Luke Meers
The tubeless tyre development space is really dynamic and interesting at the moment. In a previous edition of BA, I reviewed some of Vittoria’s latest releases, and here are competing products from one of the other biggest players in the market, Continental.
It doesn’t seem like too long ago that my local bunch had an in-joke that informally enforced that everyone use Conti Gatorskins. At that time, tyre tech was not at the place it is now. As such, puncture protection was not nearly as good and tyres from many manufacturers would readily let pesky glass, wire, tack through their defences. Even then though Continental had developed the reputation (in my circles, at least) of being tougher and hard-wearing without sacrificing grip. Note: the ride dynamics of Gatorskins is another discussion.
Fast forward more than a decade and the world of tyre development is very different. With good tubeless tyres, punctures are nearly non-existent and manufacturers are chasing other targets such as rolling resistance and road-feel.
This review is interesting as the two products are at opposite ends of the performance road market. The TT is a lightweight, purely performance-oriented product. The AS (All Season) is the heavy-duty mileage monster.
Both products, however, don’t come cheap. The Grand Prix 5000 AS TR retails at $169.99 and the Grand Prix 5000 TT TR comes in at $179.99. Both are hookless compatible. The AS will be available in Australia in 25mm, 28mm, 32mm and now also 35mm widths. The TT range is 25 and 28mm only.
Grand Prix 5000 AS TR
Upon unboxing the AS, the design intent for a robust, long-wearing tyre was immediately apparent. The tyres are notably thicker-walled than most and feel stiff. They weighed in at about 345g per tyre. Definitely not lightweights. This extra rigidity also made the procedure of mounting them more difficult.
They were either firmly in the centre groove of the rim or fully seated. There was no middle ground. On the plus side, the bead was tight enough that it sealed and then seated using only my track pump.
On the road, despite the weight and thickness of the tyres, they felt quite good. At appropriate tubeless pressure, they rolled remarkably well and felt more supple than I would have guessed.
Bicyclerollingresistance.com has run the numbers on these and pretty much every other tyre on the market. The AS came in at 10.6 W, which was markedly better than many other “endurance” or puncture-resistant tyres. It was mainly the dedicated performance tyres that have less rolling resistance. I didn’t get many wet weather rides in during testing, but the bicyclerollingresistance.com also found that the wet grip was by far the greatest strength of the AS.
The AS tyres should last much longer and this would be a boon as one of the largest off-putting things for riders embracing the tubeless life is the cost/lifetime ratio. From my testing, these tyres tick every box that you would want from a training tyre. Provided their wear rate is good, I would have no qualms recommending them.
Grand Prix 5000 TT TR
These tyres sit at the other end of the road spectrum to the All Seasons. The TT tyres are at the pointy end of lightness for tubeless tyres at about 245g. Out of the box, they feel notably thin and supple compared to the AS tyres and are much more readily mounted. Once mounted they look fairly similar, with the customary GP5000 tread pattern which apparently (accidentally from Continental) improves the aerodynamic efficiency of the tyres.
Bicyclerollingresistance.com has these amongst the fastest of test tyres and it was hard to argue from my testing of them. They feel quick, grippy and light. I actually rode on these tyres for a long time, long enough to wear the rear down to starting to show canvas. Several thousand kilometres. I didn’t get a single puncture. Now this isn’t unheard of for tubeless users.
The remarkable thing though is that the apparent downside of the TT tyres is their lack of puncture protection. I rode on a range of road surfaces and in all sorts of weather conditions. A thorough test, and if I got any flats, they must have been small enough to have sealed before I noticed.
Now, this is one reviewer’s experience, which could be an anomaly. However, I heard that all Ineos riders used these tyres at last year’s Tour de France and didn’t get a single puncture – remarkable.
The mileage is definitely not what you would get from the AS tyres, but if you’re wanting high-performance you may not have to even go as far as the GP5000s TR.
These TT tyres may be a surprise all-rounder that also happen to be one of the quickest tyres on the market!
