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review

Continental Grand Sport Race tyre

7
£29.95

VERDICT:

7
10
Good mid-range tyres for all-purpose road use, available in a number of sizes, and discounted prices make for reasonable value
Weight: 
250g
Contact: 
www.conti-tyres.co.uk/

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You might remember the launch of the Grand Sport Race tyre from German giant Continental, as it gave a load of them out to get some feedback from UK riders. Those who got down their local bike shop quick enough, at any rate. The Grand Sport mini-range includes this Race model, as well as the tougher Extra, and the Light, which is, well, see if you can guess. With an RRP of £29.95 and available online for a lot less than that, it's a lot more affordable than Conti's posher rubber, so how does the performance measure up?

Well, it's not bad really. Between finger and thumb they don't have that tacky feel that some tyres do, but the PureGrip compound does a decent job of holding on when the road's dry, and is acceptable in the wet. Continental says it's a lower-performance compound than the (excellent) BlackChili as used in its GP 4000S II and other primo tyres, and the limits of grip are a little lower here, it's true, but I only really noticed it when climbing out the saddle on a wet surface, which is when all but the best tyres get a bit slidey.

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They roll well too, to the extent that it's possible to judge such things without a lab available. I don't know that they'd be my first choice for racing, but they wouldn't really hold you back much if you did decide to press them into such service, and for general road riding or commuting they are just fine. I used them on the club chaingang as racing didn't really happen for me this year, and I had no complaints in terms of speed.

What is good to see is that a relatively quick road tyre is available in 23, 25 and 28mm sizes. Road bike tyres sizes generally are increasing, as the market becomes more interested in the added comfort that this can give with very little cost, if any, in terms of out-and-out performance. We tested the 25mm size, which weighs in at 250g, compared with 230g for the 23mm and 270g for the 28mm. That's heavier than Conti's more expensive GP 4000II S, but also heavier than the cheaper Michelin Lithion 2 which we reviewed a while back. Not by enough that it's going to make a huge difference, to be honest. The Light version of this tyre is only available in 23mm, and weighs a scant 10g less per tyre than the 23mm Race model.

In terms of construction, they're 180tpi (threads per inch), with folding beads and use Continental's Nytech puncture protection strip on the centre of the tyre. They don't have the extra polyamide woven casing you get in a Gatorskin which would, in theory, make them more vulnerable to sidewall punctures, but in my (admittedly spring/summer) testing this wasn't a problem I had.

Check out our buyer's guide to the best road cycling tyres here

In fact I didn't have a single puncture in around 1000 miles of testing these tyres. Don't come crying to me if you get one 50 yards down the road – these things don't work like that – and as I already mentioned, these weren't tested in the depths of autumn or winter when the roads get really grotty. But on the empirical evidence I have at my disposal, I'd say they're a decently dependable option in that regard.

In terms of comfort and that hard-to-define characteristic, 'feel', the Grand Sport Race performs well; 25mm tyres generally should give a bit more compliance than 23mm ones, and on broken tarmac or along the canal towpath they fared pretty well. I weigh around 80kg and found that I could run these down to 80 or 90psi without an issue.

One final point to note – they can be tricky to fit. In particularly when run on a set of American Classic tubeless-compatible rims, they were a right bugger to get on and off.

Verdict

Good mid-range tyres for all-purpose road use, available in a number of sizes, and discounted prices make for reasonable value

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Continental Grand Sport Race 25mm

Size tested: Black 700x25

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Continental says: "Three new high performance race bike tyres – Light / Race / Extra – to cater for Competition, Sportives and Heavy Duty use. Chosen as a fitment tyre with many top bicycle manufacturers & introducing Launching our new PUREGRIP compound, sitting just below BlackChili but comparable with any other compound on the market. A supple 180 tpi casing for great rolling, handling and grip with new NyTech breaker technology to offer good puncture resistance, and all at a great price."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Size: 700x25

Weight: 250g

Max pressure: 120psi

Construction: 3 ply / 180tpi

Compound: PureGrip

Puncture protection: Nytech

Bead: folding

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10

Made in China, unlike Continental's more expensive rubber which is made in Germany. I can't really see the difference in terms of how well finished it is. The PureGrip compound feels cheaper and less grippy to the touch, though.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Rolls well, grip is more than acceptable but not on a par with the class-leading tyres.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Pretty good. Lasted well over test period, no significant flattening off, should be good for a long while yet.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10

No more than average for the size and price – not outstandingly light, but the trade off is decent wear rates and seemingly good puncture resistance.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
6/10

Again, acceptable. You can buy more supple tyres, which also tend to be more expensive tyres.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

It's available for a lot less than RRP, making it decent value.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Conti reckons that this tyre can be used for a wide range of road riding. As an all-round riding tyre it's a decent option. I think there are grippier and faster options for racing.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

No drama, decent puncture protection and weight.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing much – grip isn't on a par with more expensive models.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Maybe, although I'd likely opt for the Michelin Lithion 2 which is the equal of these in all things except wear rate.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Maybe

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 37  Height: 190cm  Weight: 78kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, touring, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mountain biking

 

Jez spends his days making robots that drive cars but is happiest when on two wheels.  His roots are in mountain biking but he spends more time nowadays on the road, occasionally racing but more often just riding. 

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6 comments

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Erudin | 1 year ago
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Got a free pair years ago when I joined British Cycling, put in a drawer and forgot about them Have been using Ultrasports 25 then 28's recently. Since fitting them have been setting lots of new PR's so very impressed, they seem to roll better than high level tyres I've used in the past. Run them between 90-100 PSI feel comfotable enough on the Cornwall and Devon roads I ride on, was fine on the Tarka Trail 111 mile ride I did last week.

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framebuilder | 8 years ago
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These are great for the money, but I use GP4000S2, which have to be the best tyres made in my opinion

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pedalingparamedic | 8 years ago
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Got my free set (thanks Conti) and they seem very good to me. Have the 25s on a bike I tend to use for audax so they get used on all sorts of surface in all sorts of weather. No scary grip moments for me, wear seems good and one p******* that I remember: a tiny flint like a shark tooth that probably would have made its way through most tyres without 'Marathon' on the sidewall. I usually go for slightly more spendy tyres than this so was sceptical about how well they would perform but I would probably buy these again in 28 when mine eventually wear out.

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paulrattew | 8 years ago
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I quite like these tyres. They are no where near as nice as Conti Grand Prix 4000s in terms of feel and grip in really nasy conditions, but they are good solid tyres that will last for a long time. If anyone is interested I have a set of 28mm Continental Grand Sport Race tyres for sale on ebay. Barely used - came off of a GT Grade that I run with cyclocross tyres. http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=262015333792&global...

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harman_mogul | 8 years ago
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Bought a stack of the 24-mm model a couple of years back. Cheap as chips at the German discounters, about €15. Used them winter and summer. Gave away very little really to the Attack/Force combo, and in fact I put them on the back when the Force tyres wore out, which they do quicker than the Attack.

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Ogi | 8 years ago
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I am using these ones since February this year. I did around 3500 kms on them (commuting around London, weekend rides). I swapped rear and front at around 2.5k. I think they can easily do 1.5-2000 km extra (easily coming to 5k per pair). For now, I had two punctures (in a single day) coming from two flints during a long and pretty unlucky ride (200+ km ride) - both at the rear.

In summary, definitely recommended tyre. I haven't tried GP4000 S2, but in terms of difference I can't believe it's that much.

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