Conti is now dead to me

[Seramount]

well, after buying dozens of Conti tires over many years and being very satisfied with their products, I will no longer be a customer.

the 4K series were great tires, decent ride and durability. only issue I ever had was one tiny sidewall tear. wasn't happy about it, but it didn't turn me off to the brand.

when the 5Ks were introduced, being brand-loyal, I switched over expecting 'newer and better'...but after using several of them, I find them to be a poor substitute.

have routinely gotten only 60% of the mileage that the 4Ks delivered. have read the rubber compound is softer than the 4K for better grip, but I have never noticed an improvement in ride quality.

today, I had my 3rd tread delamination event...and this is a tire with only 2600 miles and both TWIs still clearly visible. I'm not a Clyde (only weigh 147 lbs), ride on fairly decent asphalt roads, and typically use 85 psi pressure.

so, this is the last Conti in my inventory and any future purchases will be Vittoria or Schwalbe products.

so, auf Wiedersehen, Conti...it was fun for a long time, but just not feeling the love any longer.

[p nut]

Same with me. I had 2 sidewall blowouts on GP5000’s (zero on GP4000’s). Can’t trust them anymore.

[NHAero]

Bummer!
I have GP5000s on two bikes, so far so good. Got over 5,000 miles on my Firefly with my first set of 25mm.

[AngryScientist]

There are only two types of Conti [bicycle] tires.

Those that have let you down, and those that will let you down.

It may be just the high pressure road tires, I have not tried the gravel higher volume tires, but the sidewalls just dont hold up. They also seem to "square off" in the rear faster than other brands.

There are much better tires out there. dont look back.

[bikinchris]

That's a worn out tire.
You should probably look at the 5K Four Seasons tire. Tougher and longer lasting.

[biker72]

First of all that tire looks like it's well past replacement time.

I've got Conti 5000's with tubes on all my bikes. Last problem I had was a flat 1.5 years ago. They've been 100% reliable.

[jamesdak]

Originally Posted by biker72

First of all that tire looks like it's well past replacement time.

I've got Conti 5000's with tubes on all my bikes. Last problem I had was a flat 1.5 years ago. They've been 100% reliable.

Yep, I've had no issues. Primarily run 700 x 25's and despite weighing almost 60 lbs more (right now....sigh) than the OP I run mine at 80/90 F/R psi.

[bigbill]

If I got 2600 miles out of a rear tire, I'd be happy. My tires usually end like that, I find a patch of missing tread while wiping my tires. If a tire looks like that with good tread everywhere else, maybe it was a quality issue when it was manufactured, but IME, if I have a bare spot, I can usually find other spots where I can see the outline of casing through the tread.

All that said, I swore off Conti about ten years ago because of the sidewalls. I like Schwalbe Ones, most Michelins, Panaracer Race A, and some Specialized tires. The only remaining vestige of Continental is the GP 3000 on the Fulcrum Zero front wheel on the Lynskey.

[bshell]

I have no idea how many miles a road tire is supposed to last (barring road damage). Does Continental make a claim?

Can't vouch for their tires but I don't think calling it a delamination is fair as the tread layer is fully worn through.

I've had delamination with a Specialized mtb tire. The tread separated from the casing and it looked like a bubble on a wood fired pizza crust.

[p nut]

Originally Posted by bshell

I have no idea how many miles a road tire is supposed to last (barring road damage). Does Continental make a claim? .

No. They point to the wear indicators on the tires to be the guide.

Also, for reference on my sidewall blowouts. First tire had 50 miles. The other had 300.

[dmitrik4]

I’ve had great experiences with multiple flavors of Conti GPs. Currently on 32mm 5ks and love them.

[professerr]

Huh? That’s a worn out tire.

[caneye]

I've seen really worn GP4000s but not delamination.

Conti's are not my go-to tyres simply because they are too expensive. I try to get them when they're on special.

The ones that I have ended up buying in the past few years have been exceptional - eg GP5000 25mm, GP5000 STR 28mm.

[robt57]

Yep, they lost me few years back. I did but some like new pulls off Clean few months back. 1/2 price I'll take a chance for the pretty gold sidewalls...

[Ken Robb]

Are these race tires?