Over the years I’ve tried a number of road bike tyres, including top-end models from Specialized, Schwalbe, Vittoria, and Mavic, but I always find myself coming back to the tried and trusted Continental GP-series. Specifically, the GP5000S. I was a huge fan of the GP4000 and the tyres have gotten slightly better with each new release.
During the “Great Tyre Shortage of 2021-2022” I moved to Pirelli P-Zero tyres, plus Vittoria Corsa Speed G+ 2.0 tyres on the fast bike. According to Bicycle Rolling Resistance, the GP5000 is faster than the Pirelli P-Zero Race, but the difference is 1 watt. That’s not even worth worrying about.
The Vittoria Corsa Speed G+ 2.0 is around 4 watts faster than the GP5000. Is that a lot? Not really. The Corsa Speeds are noticeably faster, but unless you’re racing for medals or Strava KOMs it’s a marginal difference. That extra speed also comes at the cost of puncture resistance and lifespan. The Vittoria Corsa Speeds are hands down the absolute fastest and most supple tyres I have ever ridden. That is until…
I had to DynaPlug my rear Corsa 3 times in 3000km.
Your experience may vary depending on your riding style and road surfaces. On butter smooth blacktop you could roll on Corsa Speeds year-round. If you in a flint-prone area or the roads are particularly degraded, you may seek out a more hard wearing tyre. I used to run the more puncture-resistance GP 4-Seasons in the British winter “off-season” but here in Australia there is no off-season!
So for me at least, it’s top marks for the Conti’s. There are faster tyres, and there are more durable tyres, but for fast road riding the Continental GP5000S (tubed or tubeless version) strikes a near perfect balance between the two.
Two Wheels with TC 
You’ll get no argument from me. Even my belt is a Continental (GP4000 II).
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Haha! Did you make it yourself? I’ve got a bunch of used tyres that I loathe to just chuck in the bin to end up in landfill…
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It came from a company in Australia. Now that I have one, I can probably copy it when I need a new belt. It uses a tire, chain connecting link, and a buckle. I have a friend who makes his own.
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Love my Conti GP5000s, and I run Conti GP 4 seasons on my winter bike – those are fantastic on rough roads.
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I’ve become a fan of Conti again. Their tyres seem much more supple than years gone by and the 5000s are 👌
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Hi there
Since you mention you also used Contis 4-Season, how do they compare? I really enjoy the GP5000 28mm, and I never had problems with punctures, but sometimes I wonder if the 4-Season would have more grip on wet roads and the occasional glavel ride.
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I used the 4-Seasons all through the winter months when I lived in England. In my experience they were more puncture-proof and less prone to sidewall cuts from sharp rocks or flints. Slightly improved cold and wet weather grip too. I rate them highly for that sort of use!
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I’m with you – I had problems with side wall durability on the 4000s but am a bit fan of the 5000s.
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I’ve been riding the GP5000’s since they became available. I don’t notice much difference from the 4000, but I’m just riding. Wear? They usually get cut bad before I see cord, but not always. I suspect they are about as good as the 4000 was for me. I’ve been using them tubed with latex tubes in a 25mm width. I got new tubeless ready wheels in December after suffering yet more broken spokes on my antique OEM Rovals. I had one sidewall scrape that made me have to patch it inside and that was with a nearly new tire. We get a bit of road debris and once in a while big rocks and sand when the ocean gets up. The new wheels are a touch wider than the OEM’s so I can when I wear through the two GP5000’s in the cupboard that are tube type, I may finally experiment with tubeless and 28mm. Since I used to ride 18mm tires that would be pretty wild.
Presently I’m off the bike for a few more weeks after breaking some ribs the last day of 2023. A long story.
Cheers.
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Ooof. Hope you have a speedy recovery!
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Getting there. this is the 4th week.
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I ride them too, but they are super hard to get on.
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Yeah they can be a pain! I’ve taken to laying new ones on the driveway in the sun for an hour before trying to fit them!
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I just put a set of Continental tires on my new Hunt carbon wheels. They ride really nice. Offhand, I don’t have the specific tire details in front of me, I think they may be a 4000 series. And they weren’t that horribly expensive.
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Impossible to mount on Enve 4.5 wheels. Great tires though
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