RT

Ok, I have been on the fence, price vs. wear, as far as the Conti GP4K's. Can someone please attest to the number of miles you can put on these before it is time to change? My Michelin Oriums are nice, but switching from Panaracer to Michelin was an incredible eye-opener as far as the ride, and am wondering if going one step beyond to GP4K would be a similar experience.

Loose Chain

Conti GP4000, smoothest, fastest tire I can recall. Love them.

mobike_moexcite

Wow I should've checked in here before getting my new tires today. I was split between the Conti 4000's and Specialized All Condition Armadillo Elites. I ended up getting the Specialized tires just to try something new. I went through a pair of Conti Race tires in about 2 and a half months and went through a pair of Conti Ultra tires in under 2 months. I was pretty disappointed with the tires so I am gonna give these a shot. I can't tell any handling differences usually but some are more supple than others that is something to look at.

Val23708

My rear tires last 3-4000 miles. Front tires still show the line down the middle after 3000 miles so those get rotated to the back and a new one goes on the front.

RT

If you are the rule and not the exception, I'm sold.

frpax

I've got about 3000 miles on mine. No line on my front tire anymore, but they're still going strong. I'm fairly well sold.

corbett1010

just mounted some Conti GP4000's, riding them tomorrow, from what everyone else says, i will love them

kudude

i shoot for $30 a tire

gp4000s, pr3s and I bought some gatorskins awhile back. seemed to get MORE flats with them. the glass was sticking to the rubber and making its way into the tube more often, but that could have been my perception.

i look for a tire that I'm not worried about traction on and that's not known for a lot of flats. I was somewhat disappointed with the lifespan of my last pr3 rear -- something like 1500 miles and I could see the casing. I'm going on 3k on the front gp4000 I have which makes me happy. I think I got about 2k out of the rear

rm -rf

Same here. 3800 miles on the rear, and the tread wear indicators haven't been completely worn off yet. No flats. I moved the front to the back and put a new GP4000S on the front. The old front tire was barely worn, but it does have a lot of micro cracks in the rubber. Now I'll see if it lasts as long as the previous rear tire.

EDIT-- weight 170, psi 95 front, 105 rear. That's just as fast as running 110/110 but it's way more comfortable.

DScott

My experience also.

RT

How much do you weigh, and do you run max PSI?

frpax

Not directed at me, I know, but I'm 185 (down from 200) and I run 115 psi max.

I rode 43 miles the other day and forgot to pump the tires prior to leaving. About halfway out, I noticed that the rear was feeling a tad soft, and it was at 100 when I got home. That ride consisted of a lot of rough pavement and debris. I was fairly sure I'd gotten a small puncture or something, but no... just a little leakage. Still doing good. I'm most impressed with these tires!

RT

Exactly my size, and I always run max PSI. Great news.

deep_sky

My Bontrager hardcases are 50 a pop, but I've had one flat in 3000 miles. I have had to replace the rear tire two times due to glass slicing down through the rubber and partially into the cords, which to me is living on borrowed time, so I replaced them in both cases. The front tire has never been replaced or flatted. Looks like a warzone, but I do pick out all the rocks, glass, metal, etc out of the tire after every ride so that nothing works it's way in. I run at 110 psi front and back. Any less than that, and the tire starts feeling soft and not as responsive.
My tires seem to be pretty much solid for day to day use, but large cuts take them out like any other tire that runs over large and sharp debris. Normal junk seems to have no effect on the tires.

frpax

Hardcases have a poor reputation in the wet. For me, in Arizona, that's not that much of a concern, but for others...

deep_sky

Well, I typically avoid riding in wet conditions. Aside from the lowered handling (and yes, they are not the greatest in the wet), I dislike having to spend 30+ minutes cleaning my bike afterwards, even with the fenders attached, or being soaked through because proper cycling rain gear is expensive and there are much more important upgrades than adding some gear to my cycling gear drawer that might get used a handful of times at most in a year. Yes it does rain more frequently than that here in the winter, but there are generally enough dry days to keep my fitness up, even during the winter. One of the reasons I probably won't ever move from this area

I am willing to entertain some suggestions of tires that are just as tough as the hardcases with better handling on wet pavement, however. We don't have a lot of gnarly plant life to be a constant source of punctures in my particular area, so all I have to worry about is the urban junk on the roads

kleinboogie

Handling and durability. +1 on GP4000s. $30 from pbk if you get them on sale and use the usa10 code.

LoRoK

Well, I guess it's back to the GP4000 for me. I've had them before, and liked them. They did start having these peeling strings on the sidewalls that started to make me nervous (I've never had tires do that before, and didn't know what to make of it). They lasted a long time, got less flats than gatorskins, and handled quite a bit better. I will say the Schwalbe Ultremo is as good, if not a little better, in ride quality compared to the GP4000. I guess now it's just time to see how they hold up. So far I've had them mounted since the 28 of April, put just over 1000 miles on them, and not a single flat yet (knock on wood). That's kind of a big deal for NM roads, which is why I'm considering buying them again. The best riding tire I ever had was the PR3, but those flatted about every 15 feet. Sure did stick to corners, though. Thanks everyone for the input.

zatopek

+1 The Open Corsas are the best riding clincher I have used. They are butter. However, they cut too easily for my liking. I save them for race day and roll with Conti 4000s for training.

banerjek

Actually, I mount them specifically for riding in wet conditions. Grip and ride are bad but flat resistance is much better than most tires.

Have you actually tried decent tires for anything other than casual riding? There is an enormous difference in grip and ride as well as weight. It is true that expensive race tires don't last very long, but that's not what they're designed for.

Namenda

Same here. Never again. GP 4000S ftw.

I loved Rubinos when pbk had them for $17 a few years back. As the price has crept up, my interest has waned. Still a good tire, though.

oilman_15106

I picked up a set of these to try and totally satisfied with the ride quality, cornering everything. https://www.bikesomewhere.com/bikesom.../342/2787/9724 (no shill just a link to see the tires)

Gommitalia Blitz. Only 500 miles on them but they look brand new.

daddystheman

Flat protection is key and since I started riding on Gatorskins, I haven't had a single flat (or multiple flats, either). I don't really care if they put kevlar or teflon or lambskin or whatever in there or how much they weigh, as long as they don't flat on me!

emayex

On the GP4000s -- what is the "black chili" on the S model. Is that something to be avoided? A bonus? Just marketing?

urbanknight

Wow, are the GP4000s really that good? I thought I would compromise some rolling resistance in exchange for better flat protection by switching from Pro 2 Race to Ultra Gatorskins. Not only do they feel slower, but I have gotten 6 flats in 3000 miles. The P2R tires had only 2 flats their entire lives. The sidewall threads keep coming loose on the Gatorskins, as well This makes me hesitant to go back to any Continental tire.