Mikier

Has anyone had issues with Continental tire sidewalls? I have had a pair of Conti Grand Prix 4 Season for about two years. Recently very thin threads of long strands of the sidewall just above the rims have been unraveling from the both sides of both tires. My primary concern is if this is a potential safety issue ie could the sidewall burst?
thanks
mikier

Lemond1985

Yes, i have had this problem from the very start with the GP4000's, the first pair had long black threads that got wound around front and rear axles. I didn't see them for quite a while, I would have never suspected something like that could even happen. They might have interfered with the hubs spinning to some extent.

But Conti does not seem overly-concerned. I throw out their tires quite regularly when they get either frayed sidewalls like you describe, or deep tread cuts that distort the shape of the tire. I would think that with all the tires they have sold over the years, with these serious problems (I would call them defects) that someone would have been killed by now on a high speed descent because of a blowout. I'm sure it probably has happened, but I have not heard personally of anyone.

Gary in NJ

Can you post a photo of the wear/damage? How many miles have you ridden these tires? Have you kept them within the recommended inflation range of 70-100 psi? I would not ride a tire with noticeable damage or peculiar wear.

REDMASTA

i've worn continentals down to the cords and kept riding, so no some threads on the sidewall would not bother me.

Lemond1985

Would you keep riding with a cut deep enough to see the inner tube?

Mulberry20

I stopped using them for the same reason as well as the fact the are often extremely out of balance.

Pirellis P Zero is very similar to the GP 5000 but better quality and far easier to mount.

Mikier

they really are as thin as thread ie too small to photograph. Tires have probably 1500 miles but tread is still great. Alway keep at 90-95 psi

dmanthree

Mine do this. I pull those little things off and just keep riding. No issues. That's an excellent tire.

Blue-Shamu

Not Conti's....but, these held up long enough to make an impromptu ride two years ago. LOL....I hadn't ridden the bike in no telling how long, prior!

pdlamb

Same here. I guess the tread wears out before those threads cause any other problem.

jay4usc

just get a scissor and cut them. My gatorskin used to fray threads and I would just cut them. It’s common for them to fray. It’s like giving them a haircut

heres a thread about contis fraying:

https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-m...s-fraying.html

Troul 

No where did I read that grooming may be required when using those rubbers. Should be a service offered by the lbs. "how long will it take to give msh rubbers a perm?"

jay4usc

you don’t need to bring it LBS to have it cut. It takes a second to cut it.

canklecat

Occasionally I'll trim the Irish pennants from the sidewalls of my Conti SpeedRides, near the bead. It's never bad, just an occasional thread.

Never noticed any problems with my other Continental tires: Sport Contact II, Ultra Sport II, Grand Prix Classic skinwalls. The GP Classic skinwalls are translucent -- so thin you can see light through the reddish/brown sidewalls. I expected them to be a bit fragile but they've turned out to be some of the best all around tires I've ridden -- smooth, reasonably fast, comfortable, grippy, tough, good on pavement and moderate dry gravel (haven't tried 'em on really rough stuff or railroad ballast). So far, so good, no sidewall cuts or threads unraveling (raveling? is unraveling the act of self-repairing raveling?)