Originally Posted by
canklecat
That Continental Competition tire has the same tread pattern as the Contact Speed (formerly the Sport Contact II), so it should grip well. But it's extremely expensive and specialized, and the rolling resistance site indicates it doesn't perform much better than the much less expensive Sport Contact II, although it's difficult to compare tubs and clinchers, and the demands of racers vs we mere mortals..
It's not difficult to compare. Conti tubulars are significantly slower than others because they use butyl tubes. At least for sale to the public. The discerning eye may notice that pros use the competition ltd., which is not available to the public, which has latex tubes and much better rolling resistance.