Biker Pete 

Thoughts on this tire?

Thinking about getting a pair of these for my road bike. I ride about 50 miles per week on flat terrain. Trying to keep the weight down.

Mtracer

If your riding on the flat, I don't understand why weight we be much of a concern? There seems to be some different types of GP 5000's, I ride GP 5000 S TR 28 mm setup tubeless. I like them a lot., They have perhaps the lowest rolling resistance as reported by www.bicyclerollingresistance.com .

Not sure about weight compared to others, but the low rolling resistance likely is much more significant than weight, even if you were climbing. I've only be using them for about 4 months but have about 2,000 miles on them and they are wearing much better then I expected. I've worn our other tires in less than 2,000 miles, And the wear marks on these are still very clear. So, I'm sure I'm good for another 1,000 miles minimum if not another 2,000. Perhaps it makes sense. If they have low rolling resistance then they aren't absorbing energy which in part could be going into wearing them away. FYI, I'm a heavy rider at about 210 lbs.

They also seem to be pretty tough. I'm not getting too many cuts in them and none that are concerning. Even running tubeless, I not sure I've even had a puncture riding that left sealant on the bike. I pull thorns out of them after every ride, and will leak a little sealant for a moment. So, again they seem pretty good on the puncture resistance. But, this could just be dumb luck too.

They also mount easily to the rims I have. I have no other experience with other tires on these rims, so I can't say if this is due to the tires not being aggressively tight or the rims being slightly small. But I don't recall reading that these are known for being difficult to mount.

Only downside, they are pretty expensive. I'm keeping an eye out for sales as I expect I'll be using these tires for a while.

PeteHski

They are a pretty competitive choice. My only recent experience is with tubeless 30 mm GP5000S TR and I really like them. They strike a good balance between durability, comfort, grip and speed. What tyres are you currently using?

Iride01 

Why do you think they wouldn't be? Many of us have used GP5000's of the various sub models for many years. Mountains, hills or flats, they roll well, handle well and will provide a softer ride than many of the heavier cheaper tire you can get. As long as you don't live where goat heads and other thorns are common, they'll be fairly puncture resistant. Just don't run the sidewall up against anything. The sidewalls are thin. Which is one of the reasons they roll well and provide a softer ride.

I've used them on my bikes for the last 5 or more years..

datlas 

Fine tire. Depending on your rims may be a challenge to mount.

georges1

They are indeed a rock solid value and much better tires than the Vittoria. Their contenders are the Michelin Pro Race and the Hutchinson Fusion 5 All seasons.

MoAlpha

Fantastic tires: fast, adherent, and durable. A pain to mount when new.

Biker Pete 

I bought a used 2016 Kestrel Legend SL that has Continental Gator Hardshell on the front and Continental Ultra Sport on the rear, both 700x23. Wheels are Zipp 202 Firecrest. I can’t say I necessarily *need* new tires but I can certainly justify it cuz putting on tires of my choosing will make the bike more ‘mine’ haha!

Sy Reene

Is it now the cycling vernacular that we say "clincher" to mean a tire that will have a tube, and "tubeless" to mean a tire that will not have a tube? Is that the case here?

I always understood that tubeless tires are also clinchers.

Biker Pete 

not sure. I’m stuck in the 70s when there were clincher and tubular tires. Anywho, my wheels require that the tire has an inner tube…..they are not ‘tubeless ready’.

datlas 

I think so, “clincher” means with a tube, tubeless is clincher tubeless, and tubular/sewup is tubular.

easyupbug 

"Clinchers" are tires with a strong bead of rubber around the two edges which catches (clinches) on the sidewall of the rim fitting into it, a tubular tire is glued to a tubular rim so has no need for the rubber bead on the sides of the tire or the mounting sidewall for the bead to fit into.

tempocyclist

There are faster tyres, and there are also more durable tyres, but the GP5000 range strikes an almost perfect balance (in my opinion).



Essentially, yes. These days most people do mean that, when they say either clincher (needs to run a tube) or tubeless tyre (no tube, but can if you want).

Also yes, in that a tubeless tyre is still technically a clincher tyre. 🙂

Eric F 

Which Vittoria? The new Vittoria Corsa Pro has replaced the Conti GP5000TL as my favorite tire.

georges1

Yes ,the Corsa Pro. For all my race bike projects went with the purchase of the Continental Grand Prix 4 seasons .

Jeff Neese

Because all things being equal, lighter tires handle better. More nimble, quicker acceleration, more responsive steering, etc. Rolling resistance is more of a factor over the entire ride and can reveal total watts needed to complete that ride. It says nothing about the handling characteristics of the tire.

But all things are never equal, and there are certainly tradeoffs. I'm sometimes willing to sacrifice a bit of handling in return for better puncture-resistance, for example. I find my GP5000s (tubed, 700x25c) to be a great balance of performance, handling, and reliability. I'd buy them again.

Bald Paul

I use the Continental GP5000 clinchers. I will tell you that on every group ride, whenever we hit a downhill section and are coasting, I have to pump my brakes often to keep from running up on the rider in front of me. Lowest rolling resistance of any tire I've ever used.

bpraditya

I gotta share my awesome experience with the Continental GP5000 clincher tire. So, I mounted it only on the front wheel of my fixie bike (didn't want crazy grip for skidding), I felt that insane grip on the road. Total control and confidence, especially when taking sharp corners. The low rolling resistance turns every ounce of energy into pure speed. GP5000 can also handles wet roads. Rain or shine, the grip stays rock-solid, and I can keep my pace without a worry. So my advise is to get yourself the GP5000, you won't regret it!

chaadster

Michelin ended the Pro line in ‘19 when the Pro 4 Race was replaced by the Power Road, which itself was replaced in ‘22 by the Power Cup as the range-topping road race tire and thus making Power Cup the most direct competitor to Conti GP5kS.

Similarly, Hutchinson’s Fusion 5 Performance is their top of range road race rubber, making that tire a more direct competitor to GP5kS than the Fusion 5 All Season.

aliasfox

I have GP5ks on one bike, and another has a GP4kS2 on the rear. Coming from running Vittoria Rubinos, these things just. won’t. die. Replaced the previous GP4kS2 at 3k miles due to a sidewall cut - tread was still great. The entry level OEM Ultra Sport 2 that’s been doing front tire duty for 4k miles still has its wear dimples. The bike with GP5ks only has a few hundred miles on them (this is the bike that used to run Rubinos), but the ride is definitely more supple, and noticeably less draggy feeling than the Rubinos on 1-3% grades. That said, I feel like the Rubinos stuck better on fast descents.

I also have Michelin Pro4 Endurance on a third bike, which was all I could find in 2021. It might be the frame, but those tires seem to ride just a bit more stiffly than the Contis, though no complaints about wear, traction, or rolling resistance after ~1k miles.

Biker Pete 

Have a pair arriving soon.

rm -rf

Yes, very nice tires. I like the wear indicators: a pair of small pits in the center of the tread. When these are worn away, the remaining tread is paper thin. (By that point, I'm starting to see the tire fabric showing through the tread, too)

Some years ago GP4000 and GP5000 were quite easy to mount. Now they are more difficult, on the same rims. I have "tubeless ready" rims, so the bead snaps into a channel with a loud POP! when the tire is inflated the first time.)
I have the most difficulty popping off the first small section of bead. Pulling across the tread with 4 fingers, or pushing with two thumbs: neither works for me. Warming the rim and tire bead with a hair dryer on a short section of rim did work for me. The rare flat (once every couple of years) seems easier too -- perhaps the flexing while riding is helpful.

easyupbug 

I must not have been clear in the above post, tubeless tyres are not clinchers, here and in Adelaide SA where I spent a couple years. Like Eric F I have also switched from the very good GP5000 to Vittoria's Corsa Pro, here is Vittoria's explanation of the term "clincher" with their 70 years in the bike tire business:

Sy Reene

Yes, and they say that Clinchers also include tubeless tires. They are not however Tubular tires which is what the video is about.

jadmt

totally tubular