I'm not opposed to paying for quality, but I wonder if the difference between say, the UltraSport IIs that I'm riding on currently compared to GP5000s is big enough? Is it something I'll really notice? I've put thousands of miles on USIIs and they've performed reliably. GP5000 users: what makes them worth the extra $15 or so per tire

Less rolling resistance = free speed.

Whether or not you notice that is dependent on user and what they want to do.

They're definitely more supple and a more comfortable ride. Faster too. Depends on how you're using them. Personally, I have Gatorskins on my daily training/commuting wheels. They're heavy and dead feeling, but they're also practically bombproof and it's nice to have that confidence day to day. I save my GP5000 for my race wheels.

I'd put them on par with Rubino Pro Slick III's or Vittoria Open Corsa 300tpi cotton clinchers.

The ride nice. They grip well. They are more durable & less fragile than either of the above listed tires.

What's not to like? They are among some of the lowest rolling resistance tires on the market today & last a long time in relation to other similar competators. Amazon has 2-packs for ~$90 depending on season & market. A lot of tires of this calibre can cost $80-90 each. So why not GP5000?

Here is a link to the 3 tires I referenced that I have experience with. I compared them to the Continental GP5000 Tubeless, but it's not hard to select the tubed version if you'd like. (I've used both versions & the GP5000 in any version is cheaper that the Rubino or the Corsa's)

Bike Closet has 5000's for $70 per pair, plus shipping. Shipping to my location is $7.

It's been a long time since I rode ultrasports, but when I replaced my last one it was with a GP4000. The difference was quite noticeable in terms of ride quality and speed. I'd even go so far as to say they last longer and get fewer flats too but I don't have any actual data to back that up.
If I was in the market for tires today, I'd probably buy a pair of GP5000s, but being the thrifty type, I stocked up on GP4000 and Pro4 when the prices were good and I still haven't worn through them yet.

There is a graphic here that shows Continental's view of the difference in material between the two tires - less rolling resistance, more grip, some loss in longevity.

I've never used the Ultrasports but that graphic rings true in my use of two sets of GP5000s. Feel faster, I like the grip. I'm getting slightly less mileage than I did on previous Contintental tires (can't remember the type).

I hate changing flats on the road. The first set of GP5000s each tire got a wire shard flat towards the end of their life (as measured by the wear indicator dimple on the GP5000s) - both were "polite" leak-type flats where I didn't even notice on the ride, found out before the next ride. The rollingresistance.com test of the GP5000s said they were less flat-resistant than the GP4000s.

My bottom line - the speed and grip were worth a bit of premium and the GP5000s are on sale just about every week anyway. When it is time to replace, I may go back to Schwalbe tires I've used and aren't cheap and go on sale less often - but are indestructible - see if I really notice any speed difference.

I have Bontrager R3's on my Trek and GP5000's on my Wilier. I can't tell any difference but the GP5000's look like they would provide more grip.

There's a website: https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/ that purports to show the rolling resistance and other parameters of various tires. You can easily compare any two or three sets of tires.

Short answer: GP5000's have remarkably low rolling resistance -- by about five watts. Is five watts noticeable or important? That's up to you to decide. I can think of any number of scenarios where five watts is a meaningless improvement; likewise, I can envision scenarios where five watts is important.

Per tire. And if that's with a butyl inner tube instead of latex or tubeless, another 2-3w per tire.

i haven't ridden any contis for over a decade and dropped them due to durability/propensity for flats. succumbed to the hype and bought a pair for a
late 80's steel build (so not the lightest of bikes). only about 400 miles ridden on the new steed/conti gp 5k's but really happy with them so far.
current handlebars that came with the frame are vintage, look great and fit the build but they are slightly too small for me. results in the bike
being a little too "squirrelly" for me but my intuition tells me it's nearly all due to the handlebars. have gone up a few decent climbs and felt
awesome climbing while seated (and generally while standing). hope to swap out the bars in the next month but if i had to buy another set
of tires for one of the other 3 bikes tomorrow, it would be between the michelin pro 4 endurance's or the conti gp 5k's. and i'd likely go with
the gp 5k's.

that said...i occasionally like to think my road bike can double as a light dirt/gravel bike. haven't run the gp 5k's over any d or g and would possibly think
twice about doing so unless i absolutely had to. i know i can count on the michelin pro 4 endurance tires for the occasional shortish foray/expedition/fubar
segment.

I'd like to give the GP5000 tubeless tyres a go. But from the horror stories I've read regarding how difficult the tyres are to mount, I've kept my distance.

Wow, didn't know that. Figured for sure latex or tubeless would be the better way to go.

I was going to go with this, but they didn't have the 700x23s I wanted. So I went to ProBikeKit, same price. Thanks for the heads up though!

I like Conti’s overall. Now as to the 5000’s........well, to me they are performing as I would expect. To many riders (us wanna be’s) will never really notice a lot like that of a pro rider, but they do as stated for sure. I think using this tire may depend on your overall asphalt condition too. If you live in a area that has severely crappy roads, you may want to get some tire more bomb proof. But if you are riding the typical asphalt roads of the countryside, they certainly are good tires.

Yeah, I think it IS the other way around.

I am one of the rare breed that isnt too excited about the GP5ks. They perform well - sure. I have them on my tri bike as I find them to be the best compromise between speed and puncture resistance.

But in terms of ride feel, i much prefer the Turbo Cottons and Veloflex Corsas. Both of them are rated to have a higher RR, as per BRR, though, so there is that. The Turbo Cottons and Corsas dont feel slower than the GP5ks, but obviously, this level of difference is going to be hard to judge just by feel. If running Corsa Speeds tubeless makes them perform reliably enough w/r/t flats, that may become my speed tire.

I also have a pair of Wolfpack tires waiting to be mounted - anyone here use them and can compare? Supposedly made by the same guy who invented Black Chili, Gripton and Addix.

Yes. If it was tested with butyl (he used to test everything with butyl, not sure now), then it's even faster with latex/tubeless.

No horror stories here. They were no more difficult than a pair of Conti 4000 clinchers. I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. I'm on my second pair of 5000 tubeless and have had no issues getting them on.

Any tire with a 300+ tpi casing is going to ride better than the 180 tpi Ultra Sport 2's. The latter are probably more durable though, and seem to be marketed as a beginner tire. Beginners tend not to be very adept at picking lines or attentive to potholes and road debris, so a durable tire is probably a good thing.

So I went from 25mm 4000's to 28mm 5000's (with lowering the pressure, too I have to add) and the ride was smoother, more comfortable and I had more grip. I am not an aggressive (or at least not overall aggressive/risky) rider, but in a couple of corners on my first ride I immediately noticed better grip in the corners.

I am running my first set of GP4000 S2 tires right now and love them. Of course shortly after I bought them, they phased them out. I have been wondering whether I should scoop up a couple pair before they are all gone, but it sounds like the 5000 is a similarly good tire.

I run GP5Ks with latex tubes, fast, grippy, comfortable, and haven't had a single puncture. I don't agree with saving the good gear for race day, I want to enjoy the speed and comfort every day.

I did the same thing, except I went tubeless with the 5000s.

BTW, the 4000 series all measured 2-3mm wider than stated, while the 5000 seem to be right on (depending on rim width, of course), so the 28mm 5000 is the same size as the 25mm 4000.

As for the original question.. it would be a shame to spend all the money on the bike, and all the time in the saddle, and then go cheap on the tires, which affect ride quality so much. I do like experimenting with tires, but I'm sticking to the popular high end models; Pro One, Fusion 5, GP5000, etc.

CeeDotA: Any reason you're sticking with 23mm tires? Narrow tires are slower and the ride quality is awful compared to wider tires. If you're just going with what's on the bike, then at least consider trying out some 25s. I think you'll be impressed.

I ink the original statement is just slightly ambiguously worded - the original meaning should GP5000 will save you 5W/wheel and that's with butyl tubes - using latex or going tubeless, you get an additional 3W/wheel benefit