Continental

These are really good tires. I ride year 'round in mostly hot/humid weather and also in the winter down south. I travel for work and bring my bike lots of time especially to NYC for 60, 70, or 80 mile rides. I run tubeless and use Orange Seal regular and Ive had great results. Yeah, punctures happen especially in urban riding (Jersey City, NYC, etc.) but if you keep your sealant level up, inside of tires clean, and don't over pressure, these tires have wonderful longevity. Also, they corner nicely and generally ride well. I have no need to explore tubeless ready tires any further after the GP5000 TR. If you are a nut about maintenance (which you should be) and keep track of your tires and mileage these should be good for 4000 miles before you get to the bottom of the wear indicator although I wish I could get any tire to the bottom of the wear indicator. +1 for the GP5000 TR.

I almost wrote this review after my first ride, but didn't want to be one of "those" riders.

I've been riding TPU tubes from Schwalbe and Pirelli for years. I've always felt they perform well, but frankly that was a subjective opinion. I was excited to see that BTD started offering this Continental TPU tube, and swapped out the OEM butyl tubes on a newish bike. With that change, I think I have at least a more qualified opinion regarding TPU tubes.

Here's why:

Up until late November, my Bike #1 was a 2021 Specialized Roubaix Expert with alloy wheels. The Roubaix is a perfect fit for me, but with about 20,000 miles on it I decided to buy a new bike. I got a killer deal on a new, never-assembled 2022 Specialized Roubaix Expert. The 2022 is identical to my 2021 but with a 12-speed drivetrain and more significantly, carbon wheels. Everything else is the same right down to the handlebar tape.

I loved my new bike, but frankly I was disappointed that the carbon wheels seemed to make so little difference relative to the alloy wheels on my 2021. They didn't seem like much of an upgrade at all until . . . I replaced the OEM butyl tubes with the Continental TPU tubes. With that change, all the stuff you read and hear about carbon wheels changing the character of a bike came true for me. A few hundred miles later and I'm still loving the ride. The bike feels faster and more lively.

Here's my takeaway. The TPU's on my 2021 upgraded the performance of its alloy wheels to roughly the performance of my 2022 with carbon wheels using OEM butyl tubes. If your alloy wheels are in good shape but you're thinking about carbon wheels, IMHO a couple of these tubes are a great way to upgrade at a fraction of the cost. And if you're hesitant to go tubeless and still using butyl tubes with carbon wheels, you absolutely need these.

After trying multiple tires (I ride about 18,000 miles/year), I've settled on the Conti GP5000 for its smooth ride, low rolling resistance and relatively good puncture proof tires. It's a bit pricier, but worth it overall given that I get about 6000 miles out of each tire. They're a bit difficult to put on, but fortunately I've not had to take them off regularly for any reason (especially punctures). They're grippy and you feel confident after a good bit of usage.

I use these everyday. They mount up easy with my old hands only. Inflate easily and hold air like no other tire I've owned. They roll and corner very fast. I had another set from a major tire company and when I mounted and rode with these, I immediately felt I could corner better and roll faster. They were just a tad harsher which I think maybe because once mounted they were exactly 32 mm as the other set measured 34 even though they were both 32 mm tires.