The Continental Grand Prix 5000 has been a worthy heir to the the legacy of it's predecessor. Now for summer 2020, a 700x25 Special Edition cream colored sidewall celebrates the Tour de France. Functionally the tire is the same, which is ideal because the engineers in Germany feel strongly they have achieved true advantages in the GP 5000 clincher.

Lighter, faster, lower rolling resistance, increased rider comfort and greater overall grip with the same puncture protection; the GP 5000 may well set a new standard for clincher tires. The driving tech behind Continental's performance tires is the tire-specific BlackChili rubber. The engineers formulate the rubber with latest polymers as well as specially developed carbon black particles and filler materials that guarantee unique performance. It is the key to grip, wear, feel, and preventing small punctures. It has driven clincher performance in a race tire with everyday usefulness. And despite the fact that road tubeless tires have been growing quickly in popularity, clinchers aren't going away. For you road tubeless believers, the GP 5000 is also available in a tubeless version, so you can enjoy the same qualities with lower pressure options. The Continental GP 5000 for the win, all the way around.

Continental carries over some technologies in the GP 5000, but with specifications strictly for this tire. You'll find the expected advanced Vectran breaker for puncture protection, and the new BlackChili designated rubber compound. Now add a LazerGrip engraved texture (which results in an inverted tread) that enhances shoulder grip, as well as Active Comfort Technology, a layer of elastomer dampening material inside the tire designed to reduce vibration and defeat the effect of impacts regardless of tire pressure. The results? Continental claims 12% better rolling resistance, 20% increased puncture resistance, improved grip and comfort, while being 10 grams lighter than comparable GP 4000s II sizes. Rider reports indicate the grip is improved out of the box, with no need to "break-in" or get wear on the tire. Technically you shouldn't need this with BlackChili rubber, but over the years we have noticed a need to get some wear on the BlackChili for wet grip,; not anymore. Comfort is subjective, and tire pressure truly impacts this, but at higher pressures there appears to be noticeable benefit. Any increase in puncture protection and tire wear without weight gain is always welcome, and as a performance clincher, we have long been satisfied with the GP 4000s II so we have zero concerns about the GP 5000.

As with their mountain bike tires, Continental seems to have corrected their construction process and molds to deliver tires that are truer to size. Obviously rim width impacts this, but we have always been of the opinion that if you buy a 25mm tire, it should measure out as such. We measured a 25mm GP 5000 on a 19mm internal width rim, at 95 psi and the tire measured out at 24.32mm tall, and 25.65mm wide. At 110psi those measurements only increased by about .6mm. Continental has truly improved on the best all-around performance clincher of this millennium, and we are as excited about this Special Edition benchmark clincher tire as you are.