Continental goes tubeless with new grand Prix 5000
Michelle Arthurs-brennan rolls out on the tubeless version of the GP 4000’s successor
After 14 years and multiple different remakes, the Continental GP 4000, favourite tyre of a generation of riders, finally has a successor.
What’s more, as the entire industry suspected it would, the new GP 5000 includes a tubeless option alongside the standard clincher.
The German brand invited us out to Tenerife to take the tubeless set for a spin.
Finding the sweet spot
The relationship between grip and rolling resistance is something Continental focused on with the new tyre, with tests carried out both on drums in the lab and on the road to ensure real-life transfer.
The elements of the compound such as the Max Grip Silica and Carbon Black were tempered in the search for the Holy Grail.
Head of R&D, Edwin Goudswaard, said: “When we talk about grip, hysteresis — the memory effect of rubber compound, like a memory foam mattress — is an extremely important property. It needs to be high, to have the optimal grip, and it needs to be low, to not lose too much energy. You will lose watts if the hysteresis is too high, but you need it for grip.”
Goudswaard said the newest version of the Black Chili compound hits the optimum balance.
For its tread pattern the GP 5000 uses a lasered micro profile structure which expands over the tyre’s shoulder, increasing surface area compared with the outgoing CNC’D version. The brand is calling this ‘Lazer Grip’.
“We have developed a special technique for laser engraving in the tyre so we can influence the roughness of the pattern in the shoulder area to have more grip via a larger contact patch. The pattern is all about getting aerodynamics right, and influencing the grip,” Goudswaard said.
Active Comfort Technology
Residing below the now improved Vectran Breaker, which has “no impact on rolling resistance”, the new Active Comfort Technology layer is said to smooth out bumps and absorb vibrations.
“We’ve been able to manipulate a certain area under the tread of the tyre and increase the comfort, which is currently a big trend,” Goudswaard explained.
Going tubeless
It took one of cycling’s most prestigious tyre brands an awfully long time to develop its first tubeless tyre, with the brand claiming that previous tubeless tyre technology wasn’t yet ready for the road.
The distinctive feature of the GP 5000 Tubeless (TL) is that it features the brand’s Vectran Breaker, meaning the rider is no longer at the mercy of sealant alone.
This does have an impact on weight, though — the 25mm option starts at 300g per tyre, making a set around 100g heavier than the likes of Schwalbe’s One Tubeless.
However, Continental is convinced the trade-off is worthwhile.
It also promises the tyre will be compatible with any tubeless-ready rim, though the brand is involved in a consortium of tyre and rim manufacturers meeting in Brussels to discuss the creation of a tubeless standard for the road market, the lack of which has frustrated many would-be tubeless riders.