Conti GP

[Rudy]

Excel has Continental Grand Prix at $24 ea. Bought four and threw in a tube to pass their ninety-nine dollar threshold for free shipping. Well pleased with all that. Now I'm wondering:

These are plain old GPs. Not 4000 or beyond. Top-of-the-line once so, discounting current marketing rhetoric, what can I expect in regards performance and longevity?

My experience with Contis is they run narrow and tall on Open Pros. These 28s will go on standard HED Belgiums. Inflated, how might they measure? For comparison, the Challenge PRs on there now are well-nigh ballon tires!

These came packed as usual, banded and boxed. Any advantage unwrapping them before I get around to mounting them? Also, they're labeled with Excel stickers reading dates from Aug. 2019 to Oct. of the same year. What is the shelf life of tires?

Appreciate any response.

Rudy

[mass_biker]

I just went through this exercise - like you, I've been buying "bulk" from Excel from time to time. I favor Panaracer GK and Conti GP4000 for performance/price etc.

My experience is that:

Conti GPs run "wide and tall"
Panaracer GK (smooth) run pretty true

I've also found the Panaracer GK (smooth) to be a great all round tire - one that does swimmingly well on paved road and can handle a bit of rough stuff no problem.

I also favor HED wheels - and have 3 in rotation - the original Ardennes SL (narrower than the new generation), Ardennes SL+ (new generation), JET 4+ (also new generation). My understanding is that the Ardennes SL+ and JET 4+ are based on the Belgium+ rim.

Per my notes/measurements:

- Ardennes SL: Panaracer GK 26mm = 26.7mm actual
- Ardennes +: Conti GP4k 25mm = 28.4mm actual
- HED JET 4+: Panaracer GK 26mm = 27.9mm actual
- HED JET 4+: Conti GP4k 23mm = 27.1mm actual
- HED JET 4+: Conti GP4k 25mm = 29.3mm

My go-fast bike has the HED JET4+. I was running this with the Conti 25mm tires and while plenty comfortable and smooth, they were overkill on the wider rim, and did not feel as lively. As noted above, these go up +4mm vs. stated size on these wider rims. I switched these "down" to the Conti 23mm and the ride is great. They measure at 27mm actual, are plenty comfortable and noticeably faster/less sluggish than the 25mm - definitely not a "balloon" tire.

m_b

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by Rudy

Excel has Continental Grand Prix at $24 ea. Bought four and threw in a tube to pass their ninety-nine dollar threshold for free shipping. Well pleased with all that. Now I'm wondering:

These are plain old GPs. Not 4000 or beyond. Top-of-the-line once so, discounting current marketing rhetoric, what can I expect in regards performance and longevity?

My experience with Contis is they run narrow and tall on Open Pros. These 28s will go on standard HED Belgiums. Inflated, how might they measure? For comparison, the Challenge PRs on there now are well-nigh ballon tires!

These came packed as usual, banded and boxed. Any advantage unwrapping them before I get around to mounting them? Also, they're labeled with Excel stickers reading dates from Aug. 2019 to Oct. of the same year. What is the shelf life of tires?

Appreciate any response.

Rudy

The GP is a heavier version that will likely have a longer life than the more performance oriented 4000/5000 series. Poly vs Vectran! for the inner barrier but both are black chili so still grippy. i had a pair on a set of demo wheels we used at a shop and my recollection was that they were closer to stated size than the other GP 4000/5000 or even 4Seasons. IMO they should just ditch it in the line but I guess it makes sense for some. Maybe a bit less harsh than the 4Season but IMO not even close to 4000/5000 ride quality.

[pjbaz]

Honestly, been riding GP3000, 4000 and now 5000 exclusively since 02, and I bought a set of wheels that came with the regular GP.

My opinion about ride differences is that the old GP felt slower and the ride was a bit more harsh. Now, could that all be in my mind? Absolutely ... but when I changed from GP to GP5K I started enjoying that bike a lot more.

[Rudy]

Thank you, Paceliners, for your insights. Not buyer's remorseful at all rather, curious about an unfamiliar product. In fact, was seeking Gravelkings online but grew frustrated sorting through the offerings and went back to what was once my LBS, Excel. There I found the Conti blowout and figured how wrong could I go a that price?

Once I mount and ride them I'll report back and in the meantime all further comments are welcome.

Shiny side up!

[Rudy]

Gonna bump this one more time cuz I'm still interested in suggestions in re. unpackaging the tires (see original post). The mounted dimensions will be what they'll be as will performance and longevity down the road.

Thanks as always!

[pjbaz]

I think unwrapping and unstrapping the tires beforehand makes sense if you know for sure you'll mount them. I usually put new Contis on, air them up then readjust a day later to even out the sidewalls and such

[mulp]

I think there was a thread not too long ago about tire shelf life and storage. I believe people said tires can last many years 5+ years if stored in a sealed bag in a temperature controlled environment. Apparently the tire comes from the factory with a light coating that inhibits degradation of the tire.

[Rudy]

Thanks for the additional input!