If Beyonc' were a bicycle, she'd wear the SRAM Red D1 12-Speed Chain to the Grammys.
This thing is gold-plated bike jewelry, and it lets everyone knows you're not here to casually pedal to brunch ' you're here to win, or at least look like you do. The moment I installed it, I swear my bike gained at least 10 watts of smugness. Birds flew alongside me. Strangers nodded in approval. A barista gave me a free espresso. Coincidence? I think not.
The shifting? Smoother than a jazz saxophone on satin sheets. You could sneeze and accidentally shift three gears ' perfectly. No clunks, no hesitation, just buttery transitions like your derailleur suddenly got a master's degree in finesse.
Durability? Let's just say it laughs in the face of dirt. I rode through mud, sand, and what might've been a cursed swamp. It came out cleaner than my conscience after blaming my slow pace on a 'headwind' (there wasn't one).
Downsides? Sure. It's not cheap, ' but then again, neither is style, performance, or an ego boost that makes you feel like the Tour de France just started at your driveway.
Final Verdict:
5/5 stars.
Gold, fast, reliable, and slightly bougie.
Just don't let it catch you wearing socks with sandals.
Long time GP, GP 4000, and now GP 5000 TR tire user. For the weight, these are the most durable tires, long wearing and great grip. I'm 185 lbs and ride in the PNW, often crummy road surfaces and sometimes wet. I'm running 700x30 on 25mm internal width rims at 58/62 psi. These are still comfortable (I down sized from 32s) but, handle better on high speed turns, as I don't feel the tire flexing between the road and rim. The right tire, rim and PSI is crucial, and these are my numbers. I've ridden Schwalbe G1, Vredestein, Maxxis High Road, and top end Vittoria tires, but always go back to Continental GPs. Great tire, great ride.
Probably the best tire I've used in the 30+ years of cycling. I've used Michelin for years and turned to Conti's after recommendations. Going from tubed to tubeless was the next best choice in the evolution of the tire. These Conti GP 500 AS TR have been a welcome change and have performed well over 7000 miles of use. I'm getting about 4k miles on the tires. There has been only one negative, but I'm not sure if it was the tire or a one-off. While stopping for a rest, at my vehicle, the bike in the full sun, on asphalt, about 80 degrees, the front tire spontaneously had a blow out. Latex (Stans) was everywhere. Probably just a one-off.
I bought this chain before purchasing the Silca Wax System. I didn't install it for several weeks while I waited on some other parts to completely overhaul my drivetrain. The chain was easy to install and the wax held up for several hundred miles before I topped it off with Secret Blend Lube. I could have waited another hundred or so miles before using the Secret Blend Lube as the chain was still clean and had plenty of wax still on it. This is a great chain to try out if you're considering trying out waxing, on standby as a spare or in your Mech./SAG bag or toolbox on multi-day rides or triples.
