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forum
Continental or Schwalbe Tyres
Hi guys and girls, I'm new to the forums so please be nice!
I'm looking to upgrade the worn tyres on my Mavic Aksiums and have narrowed it down to Continental Grand Prix 4000S or the Schwalbe Ultremo ZX Evolution HD.
Purely from an aesthetic viewpoint I'm leaning towards the Schwalbe's as I can colour coordinate 
, but have heard they have weaker side walls and are more prone to punctures that the Continentals.
I do about 100miles a week on the road as my commute, with the occasional longer weekend ride.
Anyone have experience or recommendations to go for either of these?
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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17 comments
Indeed I opted for the Conti 4000S and really like them. Have had them on for 5months now for my commute 100+ miles a week and *touch wood* only one puncture in that time. They roll nicely too.
contis definitely. I use them on my road commute bike (London 9 miles each way every day) and my weekend bike. Don't have any experience of the Schwalbes I must admit but I'm a happy camper with the 4000s
No silly,
one word answer:
Copydex!
6 months on Specialized All Condition tyres (including 1.5 climbs of the Ventoux!) and no punctures... Until this week. Three in a day! Broken glass.
So, do I change tyres now they have been torn/pierced?
I have been using the conti 4 seasons tyre for about 700 miles now on my commute into London. I have 23mm at 100 psi - so far no problems at all with punctures etc. They are a little slippy in the wet but nothing more than usual.
That said I did 4,000 miles in my Specialized Armadillos (28mm @90 psi) and only ever had one puncture (from a 3 inch nail) - they are still going strong and only a little flat on top. But the side walls are very hard and even on 28mm the ride is very hard.
I would agree with the guy above Conti (but 4 seasons version) for Commute and Schwalbe Ultremo for those special days.
Seems the Conti's have it. Thanks for all the advice everyone - going to go with the GP 4000S 's! Will let you know how I get on.
Conti's have a very strong UK following but I've always found them to be lacking in grip (115 psi) normal use and they wear to a flat profile/ridge. The usual persuasion is on cost you end up shelling out £30+ each for high end tyres. After running Conti's I change to Schwalbe's original Ultimo tires, at the time I felt they were the fastest clincher by far I'd ever used and were very happy in the dry 115psi but at a 120-130 psi they were lethal in the wet, fine at 115psi. But after Schwalbe announced manufacturing faults with these they blistered after approx 1500 miles they soon feel out of favor after buying yet another set that blistered again. So Conti's are great for everyday riding and racing, Schwalbe are better but keep these for racing/fast training only. I now use Panaracer 'Extreme' (made by Panasonic) even better than Schwalbe for all year round use racing and winter training. I will never change from these and they were recommended to me.
I love schwalbe for MTB, but have not had reason to try them as I have been so happy with 4000s... the roll well, they resist punctures and they are the lightest tyre I know with this combo...
Where's your commute?
I have GP4000S and I'm very happy with them but I save them for weekend rides and sportives.
If you are riding in London or another glass and flint strewn urban environment I would go for something even more puncture resistant like Conti 4 Seasons, Schwalbe Durano or Spesh Armadillo.
+1 for the Durano's. I've been using them for commuting and even over glass strewn paths they're holding up really well - much better than my old gatorskins.
it's outside London. A couple of small towns, but aside from the obligatory pot holes the UK roads have they generally aren't too bad.
I think the GP4000S are probably a bit tougher but I prefer Schwalbe tyres overall. If you're concerned about punctures or tyre construction then I'd suggest the Durano S (225g). The extra few grammes isn't really going to make much difference.
plus 1 for conti,s 1 puncture in 4 years
No chance! You must ride 3 miles once every 6 months
Its true 1 puncture in 4 years of using conti,s, and thats with over 4000 mile a year, plus riding up and down the uk
Hope you realise that the puncture pixies are going to nail you now. They've a bit of catchup to do.
I've just been through this and decided on the GP4000s, as they seem to be more puncture resistant. Easier decision for me though, as I don't commute on my road bike, so I could go for the 23mm and just worry about Essex lanes and sportives, rather than London grime and glass.
The GP4000s went on very easily to the new RS80s I bought to go with them too. I'd search about for fitting experiences with both tyres and your rims, unless you have thumbs of steel...