Continental GP4000S

[Yer Maw Mate Yer Maw]

Got myself a set of Continental GP4000S two months ago after being told that they are meant to be the best tyres you can get for grip and punc****s.

Well since I have had them I have have a few punc****s and I don't really think I will invest in them again after what has happened.

So just want some recommendations on some quality tyres that are solid and grippy from real cyclists that use the real roads

 

[palinurus]

I just use Spesh Armadillos. I like 'em enough for punctu*e protection. Some people say they aren't great in the wet, since I ride like a grandmother as soon as there's any moisture on the road I wouldn't know.

Solid: I'd say so.
Grippy: Not qualified to answer.
Fast: they are not.

 

[chris42]

Armadillos are quite heavy which is the price you pay for pun****r resistance.
i'm using Vittoria corsa open pros. Pumped to 135 psi. I have had a couple of flats but no more than any other tyre. and they fell really quick

 

[giant man]

Michelin ProRace 2s are brilliant tyres with very few pun****s. You have to realise NO tyres are completely pun**** resistant but some better than others.

 

[andy_wrx]

I had Conti GP4Seasons when I bought my new bike, the guy said they were the best all-weather training/race tyre.

As far as I'm concerned, they have the worst wet-weather grip of any tyre I've ever used, they scared me several times and then finally I came off at Tour of Wessex, so they're off the bike but kept in the back of the garage as just-in-case spares.

They also p*nct*red pretty regularly (I even got one on the turbo, presumably a thorn already on the tyre...) and were nigh-on impossible to get on or off Fulcrum or Shimano rims.

But on other websites, other people have said how absolutely brilliant they are and they swear by GP4Seasons and GP4000s !

So it would seem to be very subjective and personal - the same tyres for different people give different results - your weight, pressure you inflate to, bike/riding style, etc. Maybe even the roads you ride - are you in a wet or dry part of the country, do the council maintain them, does green slime grow on them ?

For myself, I use
- Pro Race 2 on my best/sportive bike and they seem pretty good. The red ones are over-the-top bling !
- Vittoria Open Corsa CX Team TT on TT/tri bike and they're excellent, fast and reassuringly grippy even in wet, although seem to have a reputation for being a bit fragile/high wear, which is OK on a race bike
- Vittoria Rubino & Zaffiro Pros on 2nd/winter/commuting bike and they're brilliant, have done enormous mileage and are really worn with lots of cuts etc but hardly ever p*ncrt*re, tons of grip, really predictable. Also a lot cheaper !

 

[Tim Bennet.]

I bought Conti GP4 Seasons for the early season qualifiers for the last PBP. I have never been so crushingly disappointed with a tyre. Most punctures seemed to be from bits of flint or shards of crap on the road that became lodged in the 'tread' and then were steadily pushed through the carcass on each revolution. They were worse on wet and filthy late winter roads, the exact conditions for which I had bought them!

So I chucked them in the corner of the garage and have stuck with Michelin Pro Race 28c's all year round, which I have never punctured including a several SR series, PBP, Paris Roubaix, and loads of miles over the last 4 years.

On my summer race bike I have Vredestein Tri Comps 23's, which I also find really grippy in the wet and have seldom punctured, except perhaps in October, as by then they are getting pretty thin.

I will now never use a road tyre with any hint of tread. They are only there as a marketing ploy because from our 'car based knowledge' everyone thinks it's what makes them stick to the road. But as that's not the case with bikes, why would you have a feature that traps crap and causes punctures?

 

[Yer Maw Mate Yer Maw]

From all the tyres I have used I find that the GP4000S are good in the wet, Armadillos are solid tyres but very poor in the wet last time I used them I was sliding all over the place.

Schwalbe Marathons are about the best I have used for all round use very solid tyres but not as grippy or as fast as the GP4000S but thats ok if your not looking to go as fast as you can.

 

[skwerl]

Schwalbe Stelvio Plus. Great tyres, good grip and good protection. They've gone longer than any other tyre I've tried, without puncturing

 

[fossyant]

For performance tyres, to be honest either GP4000's or Pro Race 2 - yep they can and do P******e. I have 2 sets of Pro Race 2's - the only p******es I've had were at the same point - snake bike impact puncture on a big hole right across the road - second time got caught looking for a way over it at 25 mph ?

Red on my green and white (with red flash) training bike, and light blue on my light blue best bike - both very flash tyres !

 

[chris42]

you can get GP400 for £19.94 at probike kit
http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=Y1338

 

[jashburnham]

I reckon the GP4000S are the best tyres I've ever owned, def better than the GP4000's and am absloute cinch to fit to Fulcrum rims unlike their predecessors - if only they came in red.

 

[Ravenbait]

I've got Pave Veloflex on my race bike and the GP4000s on my Pompino. Had no trouble with the Michelins whatsoever and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

I suspect that's not the answer you were looking for.

Sam

 

[wherryman]

Out of interest and the fact I ride with different variants of the Conti's but currently GP4000s and ultra gator, how long should they last in miles from average wear and tear - I never seem to know when to replace them ?

 

[Tetedelacourse]

I've had GP4000s on my bike since Feb of this year, done about 1500km on them and not had one hole yet. (Tonight's the night obviously!!!). Really can't ask for more than that.

Although... I have spotted a deficiency in one of the walls and I can't ever remember scraping against anything.

 

[BentMikey]

I love my GP4000s, great tyres!!!