I'm only giving this tire 4 stars because they were a bear to mount on my daughter's Mavic Cosmic wheels. Just for reference we bought the 25s. I'm not sure if the larger 28s would be any easier but I kind of doubt it. She's good at changing flats (especially for a 14 year old) on the road but if she does gets one either I'll have to come change it or she'll need help from someone fairly strong.
After struggling for a bit and almost breaking my tire spoon I ended up attempting to prestretch them by pulling as hard a I could with my feet and hands for about 10 minutes. Only then could I mount them with a tire spoon. Usually I can get other non-tubeless tires mounted by hand.
She's got about 200 miles on them so far and enjoys the ride quality and grip.
With any luck these will last the spring and summer CRIT season.
This is used on my performance titanium bike. Very good durability. Use then on paved backroads and sometimes crushed stone trails common as rec trails in WI.
A little pricey, but probably still a good value considering tire life.
Used the 32mm with tubes for a month and about 500 miles after a 6 month back order. I ran over something that put a 1 inch slice in the rear and now that tire is useless. Maybe just bad luck but will not order them again. I'll stick with the 4-season or gatorskin.
After trying Michilan's, Vittorio's, Specialized and various Conti road tires, I finally settled on the 4000S (23, 25) years ago as my go-to tire. When Conti came out with the 5000 chili's I tried them (25) and liked them! I typically ride between 3500-8000+ miles per year and that includes commute, pleasure, group, training, touring, and in the past some light racing. I also delivered Jimmy John's in downtown Indianapolis from 2012-2018 part-time on these tires (28 on my SS) as part of my quest to improve my sprinting. I mean, why not get paid to ride your bike, huh?? What I've found across the board is that these tires perform overall superior to any other brand racing/performance/endurance road tire I've ever used in the past. I've found the GP4000 and 5000 to be the perfect combination so far of durable, comfortable and performance qualities. Excellent sticky grip in cornering, reliable handling on dry, wet and even somewhat on snow, equally excellent on dirty city roads as on pristine clean roads, more comfortable on chip&seal and rattlebone roads. I usually get 3000+ miles out of a set, more if I rotate tires every few of months and actively avoid glass if possible, and bad sections of road. Nowadays most of my riding is training for my annual, multiday touring of back to back century days in the saddle, which can always include unplanned surprises in road surfaces, reroutes and detours. (I plan the routes based on where I'd like to ride and Google maps/Map-My-Ride. I do not use a touring service. I like the adventure! And I prefer a carbon road bike (coz, you know, we like to get there without taking the whole day, lol!) a lightweight backpack and a credit card for these tours - 8 under my belt now!) I always put on a new set of tires the day before Bikecation and roll without worry over what unexpected surprises the road throws at us! I find these tires to do very well, rarely flatting until pretty well worn, and getting noticeably table-topped. Only once ever have I had a sidewall blowout, and that was on an aged tire and my own, awkward-moment fault. Again, rotating the tires periodically helps them last longer than if you don't. These tires have proven to be worth the money to me, especially when i can find a great deal on pricing. But I have paid - and will pay - the $70+ normal RV if I need the tires and can't find a deal at the time, with zero regrets. Although now I stock up ahead of time when I find them on sale. And that's my review! Good riding and happy trails to you!
Got the 28 mm version. Extraordinarily comfortable especially on chip seal roads which are very common where I live. Great grip on wet roads, too. A little pricey, but if you want to avoid disappointment, always buy the best; and these are the best.
I had been searching for a tire that would not get punctures when I rode vaguely near some piece of detritus with an edge or a point. I had tried other highly rated tires but with no success. The Continental Grand Prix 4K & now 5K do the trick. I imagine they are heavier than some but I can live with that. They are a bit pricey, but since I have to replace them less often, I'm probably not actually spending more. I certainly get a lot fewer flats which makes riding far more fun. As long as Continental keeps up the quality, I'll keep buying them.
Before taking the new road bike tire for a spin, I reviewed the technology first. The Grand Prix 5000 has a 12% lower rolling resistance, a 20% better puncture resistance and 10 grams less weight according to Continental. The tires puncture resistance was improved and I put that to the test. While out for a ride we encountered a large patch of glass. My buddies all got flats. I pulled some glass shards out of the tire. No damage and No Flats... The tire smoothly glides over asphalt and my bike has no problem accelerating.
Like many, I used the 4000s II for years and loved them. This newer version has less tread thickness and costs more. I bought them based on my experience with the previous model, but cannot recommend them due to changes in manufacturing and the price. There are more 700C sizes available in this model and the graphics are smaller and more appealing to me. It is still a good tire but Continental has not advanced the model technologically as much as the introduction of Black Chili compound did years ago.
Over the years I have found the Continental brand the best. I get the best handling and long term use from this brand. They also look good on tire rims. I have bought the 4000 tire over the past few years. Thought Id give the 5000 a try especially since they were on sale.
I have found them to be another excellent tire from a Continental. Dont think you would make a mistake when you give them a try. I have a house in Sarasota FL and another in New Jersey. These tires are excellent on the warm fast flats in Florida. Also on the hilly terrain of central Jersey.
I bought these to replace my aging tires specifically for a century in San Antonio with all the crappy Texas chip seal you can imagine and they held up great (no flats!). I bought 28mm and haven't tried putting calipers on them but my guess is they're narrow. I was able to mount them with my bare hands too, which is always a plus. Great tires, would buy again.
My experiences with the GP5000 tire has been very good. A bit pricey, and I can only get 1200-1500 miles on a set; but experience on road has been a good performer. I plan to continue I need to use this tire on my road bike
I bought these at a good sale price a few months ago and put them on last week when my 4000's were getting flats to easily. This is usually a sign to me that they needed replacing-about 3000 miles worth of wear.
The new tires were a tight fit on my DT Swiss carbon rims but the new bike tire tool, a Crank Brothers Speedier lever, lived up to its name. It made mounting the tubes much easier than putting on the 4000's , which was what led me to buying the new Crank Bros. tool in the first place. The tires look good on the bike and ride well with better grip on the turns than the previous ones. The ride is comfortable, too. I'm not sure I can tell if they have less rolling resistance. Obviously, I can't comment on longevity or flat resistance yet but usually have good luck with Continental products.
Try these tires. I think they are a good example of continuing product improvement by Continental.
I am an avid cyclist of mostly group rides that range between 20 to 75 miles over flat to hilly terrain. Back roads with some countysecondary roads to help connect the dots. I was a long time user of the Continental brand between the GP4000s and the 4Season. I went between the two depending on the season, weather, and the amount of riding where durability was more sought than ride quality. I would trade between the two by switching out the tires. I ride a 500 mile7 day cycling fundraiser every July in the Northeast US so that alone causes some flux as to what tire to use. I recently went off course by trying out the Vittoria Corsa G which claimed to have vastly improved its durability by way of a new material called Graphine. The first two sets where super fast and buttery smooth. The third set which was used over the 500 mile ride rendered the ugly durability head by rendering three flats. I have since switched back to Continental as I was made aware of the 5000s. Of course they are on par with the Corsas in terms of speed and roll resistance but I've been told the 5000s were made with a 20% improvement on puncture resistance. I just took them out for 40 miler and have to say they are impressive from a ride quality and rollspeed standpoint. I did not flat during that ride but honestly its going to take a much larger sample size to determine just how much more durable they are than the 4000s, the Corsas, and whether they're close enough to the Conti 4Seasons which while very reliable deliver a slower ride with greater vibration. Ruins the experience a bit.
I'm very happy with the 5000s but jury remains out on the surviving the rural routes.
Ride smooth, feel fast, not enough miles to comment on puncture resistance. Moved to these from a pair of Pro Endurance 4's and they are a tighter fit for sure but nothing I'm concerned about if I have to make a change on the road.
I am an old guy (74) and have been riding my Road Bike on these tires since they first came out. I ride 150 miles a week on the road here in Florida. The conditions of our roads here is proof we need a sensible infrastructure package. The roads go from really smooth (rare) to almost gravel pretending to be real pavement. Besides that, with the explosion of construction in Florida's fast growing population the bike paths are full of nuts, bolts, nails, and considerable amounts of plastic and glass. It is very difficult to keep from rolling over all that stuff because of the busy traffic at all times of day. All that to say that I seldom have a flat tire riding the 5000's and can say the ride is surprisingly comfortable. I also ride in the rain for a season and feel perfectly safe on the wet roads. I have tried many different tires over the last 25 years and no longer test out any other tires. You won't be disappointed with these tires.
The first thing that I noticed was that the two little wear markers in the tread are about one half of the depth on the GP 5000 as compared to the GP 4000, so I'm not quite sure if that means that there is only one half of the tread or not. I cycle 12,000 mile per year for fitness, and don't race because I don't like broken bones and road rash, although I have weekly group rides with racers. I have never actually worn out a rear GP 4000 tire because they always gashed out first from striking rocks or debris. On the front I do wear out a GP 4000. I get about 2,000 miles per tire on the GP 5000.
