Conti GP5000 after 400 miles
 

When I bought a second set of wheels for my ride I decided to outfit them with the new GP 5000 tires. After 400 miles I'm replacing them. In short, the ride, handling, and rolling are absolutely top notch. But they're just too delicate for me. I ride roads only, and mostly good. Every so often I ride through an intersection with some small scattered debris (small stones, pebbles, etc.). I've never flatted going through them, until this year. After my second bad puncture, well, it's got to be the tires. Neither puncture was fixable, either, even using a boot, so I ended up calling for a ride.

In short, I'll choose a more durable tire, even if I give up a little speed. Looking at the Michelin Power Endurance as replacements.

This has been my conclusion on the GP4000 and now the GP5000TL. Fast tires, but too delicate for my roads and/or my heft.

-Matt

I'm sorry to hear of the results of your experiment, as I'm about to do the same one as soon as my new wheels arrive. I too gave up on GP4000s- especially because of sidewall failures.

Yes, but...
 

I ran the GP 4000s for a few years, and while not flat free they seemed more durable than the GP 5000. No big deal, really. I'm hoping the Michelins I just ordered work out well. I know they'll be more durable, so I'm hoping they ride OK and aren't too sluggish.

Fast, good handling, durable. Pick two...

You get all 3 from the Power Endurance. It may no be the fastest tire out there, but it's a good combination of all 3 requirements.

Which would you guess are the ones that check both the "Fast" and "durable" boxes, but handle poorly?

Nice
 

Good to hear. I'm 64 and not a fast rider, so I think the difference in RR won't be a huge factor for me. I normally average between 17 and 18 MPH on solo rides. But I do look forward to something more durable. I have a few rides that put me about 40 miles from home, and breaking down that far out is a real PITA.

I used the Pro4/Power Endurance tires for many years because they are a nice riding, reasonably fast, and durable tire(often very inexpensive). The Power Endurance is a little smoother than the Pro4 E, but sometimes the Pro4 E can be found for about half the price of Power Endurance tires.

Did you used to ride the 4000s II's? How would you compare the two? I ride the 4000s II's and I love them.

I've got many thousands of miles on GP4000s...I can count the number of flats I've had on my hands. Never had one that left a visible cut in the tire.

I did have ONE that caused me to pitch a tire a couple years ago. I slammed into a pothole I'm surprised didnt taco my wheel. Tire developed a slight lateral bulge in one spot...pretty sure I snapped a couple threads on the inside. Was still perfectly rideable. Took a week to even notice I had a slight wobble.

I still cant figure out how people are getting sidewall cuts on roads. Road tires are intentionally designed with thin, flexible sidewalls. Thats what makes them both faster and more comfortable.

I did
 

I rode the 4000 ii for a few years and liked them. The 5000s are better in every way save for one: durability. I did flat the older tires occasionally, but the new ones, well, two blowouts in the first 400 miles? Too delicate. Which is a shame, too. The GP 5000 rides like a dream, handles well, and rolls really nicely. But there is no free lunch.

Was in a paceline and the bike in front of me kicked up a sharp stone. The white surface under the tear is a ParkTool tire boot, which got me home. As you can see from tread wear, the tire was quite new.

A similar thing happened some time later, but with a crushed soda pop can that I should have seen and missed but didn't.

And I have no statistics except that in 60k miles of riding in the last 10 years, I've had flats on all kinds of tires (even a Gatorskin, maybe once), but only two sidewall cuts - both on GP4000s)



https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8506ec8b78.jpg

What kind of blowouts? Pinch flats from hitting potholes? Can you give some more details on the rims you are riding and the tire pressure you are running?

After giving up on GP4000s, I went with Grand Prix 4 seasons. Yeah, they don't roll so well (but better than Gatorskins), but they seldom flat and they have great handling, particularly on wet roads (as per their design). Now I'm thinking that with spiffy new wheels coming, I should go with less clunky tires, so I"m giving the GP5000s a shot. If I end up back in tire failure frustration, I'll be thinking about intermediate alternatives.

Slightly off topic, but what I find so interesting is that some people LOVE the GP4000s tires (including me!!) and have had generally good results, while other have frequent problems with flats and sidewall issues.

I suppose it depends on road conditions, but I also wonder if sometimes there are "good" batches and "bad" batches of these tires? Or maybe two different factories, one that does a better job than the other.

Thoughts?

I don't know if there are differences in durability across the molding machines but we do know that for the 4000S there were differences in rolling resistance: one of them produced lower RR than the others. I think there were eight (??) molds in total.

I think its far more likely that some people have higher or lower levels of aggravation with flat tires, and some people are far more likely to let their tires get low on pressure.

Could be. Flat tires are part of riding. I am lucky in that I get one only about every 2500 miles or so (using Conti GP4000s, natch), which works out to about 3 flats/year.

Flats: Having been in this business for a long time you just can't predict flats. What's more flats follow people more than they do gear. If you're the kind of person who gets flats then you're going to get them. More resistant gear will help reduce it but it's your riding style and choice of line and pressure, etc that are causing the flats. Personally I couldn't tell you the last time I got an honest to goodness flat from a puncture.

GP4000s II - Suuuuure. Everyone loves that tire. I have sold piles of them over the years. I completely agree with the sentiments above being that it is a Jack of many trades but master of none. It's a race worthy tire that can help against flats but rides like a concrete prophylactic.

GP5000 - Leah here at the shop (a cat 2 racer) has been riding one on the rear to replace the Pirelli she wore out. "I want to try them". She has 3000 miles on it already this year varying from training camp in Arizona to hours on rollers to races and rides all over Chicagoland and Wisconsin areas. Zero flats. Tire is fine.

Tires are tires. Conti was trying to pick up on a little of what they lost out on when they missed the boat by not making a tire that has a supple ride. I have no doubts that means the 5000 will be softer overall. That will lead to more of you on here reporting issues so this thread doesn't surprise me. That said it doesn't spoil the tire for me yet. I will continue to wait and see and in the meantime ride amazing tires like the Pirelli's

That's not my experience. I've lived in different parts of the US, and in Europe. There are definitely differences in the rates of flats I've suffered.

You've misinterpreted what I wrote - there are people that get more flats than others given the same environment gear, etc. Some people just attract them more than others. Like a sick flat magnetism.

The details
 

The tires were mounted on Fulcrum Racing 3db alloy rims and inflated to 90psi front (the one that blew out) and 95psi rear. The hole was in the tread of the tire, not the sidewall. It appears to have been caused by a sharp object, like a small rock. It was definitely *not* a pinch flat since the tire has a hole in it, there was a pop, hiss, and the tire was flat on the rim before I could even stop the bike, which took about five seconds. I didn't hit a pothole.

FWIW, I rode through the same intersection today with my backup wheels and slowed to see if I could see anything unusual. Nothing No glass, just the usual loose small pebbles and rocks that gather in some intersections, so it had to be a small rock.

Long ago...
 

I ran a set of mid-range Vittorias a long time ago that were fast and durable, but rode like rocks. Can't recall the model; may have started with a "D?"

Yes. And then there are people who get flats in groups or bunches. Four flats in a month and then two years with none. Six flats in two weeks followed by a flat-free season. And the variables are infinite and certain cause of flats is never known. But the person who had those flats is going to be certain it was whichever tire they were using. And the flat free miles are ascribed to whatever tire is being used.

Just use tires that feel good and then go for a ride.

Oh yeah, the Diamontes. I had a set of those as the original equipment on my Felt. I remember them as fast and that they wore out on the early side, but not much else about them. There are several types of Diamontes, though.