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 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 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.
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?
Fantastic tire. Durable, fast, and great for conrnering.... nuff said. -)
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.
I was going to order 25's from other manufacturer, but knew that 23's from Conti are the same size. They seem to be comfortable and fast. Haven't put on many miles. If you order 25's from Conti, be aware they are almost 28, so check your clearance.
I bought these tires (25c)based on the stellar reviews not just on this site, but every other site I scanned on the web! And, I'm glad I did. I mounted them a week before I rode a 68 mile gran fondo in the rain, and the grip on the wet asphalt was superior to my old tires. Now, a month into riding on them, I will probably not mount anything else.
I know several reviewers have stated that the rolling resistance is a lot less with these tires, and there is even a web site that makes the comparison with other tires httpwww.bicyclerollingresistance.comroad-bike-reviewscontinental-grand-prix-4000s-ii-2014.
For me however, I really didn't notice that as much as I noticed the comfort and vibration absorption. So far I have been keeping them at around 110 psi and they are so much better than the stock Vittoria Diamante Pro Light, 700 x 25c that came stock on my bike and are only 12 grams heavier per wheel (my actual weights, not specs.).
Overall, I would highly recommend this tire to anyone who wants a solid all-around tire. Good grip, no flats (so far), low stated rolling resistance, what's not to like? Buy them.
These tires are fast, smooth and affordable.
Long lasting, great traction, very durable.
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.
Sorry to hear about your experience! Many people, yourself included until now, have had great success with these tires. They are primarily a racing tire however, and there are a number of similar tires we could get you set up with as a replacement. Please give us a call or send an email and we will get you rolling again!
Best,
Derek