Continental Sport Contact MTB Tyre With Inner Tube

Advantages: Make an MTB better on road
Disadvantages: Can be hard to find. No good off road

...Continental have produced the Grand Prix tyre in mtb size. 26" x 1" It has the same tread pattern as the road tyre and is very light (c.200g) Foldable too - with a kevlar bead I rode them on my Specialised mtb over the summer on a commute (8 miles each way) and they are superb for use on the road. It is the closest to a road bike tyre that I have ever seen, is very responsive and feels fast! If you ride an mtb mostly on the road and can feel the energy sapping from your legs with big knobbly tyres, you could do far worse than get a pair of these! They seem very durable too and can be inflated to decent pressures too - I ran them at close to 100 psi They are quite rare in shops and I had to search through a few on line stores to find one that listed them and had them in stock.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Hard wearing, gatorskin versions are almost puncture proof!
Disadvantages: Not a lot!

...I've used the conti gatorskin version of this tyre (known as 4season) since it was launched. I've just had to buy a new pair - so the wear rate is remarkably low, and I still can ride the current pair, it is just by the end of the winter I know I will need new ones. I only use them for winter training, but as I ride for a racing club, this does mean I clock up a fair few miles over the course of a winter. Conti are one of the few manufacturers to use a natural based rubber compound. "So what?" I hear you ask! Well, this means they stick to the road more in wet conditions. Thus, if you are training in winter or commuting to work, this attribute is vital. I have not (so far) had a puncture with them, which says a lot. I do run them with latex inner tubes which obviously helps, but the combination is fantastic. The light weight... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Great Value, great suspension, good alround bike
Disadvantages: Slightly weighty, not much else!

...is spot-on - It has got me out of a number of situations where on my old MTB I would have stacked it. Drivetrain has been a little bit hit and miss - in particular the rear mech, but a new rear mech cable has sorted the problem out (one of the teflon coated inners), and the rest of it I can't fault. The one draw back it has is that it is slightly on the heavy side, particularly noticible on long fire-road climbs, but to be honest, for £1000 you expect something that can be improved. I've set about this and have just purchased a new XT rear mech and Cassette - hopefully XT hollowtech II chainset/BB will follow, which will help greatly in this regard, as have the Kenda kevlar tyres - I recomend them too!... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful