Continental 50mm Gravel Tires

29 replies · 1,357 views

ljsmith
762 posts
#1May 4, 2022, 4:17 AMedited
Continental is releasing some 50mm gravel tires. The bad news is they are Pure Grip and not Black Chili compound.
These would probably be real fast in a Black Chili version, they look like a Speed King.
Also we finally get 45mm Terra Speed!

https://www.bikeradar.com/news/continental-terra-hardpack/
1
chas
1,305 posts
#2May 4, 2022, 7:15 AM
Interesting, wonder how it is constructed. They had two versions of this in the past. the CX version had a high end construction and was expensive, the larger version had a low end construction and was cheap.

I gave up on the Terraspeed. I got a bit over 500 miles on it in the rear, or half as long as a GP5000.
2
ljsmith
762 posts
#3May 4, 2022, 7:19 AM
chas wrote:
I gave up on the Terraspeed. I got a bit over 500 miles on it in the rear, or half as long as a GP5000.

I suspect that is why they are using Pure Grip on the Terra Hardpack because it wears much better than the Black Chili. Its also Shieldwall construction, so puncture protection for both tread and sidewall should be really good.
1
Slim
300 posts
#4May 4, 2022, 7:49 AM
Nice to get some more options in the ~50mm size.
Bikes have been steadily increasing in the tire clearance they have, but tire supply has been slow to catch up. The 35-40mm size is well catered to, and above 55mm you can shop in the mtb lines, but 45-50mm still remains sparsely populated, despite the large number of bikes that fit this size.
0
Volsung
878 posts
#5May 4, 2022, 5:36 PM
They've been online for a while, guess they did a soft launch. 530g claimed weight but this site says 591.5 which is an odd number to make up, so maybe it's right. It's also not very impressive.

https://r2-bike.com/CONTINENTAL-Tires-Terra-Hardpack-28-x-200-50C-700-ShieldWall-TLR
0
ljsmith
762 posts
#6May 4, 2022, 5:59 PM
591g is likely correct. I’ve got the Race Kings in the same size and construction and they are way overweight at 680g. They have a lot of puncture protection though, which is probably why they’re so heavy. I actually had a nail stuck in one of the Race Kings and it could not puncture the tire.
1
ccand51997
265 posts
#7May 4, 2022, 7:57 PM
[QUOTE username=chas userid=4772315 postid=1332543101

I gave up on the Terraspeed. I got a bit over 500 miles on it in the rear, or half as long as a GP5000.[/QUOTE]

I wonder how many versions of Black Chili there are sometimes. My Raceking Protections just go and go and go. I can't seem to wear them out. Even my Speedking Racesport last forever. Those are bigger knobs, but I've been riding one of them for nearly two years.

Sometimes these tire companies don't make any sense. When gravel first kicked off did we really need an entirely new tire? 40-50mm versions of the Raceking and Speedking would have been fine.
1
Jumbo
123 posts
#8May 4, 2022, 8:04 PM
I'll probably try that 45mm Terra Speed some day. I wonder if it's a true 45mm, though, since their "40mm" measures small. I got 1200 miles out of the last Terra Speed I had on the rear, which was ok.
1
mike d
138 posts
#9May 4, 2022, 8:43 PM
I don't know why the Terra Speed is so much different than the Terra Trail (ProTection, not Performance), but I have close to 1K miles on the Trails and the rear is still over half there. I usually swap front and rear at about half way and so it looks like it's about time to swap. I love them so far.
Conti just introduces a new 45mm width for both the speed and the trail too. I might try the 45s in the future, but so far, happy with the 40s on 25mm internal rims.
0
zen_
110 posts
#10May 4, 2022, 8:45 PM
ccand51997 wrote:

I wonder how many versions of Black Chili there are sometimes. My Raceking Protections just go and go and go.

What type of terrain do you ride your Race Kings on? I finally got some of the black chili protections this year when they were under $50 each from wiggle for my XC MTB. No doubt crazy fast tires (probably similar RR @ 20 psi to my Pathfinders @ 35 psi), the grip is great, and they are light. Started seeing wet spots on the rear at a few hundred miles, and there's already one plug in though. This is mostly on light XC singletrack. We'll see, but I am not optimistic about even getting 1K miles, but that's probably fair for what they are. The cheaper, more durable shield wall version with pure grip might be better for my application.

Have to admit that the Pathfinder tires have spoiled me a bit getting 5K+ from a rear.
0
ccand51997
265 posts
#11May 4, 2022, 11:17 PM
zen_ wrote:

What type of terrain do you ride your Race Kings on? Started seeing wet spots on the rear at a few hundred miles, and there's already one plug in though. This is mostly on light XC singletrack.

It is a mix of high desert dirt and sand with lots of pavement in between. It is definitely not a hard-core mtb tire because I've needed to plug it or patch it for rocks before when I get a little too wild on downhills but usually the sidewalls start to give out before the tread wears thin. My last tire I even ground down the center tread quite a bit so it would run more smoothly on pavement and that tire keeps going and going. I get a lot of wet spots but it does not really matter from a performance standpoint.
0
ljsmith
762 posts
#12May 5, 2022, 4:44 AM
In my experience “wet spots” from Continental tires come from using sealants other than Continental Revo sealant. If you use only the Continental sealant in the tires then it won’t happen. I have found that once Stans touches the tires that wet spots will inevitably occur.
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imwjl
304 posts
#13May 5, 2022, 6:44 AM
It still looks like their new models are not having details published on world-wide site or available in US.

The side of the new models looks good but for bikepacking and adventurous stuff - not just touring - I still think the Rene Hearse knobby tires I have in 48 mm and 55 mm are hard to beat. They have traction more slick tires and the MTB race Conti tires don't have. I've done so much rocky single track and commuting with two sizes of RH knobbies on two brands of rims that I call BS on a lot of complaints except for price.

I want to try the new Conti in 40 mm but they're not available so I'll probably pick up another GR1 to replace a worn rear for this weekend. People can criticize jack of all trades things but my gravel bike with those tires has been sort of jack of all trades perfection. I will keep eyes open for the new Conti but have a lot more rubber to wear out on the bikepacking rig first.
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John Z
174 posts
#14Jun 1, 2022, 8:55 AM
They look like Terra Speeds after a few hundred miles...
1
JWB475
154 posts
#15Jun 5, 2022, 3:26 PMedited
I just did a 60 mile gravel ride on the 27.5 x 2.2 Conti Speed Kings which appear to have the same tread design. I was really impressed with them, super fast rolling, plenty grippy for me (I take corners like a little old lady though). The Speed Kings do have the black chili compound, and were ~440 grams a peice. I hear they can be pretty fragile, but so far so good...
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ccand51997
265 posts
#16Jun 5, 2022, 3:43 PM
JWB475 wrote:I The Speed Kings do have the black chili compound, and were ~440 grams a peice. I hear they can be pretty fragile, but so far so good...

I rode a front Speedking around for a few weeks and it did not even need sealant to hold air. Then I took it to my first race (with sealant) and on the first downhill I got a cut that would not seal, then it did seal so I could finish the race after adding air, then a couple of weeks later it went flat. I patched it and used it in my last race with a tube.
It has a lot of volume and float when I hit sand and it feels as fast as a road tire on the pavement, but I know now not to press it too hard on downhills or rocky terrain.
I just wish they would make a protection version in multiple sizes. This new tire is a nice size, but they used the other compound, for longer wear, I'm sure.
I use a rear Speedking for my mostly-pavement bike and it works great on mild gravel and the high mountain climbs where the pavement is poor.
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John Z
174 posts
#17Jun 5, 2022, 10:40 PM
2.2in Speed Kings have a lower rolling resistance than 40mm Terra Speeds!
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ljsmith
762 posts
#18Jun 6, 2022, 6:14 AMedited
John wrote:2.2in Speed Kings have a lower rolling resistance than 40mm Terra Speeds!

Not really. Its hard to compare tires from one category to another because the ratings are not using the same percent tire drop. You have to compare the Medium RR for gravel to the 25psi RR for mountain. Unfortunately unless you are a Pro member you can't even see the Medium rating.
1
imwjl
304 posts
#19Jun 6, 2022, 7:30 AM
My "ProTection" Race King held up and I've seen lots of XC racers get flats in lighter versions so I can understand the reliability concerns. If wanting a very reliable fast tire that's big is your aim consider the Donneley MSO or heavier duty Rene Hearse Knobby tires.

I see there are SE versions of Bontrager race tires but 66-622 is really big for a gravel tire. Their GR1s really surprised me in a good way but they're a big 40 size.

I'm guessing the Terra Hardpack will be good but they still seem to be made of or from vaporware.
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John Z
174 posts
#20Jun 6, 2022, 8:37 AM
imwjl wrote:
My "ProTection" Race King held up and I've seen lots of XC racers get flats in lighter versions so I can understand the reliability concerns. If wanting a very reliable fast tire that's big is your aim consider the Donneley MSO or heavier duty Rene Hearse Knobby tires.

I see there are SE versions of Bontrager race tires but 66-622 is really big for a gravel tire. Their GR1s really surprised me in a good way but they're a big 40 size.

I'm guessing the Terra Hardpack will be good but they still seem to be made of or from vaporware.

I have about 1500 miles of roughly 65/35% road, some rough, and gravel/trails on my set of Terra Speeds, with not much left on the rear. I have set of Terra Trail and will probably put that on the rear, then in a few months a new Terra Speed on the front.
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