Road Cycling - Conti Grand Prix 4 Season questions.

I am looking for a set of tires that is 1. highly flat resistant, 2. smooth and comfortable and 3. somewhat light weight. I have heard the Conti Grand Prix 4 Seasons should fit these requirements pretty well.

I currently have Conti Ultra 3000s in 28mm. The tires actually are the size of regular 25mm tires and measure exactly 25mm on my rims. For my next set of tires I would like to go with tires a little bit narrower, so 23mm wide. Do the Grand Prix 4s run a size or so narrow like most of the other Conti's or are they more true to size? I am trying to decide between 23mm and 25mm tires, but I don't want to go too narrow.

Are there any other tires I should consider? I think Armadillos will be a bit overkill for what I need.

Thanks.

I have run both the Armadillos and GP 4 seasons in 23's. The Armadillos are a bullet proof tire but are heavy the GP is a great tire that holds up pretty well over some nasty debris. I have flatted with both tires so now I go for the weight savings on the GP's. My GP 4's in 23mm measure pretty true to size.

i run conti 4 seasons on both my bikes now ...4k miles wthout a flat...do run some poor roads with debris

they are smooth rolling and very nice tires....never run anything lighter so i dont have much to compare on that end

they are a fairly soft rubber so i have gotten 2300 miles max out of a set (i rotate at 12-1500 miles). i could probably go a bit farther but i tend to flatten out the tread a good bit on the back (i weigh 190).... and i dont like the ride as much then

I use the GP 4 Seasons on my road bike and I get about 2000 miles on the rear tire (being a clydesdale probably doesn't help). I have only had one flat in 5000 miles on them. Good tire in my opinion but a little pricey.

Me to,just replaced my rear with 2050 with no flats. 4-season is a pretty good tire at what,220g?

Thanks for all the help, I will be going with the 4 seasons then. What size are you guys running?

700x23. Ran 25's for a while but it was overkill on a steel bike.

Thanks for all the help, I will be going with the 4 seasons then. What size are you guys running?

25s are BALLOONS!!

23's on my steel.

Another alternative is the Specialized All Condition S-Works. Long name but a really nice tire that compares very well against the Conti 4 season. The FlakJacket makes them like an Armadillo 'lite' with a better ride and I've been quite happy with mine...check 'em out.

i run conti 4 seasons on both my bikes now ...4k miles wthout a flat...do run some poor roads with debris

they are smooth rolling and very nice tires....never run anything lighter so i dont have much to compare on that end

they are a fairly soft rubber so i have gotten 2300 miles max out of a set (i rotate at 12-1500 miles). i could probably go a bit farther but i tend to flatten out the tread a good bit on the back (i weigh 190).... and i dont like the ride as much then

FWIW - rotating bike tires is considered a bad idea by some knowledgeable cycling authorities. I used to rotate my bike tires, but no longer do. By rotating, so the theory goes, you increase the risk of a front wheel blowout. Front wheel blowouts can be very dangerous...thus, the recommendation to not rotate. Of course, this is more of a problem if you live where it is mountainous, and might not be an issue if you live where it is flat (e.g., Florida).

For more info on this topic, check out this link (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire_rotation.html).

25's are not balloons as one poster put it. If your street riding and/or commuting to work the 25's are safer because they will have less of a tendancy to drop into road ruts guiding the bike for you which could be hazardous to your health, and they will stop a tad faster.

Try here for the best price on the Conti's: http://www.biketiresdirect.com/