Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Conti Grand Prix 3000 vs Ultra 2000 (folders)

So I'm looking at the box on these tires I picked up from Marcus, and it looks like they have a lot better rating than the tires that I have on now. Here's the stats they list:

Ultra 2000s:
Grip/Cornering : ***
Rolling Resistance : **
Punctrure Protection : ***
Mileage : ****

Grand Prix 3000s:
Grip/Cornering : ****
Rolling Resistance : ****
Punctrure Protection : *****
Mileage : *****

So it would seem that the 3000s would be the choice for riding through the winter, right? It seems like the ASC (Activated Silica Compound) is the main difference for puncture protection and mileage. And they do match my bike perfectly...

Should I put them on now and ride them through the winter? Or should I wait until spring? Anyone ridden both tires on city streets/harsh conditions and have some insight?

Thanks for any help - I'm sitting here trying to tell myself not to just put them on today...

Dude! You bought them didn't you. Save them for nicer weather! Those are too nice to put on for the winter. Plus all the slush and crap will dirty them up.

Save them!

if you ride them and ruin them in the winter, you have an excellent excuse to get the gp4000s for spring.


just thought i'd point that out.

you have an excellent excuse to get the gp4000s for spring.

Unfortunatly, the gp4000s don't come in Celeste :p

Well... I ride with GP3000s, and it never occured to me to put on different tires for the winter. (aside from some thoughts about knobbies)

Moral is, they are fantastic. I have never had a puncture with them. I have actually been able to get home to find shards of metal and glass stuck in the tire that didn't manage to work its way through. If I wear them out this winter, I will just buy another set in the spring.

delay - how many miles we talking? Road/weather conditions?

Thanks...

I probably have about 1000 on them now with little signs of wear on the tread. I got them in June, so no winter weather yet just rain and the like. I never felt any problems in wet conditions.

As I have pointed out in other threads, I don't live in a large city with the perils that come along with it, but I have my own set. I have to ride through a lot of construction and frat houses with the broken glass beer/liquor that go along with them. I would say my conditions are nearly as bad as most in terms of potential punctures.

As a Conti rider I must bring up a point. The 3000's do rock and I have worn out/ruined more than my fair share but the weakness lies in the sidewalls. You will have to watch them for cracks and sun damage. I have booted them to get me by for a short time.

You will have to watch them for cracks and sun damage.

Sun damage? That means more riding during the winter when there isn't much sun, right?

Eh, who am I kidding - I ride at like 2am during the summer since it's so hot...

I too have been riding Contis the past year and have had problems with them. As mentioned before, the sidewalls suck ass. I had two different tires blow at the sidewalls (From two different sources. One from LBS, one from from online shop.). Neither tire had more than 1000 miles on it. I really liked them other than the sidewalls. I've since moved to something else.

Oh yeah, these were Ultra 2000s.

I'd save them for nice weather.

What I mean by sun damaged is the spots that tend to show up that are frayed or scuffed in appearance. Tiny little pin holes will develop eventually that will bite the tube. I've tossed tires that never had a flat because the sidwalls were getting bad enough to worry about a blow out. I usually get a year out of them before this happens.

They a good tires just remember to show them some attention.

i went through three sets of contis: 3000 four seasons (can't remember exactly), and two sets of grand prixs. I had a lot of flat tires. They felt *awesome* though... and I really noticed the difference with the high end ones. But I must have had a flat every 3-500 miles.

I got the V. Rubinos in July and I like the feel just as much, really, and they cost $26 each and no flats!

Put the 3000 on the front for the winter- great grip in most all conditions.
Put something more durable on the back.

I'm not too jazzed on the 2000's. 3 flats on the front tire in ~200km. Never had any problems with sidewalls, and they did feel pretty good. The 3000's are nicer/comfy.

I have heard people making these complaints about conti's before. All I can say, is that I have never had a problem with mine. In fact, a couple months ago some road debris sliced my front sidewall, and it still is holding. It hasn't gotten any worse.

Truth is, the ride so nicely, that even if they did wear really quickly I would still buy them. I don't think I can go back to any other tires after having used gp3000s.