BMC_Kid 

Fixed it for you. You’re welcome.

Pacelineg

You're going to need to ride more than 50 miles per week to keep your weight down.

Iride01 

Part of the issue as to whether tubeless tires are also clincher tires is that Dunlop's original pneumatic tires that where clinchers used a tube. Many of us considered that the fact tubeless tires and tubed tires still clinch to the side of the rim via the same reason... air pressure, that they should also be called clinchers.

However the fact that all the early clinchers were tubed, and their description includes tubes, gives those favoring tubeless and clinchers as completely separate terms a leg up in the argument. So I'm willing to go with clinchers being a term for tubed tires that aren't tubular and tubeless for tires that are tubeless but still use a smooth or crochet rim.

Biker Pete 

Rimshot!

tempocyclist

Yes, they are. Tubeless tyres are clincher tyres. Tubular tyres are not clincher tyres. 🙂

MinnMan

You race on GP 4 Seasons? Really? i run Conti 5000s and, in shoulder season, I switch to Conti 4 seasons for the tread and better handling on wet surfaces. But the 5000s roll faster and smoother, no question. I would have never favored the 4 seasons as a race tire.

georges1

Yes I am because where I am , it rains quite often and the weather is more subject to change most of the time than being sunny. Before that I rode on GP 4000s and on Michelin Axials

roadie276

These (the clinchers, specifically) are my 1st choice in tire. Reasonably durable for punctures and wear, fast and light...there's nothing not to like except the price, imho. They have the bonus of fitting without requiring tools on my wheels, even when new (I partially chose my wheel upgrade based on whether or not these tires fit reasonably, if that tells you anything). In short, I highly recommend them for regular road riding if you want clinchers.

deacon mark

I use Conti GP 5000 exclusively they are tremendous tires. I get between 5000-5700 miles not kilometers on a set. I normally ride them about 2000 miles and then if the rear does not have any issues or cuts then I rotate the tires back on the front. Sheldon was against it but I find it works well to wear a set out all at once and as long as rear looks health. Sometimes I rotate them after 1500 miles. Then I just ride them till the go. I find I can go to wear markers with no much problem. I rarely flat and try to avoid bad roads but I do believe these tires perform so well I have no desire to spend money to try another brand. They are a good deal in my opinion given mileage I get and about $115 a pair.

Biker Pete 

Great responses, thank you all! I got a pair, front tire is installed. I will install the rear tire in about a week after doing a bit of spoke work.

Biker Pete 

I just weighed the old front tire (Conti Gator Hardshell) and the new front tire (Conti Grand Prix 5000):

old: 267 grams
new: 211 grams

Nice!!!

SoSmellyAir

If you are using butyl tubes, going with TPU tubes would save you another 50 to 60 g per wheel.

EJM73

I just bought a set last month. they are nice. Follow the arrow on side wall they are directional. I like the sidewall they look good on black bikes

Biker Pete 

Thanks for the info, didn’t know about this! Any downsides to TPU……slow loss of pressure……more puncture prone?

Symox

I've tried a few tires and the GP5000 clinchers are the best all rounders I have found. Lightweight, low rolling resistance, excellent grip (even in wet), last long time, haven't had flats (knock on wood) that wouldn't take out a tubeless with sealant and look great.

Unless a company comes out with something significantly better, I don't see myself changing for as long as Continental keeps making them.

btw, I use 700x28s and run them 85psi rear and 60psi front. I weight about 160lbs and the bike is about 19lbs loaded.

chaadster

None of that, no. TPU holds pressure as well as butyl and much better than latex, is more puncture resistant and durable than butyl or latex, and rolls just as fast or faster than latex and much faster than butyl. The only downside to TPU is cost; brand name tubes like Schwalbe Aerothan, Pirelli and Tubolito cost around $30 a tube, but there is at least one brand, RideNow, which is nearly as cheap as butyl. I don’t know anything about RideNow, not even their performance claims, so cannot comment on what’s in the price differential. I’ve been using Aerothan since they came out and am quite happy with them, cost aside.

Biker Pete 

Awesome, thanks for educating me on this new inner tube material! I have a pair of Tubolito on the way. Cool because the orange valve stems will match the orange accents on my bicycle’s frame!

Sy Reene

just in case you hadn't seen this, fwiw
https://www.bicyclerollingresistance...pu-inner-tubes

Biker Pete 

Thanks! Yes, I did see that after learning about TPU inner tubes!

chaadster

Of course I’ve seen it, which raises the question, why do you think BRR tested three different tires and had to “average the test results of the 3 different tires to keep the test results comprehensible and easy to understand”? I can tell you the answer to that is because sometimes the TPU was faster than latex. Maybe it’s a matter of who you trust, but Schwalbe also found in their testing that Aerothan TPU was just as fast as latex; look on their site. But trust aside, it all points to the fact that there’s probably no meaningful advantage to latex in terms of Crr, at least not in any use-case that anyone has been able to describe through testing.

Biker395 

I rode Conti GP4000s for years, and finally stopped after having three unexplained sidewall failures (and some close calls).

From all of the positive comments, am I to conclude they've resolved those problems?

SPlKE 

Same here. Started with Conti GP tires way back when they were 3000. Rode a bunch of 4000 series. I had so many flats, I carried 2 tubes and a patch kit on long rides.

Switched to Vredestein tires about 10 years ago. So much better, better handling, lighter, tougher, and generally better tires than the GP4000 tires in every way. ( I now carry one tube, and a patch kit that has probably fossilized from lack of use.)

PS: Conti GP tires are way overpriced for what they deliver. I highly recommend trying a set of Vreds. If you're like me, you'll never go back to Contis.

PPS: Conti summer high performance car tires also suck. I ran them on my GTI for a few years. Switched to Michelin summer high performance tires and immediately noticed better handling and much much longer tread life.

.

Biker395 

The final straw for me was the third sidewall failure .... a huge bulge and a ripping defect in the sidewall right after descending Mt. Wilson Road. I missed a nasty crash by a hair. To be honest, I'm not so concerned with rolling resistance as I am durability and safety.

I switched to Michelin Pro4A Endurance tires and have not gone back. The sidewalls are very tough, they are reasonably flat resistant, have good traction in both wet and dry and can be had for about $35 a tire.

chaadster

Since you like the Pro4, I’d bet that if you ever get a hankerin’ to try out a top tier race tire and pick up a set of Michelin’s new Power Cup rubber, you’ll be blown away by the performance! I’ve used the Pro4 Endurance years ago, and more recently the Power Road TLR, did not really like either of them. I’d say the ride quality and grip in any conditions is *vastly* superior in the Power Cup tires, so you may find those interesting to try. I rode them through spring, too, and it’s been a rainy summer here, conditions which of course wash a lot of debris to cause flats out on the road, but I’ve not had any, and don’t even see any signs of sealed punctures. I’ve even hit some rocks or things which make that dreaded snapping or pinging sound on the tire, but escaped unscathed, so I’m calling durability very good on these (while still knocking on wood!).

Biker Pete 

So I did acquire a pair of these tires and also a pair of RideNow TPU inner tubes. These items reduced the weight of my wheels by a combined 228 grams. My reading would suggest that these changes should also reduce rolling resistance. I rode the bike today and it might just be a placebo effect, but it was a fast ride!