To read about all other test conditions and how tires are tested, please read the Rolling Resistance Test Conditions

Continental's not saying exactly what wizardry of rubber formulations and carcass construction has been wrought to achieve this, but it's impressive as hell, especially when you consider that the improvement over the clincher version of the GP 5000 is 17% — Conti only claims 5% — and the tubeless GP 5000 therefore has over 30% less rolling resistance than the GP 4000 S II. That makes it the fastest Continental tyre yet.

Continental Grand Prix 5000 TT TR tyre

Weight is within +/- 10 grams of manufacturer specifications for all tires. With the 23C being spot on, 25C being 10 grams lighter and the 28C However, a friend of mine has had no end of issues with punctures and poor quality so maybe it's a hit & miss thing? Which it shouldn't be, obviously. The rear tyre is a 28mm GP4000S2 so I decided a 23mm tyre would be fine for my requirements on the front.

Noteworthy is the very flat rolling resistance graph of this tire, dropping air pressure to 80 psi increases rolling resistance by only 1.5 watts per tire. This is a great feature because rider comfort will increase greatly at 80 / 90 psi at a very low cost. Now you might think a tyre which rolls well has reduced grip but even during this spell of bad weather where the roads are wet and muddy the tyre has plenty of grip even at higher speeds. Welcome to the latest edition of road.cc’s buyer's guide to Continental's road tyre range, in which you’ll find everything you need to know to find the right tyres for you, plus a comprehensive guide to all clincher and tubular tyres in their range.At the end of 2018 the big news in Continental tyres was the introduction of a successor to the Grand Prix 4000 S II, unsurprisingly named the Grand Prix 5000. Not only did Continental replace arguably the most successful clincher tyre of all time, but they finally produced a tubeless version. From a performance point of view, there’s little to fault with the Grand Prix 5000 AS TRs. They feel every bit as good as the standard S, but with the added protection to cope with poor road conditions. They’re very expensive, though, and with many other tyres on the market offering similar performance at a much cheaper price, the competition is tough. Verdict The challenge is that when you make improvements in one area, there’s a performance penalty in at least one other area. A compound which offers maximum levels of grip, for example, will wear out faster and roll slower. Conversely, a compound optimized for higher speeds or greater durability has a reduced ability to grip. Sealant required. The GP 5000 TL has a layer of rubber on the inside to retain air; the GP 5000 S TR doesn't.

I'll be comparing a 23C, 25C, and 28C Grand Prix 4000S II to see how weight, size, and rolling resistance compares across different sized road bike Sure, there are tyres that can boast a more supple rubber and lower rolling resistance that could save you 1.5watts - but these offer an almost-perfect ride quality coupled with a significantly reduced likelihood if spending time beside the road fixing punctures. Lazer Grip: To make you one with the road, The lasered micro profile structure expands over the tire’s shoulder and provides outstanding cornering. NOTE: Grip test data is only available on tires tested after November 2018. You can find more information about our grip test here: Introducing Grip Testing Static Grip Test ResultsPuncture Force Sharp Needle: Pre-2021, this score was known as 'Puncture Resistance'. On some tires with weakly bonded casing wires, the sharp needle can split the casing wires resulting in a lower score. NOTE: As of 2021, we've improved the puncture resistance tests and now provide 'Total Puncture Score' as the main puncture resistance indicator. Active Comfort: The revolutionary approach in cycling. Embedded in the tyre construction the Active Comfort Technology absorbs vibrations and smoothens your ride. It's still available from some retailers but the Grand Prix 5000 TL has been nominally replaced by the Grand Prix 5000 S TR. We'll keep these details until retailers run out. This could also depend on your wheelwidth, my GP5000's 25mm are 28mm on my DT-Swiss wheels and only 25mm on my old Dura-Ace 24 wheels. Not that i'm saying this is always the fact (my Challenge Gravel Grinders 38mm were only 35mm). But for me Continental were always a bit wider.

There are so many significant differences between the Grand Prix 5000 S TR and its TL predecessor that Continental could easily have designated the new version Grand Prix 6000. The headline changes are:

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Of course, it's always possible to slice open and puncture any tyre on a first ride, (it's sods law) but the likelihood is much lower on these. We've managed entire summer seasons rolling on these with no punctures - and only a handful of flats when running them even in winter. Keep this in mind when you're comparing, but I don't think anyone is going to use 120 psi in a 28C tire anyway. Sorry but for far too many people who have ridden the GP4S this is a complete contrast to their experiences including mine. The tyres feel dead/unresponsive and sluggish, you do not keep your "summer speed" at all as they feel really draggy, they might have some additional grip in the wet but whatever micro improvement over x tyre I couldn't tell but having some unmeasurable extra grip at the expense of how they are much less a quality ride and lower performance (over Giant P-SL2s in 28mm) would simply not be worth it at all. Between finger and thumb, you can feel that the GP 4 Season is stiffer than a lighter summer tyre because of this extra protection, but for the casing Conti uses the same thread count at 330tpi (actually three layers of 110tpi) as it does in the GP 5000s. Compared to rival all-season tyres such as the Michelin Power All Season with its three layers of 60pti, it is much more supple. Performance They're "variable" when fitting them too, some are so tight you wouldn't want to risk using them on a ride because the idea of sitting at the roadside in 5 degrees and rain attempting to get the thing off the rim is just too awful to contemplate.