I have been using Continental tires for many years now and so have the riders on the SoCalCycling.com team with great success.
When I saw that Continental was updating their road clincher tires with a Continental Grand Prix 5000 model, I was thinking that it was going to be hard to create a better tire than the popular Continental GP 4000 tire.
Plus a lot of other manufactures were coming out with new tires and big name brands that make other tires besides cycling tires were entering the market with their version of road tires for cycling.
After riding the popular Continental GP 4000’s for many years now, it was nice to see Continental step up and make better tire than their already great tire the GP 4000.
Once you hold the tires in your hands you can tell right off the bat that the new Continental Grand Prix 5000’s are lighter and that the texture and tread design is different, as well.
It’s almost like the tires were lightly sanded to give them a more tacky feeling on the road, which you’ll notice as you hit a corner that you have to lean into. You feel in control and more confident with the new Gp 5000s.
I think these tires would be best for competition or on the days you want to shred on a Grand Fondo or Century Ride.
The Continental GP 5000 feel a little more rigid on bumpy roads than the GP 4000s. However, I run pretty high pressure on the tires so that may translate to a much harsher ride.
The new GP 5000’s feel pretty nimble when you have to get out of the saddle as this might be attributed to the lighter weight and smoothness of the tread.
One thing I noticed is that the tires seem a little narrower than the Continental GP 4000s. I like to run a 23 on the rear and a 25 on the front and they just seem slightly narrower. So, something to consider if you want those big fat tires that some people are switching to, you may want up size.
In terms of wear, the tires have been holding up really well. I haven’t been able to get the crazy miles in, but I have been riding somewhat consistently for the last few months.
The one thing that makes the Continental GP 5000 such a great tire is due to the new and improved Black Chili compound along with a new thread count which make for a tighter casing for better puncture resistance. The new Black Chili rubber compound make for a better rolling tire and has better traction when cornering.
So, with all this being said Continental has raised the bar once again for the gold standard of the best all around clincher tires.
The Continental Grand Prix 5000 are great for racing and training. With a premium product they most certainly aren’t cheap with a MSRP of $79.95.
They are foldable tires, with sizes ranging from 23mm – 32mm width sizes.
Continental Grand Prix 5000 Tires are available at Jenson USA .
Review By: Frank Sarate, SoCalCycling.com
