MattTheHat 

I've got almost exactly 550 miles on these GP5000TL tires. I noticed this spot last night. It appears to be cords sticking through the sidewall. I don't see any obvious damage to the rubber, it's like it's just too thin in this area. A couple of the cords appear to have frayed completely in two. I'm not sure what to think about this. I don't recall hitting anything in the road. I suppose a pot hole could have done this, though I don't recall hitting one. It seems like anything else that would have done something like this would have damaged the rubber too. It just appears the rubber was too thin in this area.

I'm hoping someone with more experience can offer some insight. Opinions?

-Matt

Sy Reene

Regardless of whatever it is or caused this, since you don't know especially, I'd seek warranty replacement.

aclinjury

given that the GP4k series has an ever ongoing issue with sidewall ripping, well you know what I'm gonna say right

MattTheHat 

I'm guessing I won't have a lot of luck in that department, but I'll give it a shot.


-Matt

DowneasTTer

Contact Continental directly via their web site. They will get back to you. It might take a few days. I had a similar problem with a couple of GP4000 all seasons. After a few emails they send me a new pair. I found their customer service to be excellent. Good luck.

MattTheHat 

That’s encouraging. I filled out their online form this afternoon.

-Matt

MattTheHat 

I ran one pair of 4000s a few months back. At almost exactly mile 30, I hit something in the road that tore the sidewall in the rear tire. Could have just been one of those things, but I decided then to give upon the 4000s, even though they had very low rolling resistance.

I’m not aware of even hitting anything with these, though. I really think this is a manufacturing defect.

-Matt

HarborBandS

I've had some major pothole and debris strikes with my Michelin Pro 4 Endurance V2 tires, and they show no signs of damage. The rolling resistance and weight are a little bit worse and they are not tubeless, but I highly recommend them for a good balance of fast tire and durability (assuming you're not racing crits on them).

MattTheHat 

By way of update, it's been almost a week now, and I have not heard back from Continental.

Interestingly, the rear tire has started to lose about half pressure during a 2 hour ride. It's not losing it through the cord damage in the photo, or there would be a Stan's booger there. I don't see any boogers, so I'm not sure what's going on with the pressure.

I will say that I'm shocked at how well the tire rolls with only 45 PSI.


-Matt

Sy Reene

There's a reason new stuff beta-testers are said to be living on the 'bleeding edge'

MattTheHat 

I've got a feeling it's more like the oozing edge, but your point is well taken.


-Matt

DowneasTTer

It does take awhile. The email on the web site goes to Germany then forwarded to the US. You should hear from the someone soon. On the air loss I would water test the wheel. You may find air coming from the valve stem, very common. Or through one of or more of the spokes. Good luck.

MattTheHat 

I did indeed do a water test. I could see no air leaking anywhere. I'm thinking the air is probably escaping while riding and hitting bumps. This seems to be supported by the fact that the tire only loses a few pounds of pressure over night. It could be that Stan's Race isn't the best sealant to use with these tires, though it worked very, very well in the Roubaix Pros I was running previously.

-Matt

MattTheHat 

By way of update, I still have not heard back from Continental. At this point, I doubt I will, and it probably doesn't matter. I found the reason for the loss of air in the rear tire. A puncture that was not fully sealing. I tried to plug it. That didn't go so well. A plug probably isn't a good solution for a tire running 85 PSI. I guess I could patch it from the inside, and I may well eventually do that.

For now, I installed a new pair of Specialized Roubaix Pro 2Bliss and called it good. They definitely have a bit more rolling resistance than the 5000TLs, but low rolling resistance ain't everything. This is basically the same conclusion I came to with running the GP4000s in my area. The tires just aren't quite tough enough.


-Matt

WhyFi

FWIW, I've had no problems with Orange Seal with punctures with tires at ~100psi, whereas I've seen a lot of accounts similar to yours with regard to Stan's/ Stan's Race.

MattTheHat 

Interestingly, when I installed the Roubaix Pros, I used Orange Seal this time. It will be interesting to see how it holds up compared to the Stan's Race in the Roubaix Pros on my other bike.

I've heard many folks saying Stan's and Stan's Race doesn't seal well for them. On the first pair of Roubaix Pros it seemed to work pretty well at sealing punctures for me.

-Matt

pdoege

Matt, I don't know what your tire looks like, but I've had good luck super gluing the exterior and patching the interior with a tube patch backed with gorilla tape.

I've also found that Stan's tends to unseal after a while. I had a tire with 4 leaks that would constantly unseal while riding. Replacing the Stan's with Orange Seal stopped the leaks for the rest of the tire's life.

Orange Seal is much harder to inject via syringe. I bought a bigger injector to compensate.

That said, Stans never left me stranded, just inconvenienced.

MattTheHat 

Very interesting, thanks for the info. I don't inject through the stem, I pour it in with just the last section of tire hanging off the rim. Rotate it 180 degrees so the sealer rolls into the other half of the tire, and then finish rolling the last part of the tire onto the rim.

The puncture hole isn't *too* bad, it's just that the plug hole looks like it wants to get bigger when the tire is up to pressure. I'll have a go at patching it.

-Matt