Racing Dan

So Im on the lookout for some grippy tyres that are puncture resistant/proof too, as opposed to my current puncture resistant tyres that does feel somewhat slippery.

Im thinking about the conti seasons, for use in the mountains. To prevent flatting on fast descents and for extra grip ??

Opinions?

Carbonfiberboy 

I think you're talking about road riding in the mountains? If so, smooth tires have better grip than tires with tread. 4 Seasons are fine, just a little slower than Conti 5000 and no better grip. Racing tires rather obviously have the best grip. If anything, flats are rarer in the mountains. Almost all my flats have been in or near cities. I've been riding Conti 4000IIs in the mountains for years, now going to 5000 as they wear out. If you're worried about it, carry 2 tubes, patch and boot kits, and a spare tire, like I've done for many years. Most places I ride, there's no cell service. Tires have gotten so good that the "disaster" stories from mountain rides I hear now are more usually dead battery or no juice for some other reason (!) and less frequently, broken cable.

August West

I ride Cont. GP 4 season (32c) pretty much exclusively and have very happy with their performance and puncture resistance. Certainly there are faster & lighter tires out there but since I ride solo I benchmark against my previous efforts on the same tires so I don't really care. They have been VERY puncture resistant in the area I live and I routinely do a decent where I've exceeded 50 mph with no problems. I be the first to admit I don't push them very hard in the corners just because I'd give up some speed than risk going down.

daoswald

I have Continental Four Season tires, 32mm on my hybrid. That may sound like an un-demanding application for those tires, but I use it for commuting with panniers, for trips to the store, and also as a loaner to my brother when we go together on road rides. Some of those road rides include climbing and descending Little Cottonwood Canyon, where grades reach 12% in places, and descents can easily climb over 50mph if you take your hands off the brakes on the winding road.

They feel very secure.

On my road bike I have Continental GP 5000 tires, 28mm. They feel a little faster, but they're mounted on a faster, lighter, more nimble bike in the first place.

The GP4S tires are pretty grippy, as you guessed. You might pay a little for the grippiness in the form of reduced tread life. But I put 1500 miles on a set of 32mm ones last year and haven't noticed any significant wear yet. By comparison, 1500 miles would have put me 2/3rds of the way through a GP4000sII. My GP5000s have only 1500 miles on them, too, and haven't begun to square off yet.

Racing Dan

Yes road riding. According to several sources the conti 4 seasons have "Max Grip Silica" compound as opposed to "Black chili" compound in the gp5000. Its not explained what the difference is, exactly, but if the name is an indication? The casing and puncture protection of the 4 season should be somewhat stronger than the gp5000.

Im not concerned about a bit more or less speed. I wanted to select a safe tyre that wont blow up or give me trouble at 50 mph :-)

Adonis72

I've been running Conti 4 seasons 32c on my road bike for about a year now with no issues/flats at all and they grip nicely. The ride isn't as plush as 5000's but I feel are a safer tire.

Drew Eckhardt 

Stick with the GP4000.

Lower rolling resistance, twice the life, and no less flat prone although they have less sidewall protection.

The 4Seasons had a hair more grip in the Tour magazine wet test, but you're not going to push them hard enough to notice unless you're wearing motorcycle leathers on a flat track.

taco2ewsday

I too ride Conti 4 seasons in 32c on a Topstone, my main goal was puncture resistance and 400 miles in and so far so good.

Steve B.

I typically get about 2000 miles out of my 4 Seasons. I se 25mm’s on my carbon bike and 28’s ( now 32 on a wider rim) on my gravel/commuter. Been using them for years as they are reasonable flat resistant.

Seattle Forrest

Use whatever tire you like, the mountain gods will protect you. It's always worked for me.

Racing Dan

Im not really concerned about speed or longevity. Its simply a safety concern. Justified or not, I wouldn't use gp4000 or gp5000 on account of reported issues with sidewall blowouts.

What test was that. Cant seem to find it?

Drew Eckhardt 

In 2007 the German Tour Magazine (www.tourmagazin.de) did a tire test - puncture resistance, power required on rollers, mounting ease, and wet traction with a kick bike rider wearing motorcycle gear cornering at increasing speeds until they lost traction and crashed.

I can find test summaries, although the original seems to have disappeared from the web.

https://forum.slowtwitch.com/Slowtwi...ults_P1473338/

Manufacturer, model, width x height, CRR at 35kph (85kg system weight, 7.5bar pressure), puncture resistance, wet adhesion, mounting

Clinchers/Tubeless:
Continental GP4Season 23.4x23mm 224g 53.90W 180s 33.20kph possible without tools
Continental GP4000s 23.4x22.8mm 207g 34.30W 180s 33.00kph possible without tools
Continental GP4000s TOUR - TEST WINNER
Hutchinson Fusion 2 23x22.7mm 233g 52.8W 56s 30.30kph with tools middle difficult
Hutchinson Fusion 2 Tubeless 21.9x20.5mm 299g 34.30W 41s 30.40kph with tools middle difficult
Michelin Pro�Grip 23.2x22mm 234g 43.70W 180s 32.60kph with tools easy
Michelin Pro�Grip Tour - Tip
Michelin Pro�Race 23.3x24.1mm 218g 36.00W 180s 30.30kph with tools easy
Schwalbe Stelvio Rain 23.6x23.2mm 215g 51.50W 180s 31.10kph possible without tools
Schwalbe Ultremo 22.5x21.2mm 196g 43.30W 180s 32.90kph possible without tools
Schwalbe Ultremo Tour - Tip
Vittoria Evo CX 23x22.7mm 229g 42.00W 9s 30.40kph with tools middle difficult
Zipp Tangente 21.5x18.9mm 204g 36.20W 47s 33.00kph possible without tools

AdkMtnMonster

There are multiple reports of world class and Olympic athletes having fatal cardiac events both during events and long before or after. By your logic we should all immediately stop exercising.

Conti GP5000s are great tires on my new bike, so far... I’ve liked UltraSports for their cheap reliable utility, and 4000s have been great, too. Lots of great tires out there. The things that makes most tires suck are the pilot and the power plant, most often.

znomit

I've never had any issues with GP4000s, I've done quite a bit of gravel with them too. The reflex stripes get pretty beat up on gravel but no other issues. I wonder if they add protection to the sidewalls?

downhillmaster

Trying to play it safe while riding at 50 mph 🙄

Racing Dan

Sure, I might even wear a helmet!

smashndash

I’ll toss in a couple of options - I’m also looking for a durable, grippy tire. There are very, very few.

Pirelli Cinturato is a good TL option as of right now. There are some reports of initial bead stretch so I’d run it with tubes for a week and then set up an extra layer of tape if necessary.

Specialized Roubaix might be available in TL? The gripton compound on it should be the same as the Turbo tires. I think the Turbo Pro could be a decent option as well.

IRC Formula Pro X-guard is a super expensive but apparently fairly tough and sticky option.

Maybe the panaracer Race D Evo?

That’s all I got right now. I also haven’t used any of these tires unfortunately. I have tried the Pirelli P zero and Specialized Turbo Pro and while they have great compounds, I wouldn’t describe either one as durable. The turbo pro is slightly tougher than an average race tire, though. All the other tire manufacturers seem to think that if you care about durability, you must not be riding very hard. Would be glad to hear other options.

Seattle Forrest

Have you considered paying someone to ride down the mountain for you?

dmanthree

I've been riding those tires for a long time during the off seasons and I've never flatted one. They're excellent tires.

steinercat

For those of you guys running 32c 4 Seasons, do they measure a true 32mm? I have the 28C versions and they measure 30mm on my Altamont Lite rims.

I've always wanted to try the 32c.

Thanks!