low rolling resistance. IMO the rolling resistance is lower than the Continental Contact 28mm tire I've ridden for 9 years. So I switched out the front tire to a Conti Contact 32mm tire from the Conti Ride Tour. I love the combo. The Contact tire on front is secure and predictable in turns while the Ride Tour on the rear gives me added traction on any road surface.
I am very pleased with Continental's Tour Ride tires on my bike. They roll with minimal resistance on pavement while also providing decent cornering capability. The ribbed tread is adequate for riding rail trails with sand/gravel base or similar unpaved terrain. The design of the lay-up helps minimize potential punctures without having to add a supplemental liner. Treadwear appears to be better than other comparably priced tires I have used in the past.
After regularly flatting on my previous tires, which included several CST, Bontrager and Kenda tires, I decided to buy a set of Conti's after hearing how some road cyclists swear by the Conti Gatorskin. At the time, I was rather skeptical given they were only [$] a piece. Now, after 500 miles, any doubts I had were gone. So far, these tires have covered 500 miles on MN roads and bike paths. My daily commute covers sections of road where there are numerous cracks and small rocks that made riding a flat-fest. I have yet to flat with the Tour Ride. The lower inflation pressure also gives a much better ride than any previous tire I used, and the aggressive tread pattern performs better than expected on dirt. I can't wait to see how they do in snow.
These tires are not the fastest, but they are not so slow that you think you're riding on a flat. For my commute and weekend trail rides, these tires are great. And at [$] a piece, a definite steal.
I am a daily exercise cyclist on small town streets. The tread on these tires is heavy enough to hang onto rough streets and sidewalks and to maintain traction in turns.
The tread is thick enough to get me over the occasional broken glass without incident.
This is a strong street tire in a narrow width, so I don't have to sacrifice speed while using a safe tire.
Tire 8s good and rides wrll but it is not quite sized for 700c wheel. Contact II fits perfectly. Almost broke th8s tire getting it on the wheel. Will have to cut this tire apart should I ever need to get it off the wheel. Bike: Montague folding city bike
When I used to race all I used were Continental Grand Prix tires, so when I stepped into the recent gravel craze the Ride Tours looked like a good compromise for a commutesingle-track tire. I like the center ridge for racking up the miles and the traction is decent overall. I was able to squeeze a set onto my old Bianchi, so I am running these on 4 bikes from 33s up to 47s. Great value IMO.
