Continental Grand Prix 5000 - Road Bike Tire | The Best Allrounder in the Field - BlackChili, Vectran Breaker, LazerGrip, Active Comfort Technology

Dec 2021 Update: It has been a couple of years since I started using the Conti 5000 tires and I feel it is time to update this review and rating. I originally gave the 5000 tires a three star rating when they came out because the were about "one size" narrower than the 4000s tires I had been running for a number years (both the original and " 4000s II" versions). I still run Conti tires (Grand Prix 5000 "standard"...not TR or TL) on all three road bikes. I like the ride quality as well as the low rolling resistance based on some testing results available on the web. I also feel the tires have very good grip for the typical road surfaces I ride on (asphalt roads, cement bike trails). I can't speak to the wet road performance since I live in a dry climate. As for flat resistance, I can't say I notice any stark improvement in flat resistance -- but this is a tough one to accurately quantify based on real world experience. I still get flats occasionally, but don't feel they are any worse than any high performance other tire would be. The only downside to these tires is that they can be very expensive. If you rarely ride or budget is a concern, you might check around for a different tire. In a nutshell, I'm still a Conti fan and love the tires, so I've bumped the rating up to five stars. As for what widths I personally use, I'm running the 28mm 5000 tires on my Specialized Roubaix Pro. For the much heavier Co-motion Carrera tandem (Rolf Carbon Tandem wheels) I stick with the wider 32mm tires. Take note that the maximum tire pressure on the 5000 version is lower than the older 4000 tires, so check your sidewalls so you don't over inflate the tires. ---- Original Three Star Review ---- I'm a seasoned rider and a long time fan of Conti's 4000s tires, using them exclusively on my road bikes and and a Co-Motion tandem. I have run various widths from 23 to 28mm, with the tandem using the 28mm tires. I had ordered the new Conti 5000 (non tubeless) tires for the front/back of the tandem in a 28mm size, to replace the 28mm 4000s II tires already on there. Much to my disappointment, the new 5000 is much narrower than the old 4000s. I didn't realize it until I mounted the front tire and saw it was noticeably more narrow than the old tire on the rear. I have included two photos - the first is holding the two tires flat on top of each other to compare the width of the carcass itself (unmounted). The second shows the Conti 5000 mounted on a Rolf Carbon Tandem wheel. The caliper is set to the mounted width of the old 4000s tire so you can see the difference. At the time the photos were taken, all tires had 95 psi in them. In the end, the psi and rims won't make a difference, as the carcass is noticeably narrower than the old 4000s. The ride feels the same as the 4000s tires. However, I may pull these off the tandem (heavier bike) and use them on the road bikes. In the end, I may be looking for alternatives, although it might be hard to find something with a low rolling resistance and good grip. I think the Conti quality is still there. For some of you the width won't matter, for others, just be aware of the narrower profile over the old 4000s tires.

The Continental GP 5000 tires are fantastic tires. And please add many, many exclamation points. There’s a bit of a story here so please bear with me and read on. I’ve been riding on our wonderful local bike trails for years and have never had a flat. Until one day… A road crew was clearing brush, apparently, and in backing out, dragged a huge pile of gravel and not that kind that you see on gravel trails, but big, chunky, rocks of gravel that, with the sun in my eyes, and I’m sticking to that story, I did not see. Two minutes later, sure enough… Walking back, I met another rider in the same state who blew his tire immediately and, being able to see what he hit, swept the gravel off the trail for other riders. Gold star, dude! Anyway, of course, I did not have a patch kit and it would not have mattered because the rocks slashed the sidewall of my rear tire. New tires needed. I will readily admit I knew nothing about tires. I’ve been riding with the tires that came with the bike for the two years I’ve had this road bike and never gave a thought to the tires. But now I did a little research and the Continental Grand Prix tires kept showing up and, ok. My old tires were 700x32c clinchers and that’s what I went with. The price did not seem like a huge amount of money and I needed two (it did not make sense to me to keep one old tire). Done! I have changed tires on my hybrid, trail bike many times so I felt like I knew what I was doing. And I got the tube tires because even though my wheels will take tubeless I have never changed tubeless and tubes are easy…hmmm, right… The punctured rear tire came off easily and getting the new tire on the rear wheel was not nothing but it wasn’t that hard for me. But the front tire…It would not go and I kept pinching and ruining tubes. I even got a set of Park Tools tire irons thinking I needed more leverage. Nope. I mean seriously, do I have to go to the bike shop?! Practically humiliating. But, I did. And they were very nice and not a hint of judgment. And it took this young guy less than five minutes to get it on with just his hands! When he got to the last bit of tire, which is the hard part, he just rolled it over the rim while my eyes bugged out. “I do this all the time”. The moral of this part of the story is see a professional. One further point: the GP 5000 tires are high pressure road tires. My previous tires topped off at 80 psi which is where the GP 5000’s start. I was a little skeptical of this and so I started at 75 psi not wanting to have a bone-jarring ride. And off I went. OMG!!! I felt like I was skating. The different was unbelievable! First ride out on an 18-mile trail with a bit of a grade in both directions my average speed increased by 2 mph! And I wasn’t really trying very hard. I just went faster than ever! And every ride since has been the same: faster on the flats and easier on the grades. And descents…whew…a little scary, but way fun! And any bumps were actually less jarring than on my old tires. In between rides, I had bumped the pressure up to 90 psi. Still smooth and comfortable and I’m no longer skeptical about the psi range. To finish this off, I found the Rolling Resistance website and saw that the Continental Grand Prix 5000 tires are rated the best all-round tires they have found based on rolling resistance, comfort, and durability. And I couldn’t agree more. I thought I knew bikes and I think I do but I never paid attention to tires, but the flat was a blessing in disguise. And I just lucked out in getting the best all-round tires out there and it has changed my riding profoundly. Amazon does not provide enough stars to adequately show how good the Continental Grand Prix 5000 tires are and how much I humbly recommend them.

I have always used Continental tires and tubes as they are quality products in my opinion. My usual choice of tires has been Gatorskins. They are very puncture resistant and durable. However they are somewhat slow. So I decided to try the GP 5000’s and I was amazed at how much faster they are. I read that they have very low rolling resistance, they are difficult to put on a rim and that the puncture resistance is only average. Well yes they are fast, I had no difficulty at all putting them on the rim and so far I have not experienced a puncture while riding with them. Very satisfied!

I love these tires. They feel amazing, ride quickly, and have decent puncture protection. They're a pain in the butt to install, wear out, and aren't the most durable but they are so comfortable, corner so well, and are reliable. Compared to GatorSkins, these are heaven. If you like riding and can afford these tires, they are well worth the money. I will continue buying these tires after mine wear out. I have over 2000 miles on one set, and they still hold up. The front tire looks new except for some gouges in the rubber from glass, but still have plenty of rubber left. The rear is starting to square off and getting more flats, so probably time to replace. Not unhappy at all with the tires, and will order more soon.

Great value for the money if you are a moderate road cyclist. I put on about 2000 miles per year and have used these tires for years. I do not get many flats and they hold up really well. I typically use these for two years. They are easy to install with standard tire levers. Good all around tire and performance.

I put one of these tires on my rear of my Triban RC 520 and it lasted around 4,000 miles or just over 10 months of riding. When I first put it on my rear of my bike, I could tell I was rolling faster than when I had the original tire on that came with the bike. I ride over 100 miles per week. My front original Triban tire last 8,000 miles and outlasted two rear tires. The front tires I assume last probably double the lifetime of the rear tires. I replaced my front tire and rear tire recentyl with two of these Grand Prix 5000s. I plan to rotate them after 6 months of using them so, I can get more miles out of both of them. I was upgrading my front 28s to the 32s and I had a very hard times getting the tires on. I try not to use tools to put tires on and it took me a long time to get the tire on my front rim and I ended up with a couple of blisters on my thumbs trying to get the tires on. They are great tires dispite how hard of a time they gave me getting them on my rims and they did get good mileage and had a good life span. I would recommend buying these Continental GP 5000s.

GP 5Ks are my favorite tire. The are top 5% in rolling resistance and also have great traction and treadwear.

Read so many good reviews that I went ahead and got these even though I had to swallow hard at the price. Despite the many complaints about installation mine went on the way new bike tires do, just needed a plastic tire lever for that last lift. Immediate impression, these ride smooth as butter compared to the stock Bontrager tires that came on my Trek FX 6. They just eliminated all that road chatter that you get on all but the smoothest asphalt. Second impression is that they really do roll earier than my stock tires. I can't quantify it, it's just a subjective feel at this point, but the bike felt lighter and quicker. A month ago I had upgraded my wheelset knocking off about 530 grams in weight and couldn't honestly say I noticed an obvious difference, but with these tires I noticed the difference right away. I got the 32 mm because I do ride some gravel trails and felt they would handle them better than anything skinnier. Another difference in this tire from any I've had before, is that though the tires look smooth, if you run your finger over them you'll notice that it's pitted with thousands of very fine spots. It's rough to the touch, giving you better traction than you might expect from a smooth looking road tire. At this point I have no regrets that I shelled out a bit more than I had planned for these tires.