Randell

I thought I would share my current experience with Continental tires. I’ve used Continental tires for years and been very happy with them. However, in the last couple of years I’ve had issues with the sidewalls unraveling. This issue developed on both GP4000 and GP5000TL models. After a quick Google search, I see that others have had similar issues, some with near-fatal results.

I tried to attach pictures but was unable due to not having 10 posts of the forum.

datlas 

If you notice a few loose strands near the bead, I don’t believe that is dangerous or a problem. Can you be more specific in what is happening?

Iride01 

All you have to do is write the URL of your pics in your message as plain text. Remove the https:// and then put a space on either side of the .
Then it's no longer a URL and the SPAM filters won't give you issue. Most of us know how to make them work again. Use the link provided by the "share" function if your link has one. I think as a newb you can even upload to the gallery on this site if you need somewhere to put them. But you still have to obfuscate till you get a little older. (10 post and a day)

Randell

Imagine a loose thread on a sweater. If you pull it, the sweater unravels. I’ve tried cutting them off but after a few rides they are back. If I was just rolling on a bike path I wouldn’t worry about it either. However, I don’t feel good about it on the road, especially when climbing/descending mountains.

I've sworn by GP4000s for years and never observed this, but in the last 2 years it has happened to multiple tires.

Ogsarg

I think you'd be hard pressed to find any tire that someone hasn't had a quality issue with. Having said that, I had a sidewall come apart on a GP4000II a couple of years ago. I was getting a ton of flats also so stopped using them. Have not had a problem with the 5000.

Bottom line is if you're not comfortable riding them, get something else. Plenty of choices although common sizes are not so easy to find these days.

Koyote

Perhaps you should be sending this message to Continental, rather than creating a bf account just to vent.

Carbonfiberboy 

All my Conti tires have always done this, going back 20+ years. It's never been a safety problem. Every now and then I pull the loose threads off the calipers and break off any others I see. The tire is not falling apart. I've never bothered to look into it more closely. The threads are very weak and don't pose a hazard in any way. I like the tires and find the threads to be a very minor annoyance. I've been climbing and descending mountains with Conti tires for, yes, over 20 years. Not a problem.

I have heard of Conti sidewalls failing right above the bead, which seems to me to be due to underinflation and has never happened to me.

Dean V

Definitely a lot of near fatal accidents because of this.
I have lost count of the number of riders I have seen bloodied, laying beside the road, with Conti sidewall threads wrapped around their limbs, neck, and bike.
If you have any Gorilla glue left over from doing your hair you can always use it on the sidewalls to keep the threads in place.

Bob Dopolina 

The tire is not 'unraveling'. That is impossible due to how tires are constructed.

What you are seeing is the threads from the breaker strip. It is the piece that wraps around the tire bead to protect it and stop it from splitting the tire.

Cut them off as they appear. It will eventually stop. Ride your bike.

mstateglfr 

Cut em off, burn em off, go fight win!

Conti tires do that.

Branko D

I just tore off or cut off any loose threads off Contis, never thought twice of it. It hasn't created any issues.

datlas 

Makes me think of this classic:

Luckily, tires are not sweaters.

Iride01 

How many miles do you have to have on your Conti's to get this? I have just looked on three bikes that have GP 5000's and they don't have any threads showing or poking through the sidewalls.

Nor do the Conti Ultra sports that I took off my Raleigh over 11 years ago that are almost worn out. Why I don't throw them away I don't know. They were probably the worst riding tire I ever used.

I wonder if this might be a thing for those that use super low pressures in their tiers considering ride weight. Or maybe those that don't check their tire pressure till they feel the rims bumping the road.

Psimet2001 

Derp. Conti has always done this and it's not a life threatening situation.