mwandaw

Do you have actual riding experience specifically with Continental GP4000 SII tires size 28-622 (700c x 28) on your tandem?

If so, how did they work for you?

Thanks!

reburns

These are the tires we've been using for a bit over a year, covering about 2600 miles. We have them on older (narrow) Bontrager tandem wheels. I like them because the ride is very silky smooth, almost the equal of the now obsolete Schwalbe Ultremo ZX. They appear to wear much better than the Schwalbes as well, but probably are no better when it comes to road hazards and sidewall cuts. I did destroy a pair by riding over a box of box cutter blades (true story!). Otherwise they have been fairly trouble free where we ride in the SF Bay Area, plus trips domestic and foreign.

The only reason I might look at a different tire is if I decided to try something larger such as 32 mm. Otherwise I'm happy enough to stick with these as our standard tire. I've bought them from Merlin Cycles in the UK for roughly $75/pair, and they have arrived quickly.

Carbonfiberboy 

Yup. Our good-weather tires. They roll well and are comfy for our 280 lb. team at 105 lbs. We could run them at lower pressure, but find we get fewer flats at 105, maybe because we run them on 23mm rims. Even on those wide rims, they look a bit silly for someone accustomed to racing wheels and tires. They are not only wide, they're tall, so great pinch-flat protection. Best tandem tires available today IMO. In winter, we run Rubino Pro Tech III tires with better flat protection.

supercharger

I ride a 23c in front and a 25c in the rear on my road bike. I cut them both riding over a hazard while cornering at speed but aside from that I really like them. I expect I could get at least a couple of seasons out of them before needing replacing if I don't roll over something bad.

jnbrown

Its the only tire I will use because it does everything well.
We use 25c at 100 psi.
I have had a few tires die prematurely due to deep cuts, I could probably keep riding them but I won't take chances of a blow out on the tandem so I toss them.

swiss_toni

We have had them on our road tandem. 28mm version and we normally run them around 90 to 100 psi. Have been very happy with how they handle and they were a comfort improvement over our different brand 25mm. We keep them on the bike year round. We do lots of climbing and fast descending and I like how they handle.

We had to replace one of the rear tyres due to getting a small bulge in the sidewall (but I think that was due to some gravel riding we had done before - and the tyre was almost at its wear points anyway).

I like them on the tandem so much that I put the 25mm version on my single road bike.

twocicle

Replied to your Hobbes inquiry before seeing your post here. Copy...

The GP4000 II 28mm tire actual width will measure quite a bit wider. Specific width depends on the rim width. On a 23mm rim the tire will be more like 32mm wide.

If you wish to hit a target width of 28mm and have a 23mm wide rim, then the 25mm tire will meet your needs. Ours GP4000 II 25mm tires measure 28.6mm, which is actually a bit wider than the 4-Season 28mm tires. Go figure. Tire height comes out to the same as the 4-Season, so no worries about too low a sidewall. Our team weight is ~260lbs and we run the tires at ~106-108psi depending on the road surface anticipated (ie: heavy chip seal vs smooth).

The puncture strip embedded in the 4000 is fairly narrow under the contact patch area only. It does not wrap around the sidewalls at all. We had only one flat and that was caused by a sidewall puncture while cornering (something sharp sticking up in a crack in the pavement). I think these GP4000 II tires have better flat protection than the Schwalbe Ultremo ZX tires we previously used for our high performance set.

Ride quality is great. The Schwalbe Ultremo ZX were probably the plushest of anything ridden, but the GP4000 are quite close.

The GP4000 II are easy enough to mount and take off with just bare hands. No tools needed if you know the technique and rims with a deep enough center well area.

I've run these on both carbon rims and Kinlin/BHS AL rims without problems. For travel trips abroad, I'm sticking with the 4-Season for the extra puncture insurance.

Artmo 

I have used the 4000s and now the 4000s II for years in 700c, 23,25 and 28. They are excellent in terms of longevity and puncture resistance. I get mine at www.probikekit.com from the UK. Current price about $40. No tax and no shipping cost, above a certain order value, now $79.

twocicle

Yup. Recently bought 4 from there. Net cost was $32.72/ea ($38.49 - 15%, because they had a " Buy 4 tires get 15% off") deal.

twocicle

Screaming deal right now at Competitive Cyclist...

Continental Grand Prix 4000 S II Tire - Clincher - $30.73
Continental Grand Prix 4000 S II Tire - Clincher | Competitive Cyclist

With that price I couldn't help myself and ordered a bunch more 700x25c (measure 28.7mm wide on our rims). Problem is, my current stock is lasting way too long. Oh well, they age nicely.

Leisesturm

Hmmm... anyone see a pattern? At least five posts reporting tire failures due to cuts, bulges, etc. I've got two vintage bikes with 27" wheels and Continental is one of the few major suppliers of tires in this size. I bought their good stuff and within a few rides one of the tires had to be booted with a dollar bill, and another had to be scrapped entirely.

On our road tandems we run Schwalbe Marathons in 28mm, and Big Apple 2.0 on the around town tandem. We have never, ever, ever had anything like a bulge or any other kind of tire carcass failure. We wore one pair right down to the warning marks. We run them at 100psi.

I don't know, I'm not particular about ride quality etc. but I think a recommended tire should not have five reports of carcass failures in... what 10 posts? Doesn't sound like a screaming deal to me.

Carbonfiberboy 

You must have posted to the wrong thread. We haven't had a failure. Some of the tandem teams we ride with are also running IIs in 28mm. No failures there, either. If you ride enough, any tire will fail. I've had my share of sidewall cuts, but fewer of them on the IIs than for instance on Pro4 Endurance. I had a team right in front of us go down in the rain while running Marathons. It wasn't even slick.

I can believe that 27" tires are not at good as 700c. Maybe it's time to change out the rims. Modern wheels and tires are a much bigger advance in bike technology than are frames.

twocicle

^^^ Good one.

Yes, a 27" these days is an odd size, and so is posting in this thread about some mystery Continental model XYZ or other mfr. As the thread title says... "GP4000 SII Experience?", it does not ask for opinions on other models or mfr.

Leisesturm

No need to be rude. Mine is not the first post to mention other brands.

Leisesturm

Nope. Right thread. I can count. Five threads in 10 (not 10 in 10) have mentioned carcass failures. Since we were talking about Continental tires I felt my observations with them valid. But throw mine out if you want. Since you think they might not care enough about legacy sizes. Isn't there enough opinion on the exact tire in question right here in the thread to warrant a hmmm? I think so. Its an opinion forum, I threw mine in.

Carbonfiberboy 

Since you haven't used the tires in question . . .

And yeah, I'd guess that the Conti engineers and production managers and bean counters are a whole lot less concerned about legacy sizes. It's a corporation. I can't remember ever seeing a 27" tire test, period. Or even a review other than on Amazon.

joe@vwvortex

We've had the opposite experience. Two Schwalbes blew the casing for no reason after 2 rides. Our Conti 4000 II's on the other hand have been flawless over the past year.

twocicle

I have been using GP4000 on our singles since the tire model became available with many many thousands of miles of training each year plus racing on these as well. Very seldom have any issue. So far this year, I had 1 flat recently on my single due to wearing down the tread and picking up a thorn, and same wear issue for the tandem... 1 flat when riding a worn down tread and having a glass shard work its way through the tread part. The sum of miles between those 2 flats is in the order of 6k. In both cases, I was extending the tire life a bit too far, probably beyond the expected useful life for this type of tire. Of all the riders I know, none have had any dramatic failure events with these.

The GP4000sII are one of the highest quality clincher race tires available, but they are not designed for carrying mega loads or Roubaix roads, that is just the way it is. You wouldn't use Pirelli slick car tires offroad, or pick just any truck tire for that matter to carry a +4000lb camper.

The caveat is:
This is not a one model fits all tire. If you ride mostly nice roads free of goatheads, have a lightweight team and prefer the ride qualities of a race tire, then this model can work well for those teams.

oldacura

Thanks for the link. It worked on me. I wasn't in the market for tires but for such a deal I got a pair plus some arm warmers and a new cassette. I'm a sucker for a deal.

DrMarkR

We've used GP4000's (earlier models initially, current versions as they're been released) on our Robusta's for 15+ years.....after I had used them on my singles with great success. Very rare flats (good roads in Tucson) and never a sidewall or catastrophic failure. We're a 290# team. Very compliant ride. We run them at 95-100 lbs.

I just looked closely.....I see zero mention of problems or failures of this tire anywhere in this thread.....btw.

Chancy

Folks,
Any experience with 4000 IIS & Continental GP 4 Seasons? We are currently riding on Continental GP 4 Seasons in 700x28mm (folding). If we switched to the 4000 IIS (700x28mm) would there be a noticeable improvement in ride quality? We ride a Santana Beyond and this would be day rides, no touring (we will tour with the Continental GP 4 Seasons or Gatorskins). One important note, we are a 350 lb team, can we use the 4000 IIS or are we too heavy? What do you guys think?

akexpress 

We have been riding the 4000IIs for the last two years and have not had any catastrophic failures but have had a few flats. the flats have been metal fibers from failed truck tires particularly on the roads in Kona Hi. We ride the 28's on the rear and 25's on the front as we don't really have enough room on our fork for the 28's. We run them at 110 and are 340 lb team and love the ride quality. The wear is consistent with the 4 season version in our experience.

twocicle

Chancy,

I've used both models on the tandem but the GP4000sII in only the 25mm width as it actually measures ~.5mm wider than the GP4-Season 28mm on our rims.

The GP4-Season has an extra puncture layer and the sidewall seems tougher/thicker. I don't recall ever flatting with these tires. It runs a little firmer (not quite as compliant) as the GP4000, and width is closer to the advertised spec, ie: 28mm measures 28.2mm on our rims. We use these for all our trips to Europe and sometimes more locally if expecting bad roads or extended gravel.

Based on my experience, the GP4000 tread compound (black chili) seems to last longer than the 4-Season. The sidewalls are not as tough as the 4-Season but we have not experienced any issues. These are a super nice race tire, but if you want something a little tougher, go with the 4-Season.

Do note that the GP4000 typically measures wider than spec. It takes about a week to stretch out to its max width. The 28mm tire can actually measure over 32mm wide on some rims. I like akexpress's idea of using a 28mm on the back and a 25mm on the front as our limited fork clearance is similar to his. Using a 28mm on the back would not have any negative effect, but would provide an even better ride for the stoker.

Both of the above models have a much nicer ride quality than Gatorskins, though the Gatorskin puncture rating is better (ie tougher). Last time we used Gatorskins was something like 12-13 years ago. We had the Kevlar bead version and experienced numerous sidewall problems - mostly fraying and tearing at the rim lip.

Carbonfiberboy 

285 lb. team. We run 28mm 4000IIs in summer which measure almost 32mm on our 23mm rims. Yes, I think you'd be fine on those tires.

In winter, we have run 28mm 4-Seasons. They felt slow to me. We switched to 28mm Vittoria Rubino Pro Tech III for winter use, which we like better. We've done loaded camping tours on the Pro Tech tires, worked fine.

I see that Conti now makes the 4-Seasons in 32mm. Might be worth a try and also might have some new tech, better than the older models.

twocicle

I haven't used Vittoria Rubinos since circa 2005 on my single. The tires I rode (don't know if there was a further model delineation other than just "Rubino") punctured easily and the tread rubber had poor cornering grip which almost failed me many times and finally did result in a crash on a wet March road. Maybe the Pro Tech III are better than whatever I used back then. Might be worth a look.