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Tiny Bubbles on Continental GP5000 Tires

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Tiny Bubbles on Continental GP5000 Tires

Old 11-19-21, 03:36 PM
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channelz28
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Tiny Bubbles on Continental GP5000 Tires


I bought some GP5000 tires a few months ago because I saw them pretty cheap, but only got around to mounting them now. Upon inflation, the sidewalls got a few of these tiny bubbles pop up. They are still there after deflating the tubes. I took them off and didn't ride them. Are they defective or is this something normal? It's past the time to return them and Continental has been unresponsive.
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Old 11-19-21, 07:03 PM
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If you popped one like a pimple I wonder what would come out. Maybe record the act, you can put it on YouTube and make a fortune.

more serious, just pop it and see what comes out. Might be nothing
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Old 11-19-21, 08:09 PM
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Originally Posted by channelz28

I bought some GP5000 tires a few months ago because I saw them pretty cheap, but only got around to mounting them now. Upon inflation, the sidewalls got a few of these tiny bubbles pop up. They are still there after deflating the tubes. I took them off and didn't ride them. Are they defective or is this something normal? It's past the time to return them and Continental has been unresponsive.
Perhaps it is just your photo, but it looks nothing like the GP5000 I have mounted on my front wheel.

What is that tan to almost yellowish fuzzy stuff along the center of the tire!?

And it looks like bits of the surface is flaking off?
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Old 11-19-21, 08:13 PM
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channelz28
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Originally Posted by SoSmellyAir
Perhaps it is just your photo, but it looks nothing like the GP5000 I have mounted on my front wheel.

What is that tan to almost yellowish fuzzy stuff along the center of the tire!?

And it looks like bits of the surface is flaking off?
I think it's just weird light and a bad camera. The yellow is definitely not real. The flaky part on top is just new tire tread, sometimes there's little extra bits of rubber on top.
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Old 11-20-21, 01:43 PM
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Send the pic to continental bike tire's technical support. If they think it's an issue, they'll be in contact with you shortly. If you hear nothing, then probably as I feel it's really nothing more than someone didn't do quite as good a job as they should have. And it's only an issue of cosmetic appearance more so than safety.
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Old 11-20-21, 01:50 PM
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Originally Posted by channelz28
I think it's just weird light and a bad camera. The yellow is definitely not real. The flaky part on top is just new tire tread, sometimes there's little extra bits of rubber on top.
There is? I haven't seen it on the last 8 GP5000 tires I bought. It really does look weird.
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Anyway if it looks normal internally I'd ride it.
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Old 11-21-21, 12:38 AM
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Originally Posted by channelz28
The flaky part on top is just new tire tread, sometimes there's little extra bits of rubber on top.
Yes, there maybe a thin flake extending out from the center mould line of the tire. The lighting in your photo is just throwing everything out of whack.

Did you buy the tire from a reputable source or some unknown third party seller on Amazon.com or Walmart.com?
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Old 11-21-21, 11:40 PM
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Semi-known third party on Amazon. Great Lakes Outpost is the store, I've bought a few things from them before with good results. Still not the same as a legit bike shop. They were $75 for a pair, which is pretty damn cheap. I ended up popping the bubbles and it just looks like a tiny nick in the rubber where it used to be. I mounted them today and rode about 30 miles. I think they're fine, maybe it's from sitting for a year or so before I used them.
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Old 11-22-21, 08:49 AM
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Originally Posted by Iride01
Send the pic to continental bike tire's technical support. If they think it's an issue, they'll be in contact with you shortly. If you hear nothing, then probably as I feel it's really nothing more than someone didn't do quite as good a job as they should have. And it's only an issue of cosmetic appearance more so than safety.
Good luck with that. I sent Continental a picture of my tire that failed due to the bead separating from the casing. I also noted that this was the second such failure and that they had happened on different rims.

I heard nothing for a week, so I called their tech support number. I was "allowed" to leave a message. I didn't hear anything in a month, so I filed a report with the CPSC. A few weeks later, the CPSC informed me that they sent my information to Continental, but I still haven't heard from Continental.

If you do hear from them can you please post their reply to this thread. And you might tell them that they might want to answer other customer's questions. If the GP5000TL failed because of something I did I would like to know.
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Old 11-22-21, 10:05 AM
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Not sure about contacting Continental directly. Perhaps would make more sense to reach out to their designated US distributor? Highway Two
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Old 11-22-21, 01:45 PM
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Originally Posted by Sy Reene
Not sure about contacting Continental directly. Perhaps would make more sense to reach out to their designated US distributor? Highway Two
Sy:
Thanks for that. I just "contacted" (bad pun when dealing with Continental) them. Let's see if they respond...

-Dan
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Old 11-23-21, 12:17 PM
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Originally Posted by DangerousDanR
Good luck with that. I sent Continental a picture of my tire that failed due to the bead separating from the casing. I also noted that this was the second such failure and that they had happened on different rims.

I heard nothing for a week, so I called their tech support number. I was "allowed" to leave a message. I didn't hear anything in a month, so I filed a report with the CPSC. A few weeks later, the CPSC informed me that they sent my information to Continental, but I still haven't heard from Continental.

If you do hear from them can you please post their reply to this thread. And you might tell them that they might want to answer other customer's questions. If the GP5000TL failed because of something I did I would like to know.
Yeah I made a brief mention in my original post that Continental did not respond. I originally tried to contact them through their costumer service email, haven't heard anything back.
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Old 11-23-21, 03:24 PM
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@MyRedTrek had a similar issue, but it looks like it was on a Schwalbe, and a somewhat larger bubble.

https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-m...ce-period.html

Your bubble looks downright tiny next to @MyRedTrek's bubble.

If you don't see any structural damage to the tire, I'd probably just ignore the tiny bubbles. If you want to be creative, you could try using a syringe and puncture the bubbles and squirt in a drop of tube glue, and try to flatten the bubble onto the glue.

Perhaps put the questionable tire on the rear where you'll grind through the tread quicker, and you will have peace of mind with respect to the front.
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Old 11-24-21, 09:12 AM
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Originally Posted by channelz28
Yeah I made a brief mention in my original post that Continental did not respond. I originally tried to contact them through their costumer service email, haven't heard anything back.
Will you leave it as is or try to cut it?

Also, I know you are past the return period, but your LBS or the online shop where you bought should be able to replace it for free if there's a manufacturer defect.
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Old 11-24-21, 10:26 AM
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I did not get a response to the message I sent Highway Two through their web site in 24 hours, so I called them. Their answering system has an option for "Continental tire warranty claims" and I tried that, but it went to a voice mail, so I ended the call and called them again.

Second time I selected "customer support". I did ultimately get to speak with a real live person who only handles Continental Tire issues. I now have the one failed tire which I still have packed in a box with a return shipping label and a promise that FedEx will come to my house and pick it up.

I asked them to keep me informed about their findings. I currently have 6 of those tires mounted on three different bicycles. I doubt that I will be riding a road bike again until spring, so I am in no big hurry to find out. If I wind up travelling somewhere warm enough to ride a road bike before I hear back I may just have to get some GP5000S-tr tires.

If you really want to talk with someone about that tire I would call Highway Two. It seems that the issue is getting to the right person. I now suspect that if I had left a voice mail for Continental Tire warranty issues I might have gotten a call back, but if I didn't hear back in a day I would call and select the general customer support option again.

I was also left with the distinct impression that the TL is being phased out and the S-tr is going to be the GP5000 tubeless tire in the future.
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Old 11-25-21, 05:38 PM
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I ended up mounting them today and rode about 30 miles and they seem fine. Really fast actually, as someone who has never used race tires before. It looks like the bubbles are just superficial, maybe they were sitting for a long time or something. Thanks for the tip on Highway Two, I sent them a message today. At least for future reference I'm hopeful that they reply.
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Old 11-27-21, 04:46 PM
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Don Ho just spun in his grave.
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