Continental GP4000 Tyres

"Gags" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Am I the only person who has had problems with these tyres??? I have
bought three sets of these and so far I am not going too well with them.
The first set was going OK for a few months but then one day one of the
sidewalls blew out while the bike was hanging on the hook in the shed.
The second set is still going OK but having said that I have hardly ridden
them as they have been on my second roadie that I will probably be selling
soon. The third set that were fitted to my "good" roadie have been on for
about 4 or 5 months or so and have been fine up until today. I was out
doing the regular BR ride today (DaveB and I were the only two there) and
after Dave turned off at Kangaroo Ground, I headed towards Clintons Road.
After I hit the smooth section at the bottom of the long downhill I
thought that I must have run over a nail or something as I could feel a
slight bump each time the tyre went around. I stopped to have a look and
discovered that a section of the rear tyre had a "bend" in it. The rim
was still true but there was a noticable kink in the rear tyre. I can
only assume that there is some sort of flaw in the sidewall that has
caused it to distort in one spot......maybe the guy who handmakes them
(according to the blurb on the box) was hungover that day and didn't see
the flaw?? Anyway, I was a bit concerned about the possibility of the
sidewall blowing out on a downhill at 60kph plus and so I let out a bit of
air pressure and took it pretty easy for the rest of the ride.

Surely it is not simply because I weigh around 98kg???

For the record, I use a track pump to get the tyres to 110psi at the start
of every ride and this is within the recommended inflation figure for the
GP4000. Also, the two tyres that I had problems with were from different
batches (the first had tan sidewalls and the second black). I am going on
another ride tomorrow morning with a mate from work and I have thrown on a
set of Vittorias to see how they go......if they are OK it might be time
for a change.

Gags

I recently had a Schwalbe Stelvio fail in the same way as your Conti with a
rather large buldge in it, there was no cuts in the area and I was running
it below it's recommended pressure at about 135 to 145 psi.

I am about 95 kg and am quite hard on wheels and tyres as I am quite strong
and can put on a decent sprint.

I just ordered a set of these conti 4000's off probike kit I hope they do
not suffer the same fate as yours.

Gags said:

Am I the only person who has had problems with these tyres??? I have bought
three sets of these and so far I am not going too well with them. The first
set was going OK for a few months but then one day one of the sidewalls blew
out while the bike was hanging on the hook in the shed. The second set is
still going OK but having said that I have hardly ridden them as they have
been on my second roadie that I will probably be selling soon. The third
set that were fitted to my "good" roadie have been on for about 4 or 5
months or so and have been fine up until today. I was out doing the regular
BR ride today (DaveB and I were the only two there) and after Dave turned
off at Kangaroo Ground, I headed towards Clintons Road. After I hit the
smooth section at the bottom of the long downhill I thought that I must have
run over a nail or something as I could feel a slight bump each time the
tyre went around. I stopped to have a look and discovered that a section of
the rear tyre had a "bend" in it. The rim was still true but there was a
noticable kink in the rear tyre. I can only assume that there is some sort
of flaw in the sidewall that has caused it to distort in one spot......maybe
the guy who handmakes them (according to the blurb on the box) was hungover
that day and didn't see the flaw?? Anyway, I was a bit concerned about the
possibility of the sidewall blowing out on a downhill at 60kph plus and so I
let out a bit of air pressure and took it pretty easy for the rest of the
ride.

Surely it is not simply because I weigh around 98kg???

For the record, I use a track pump to get the tyres to 110psi at the start
of every ride and this is within the recommended inflation figure for the
GP4000. Also, the two tyres that I had problems with were from different
batches (the first had tan sidewalls and the second black). I am going on
another ride tomorrow morning with a mate from work and I have thrown on a
set of Vittorias to see how they go......if they are OK it might be time for
a change.

I've had nothing but positive experiences with GP4000. I got 10,000kms
out of one set, no issues. I way about 82 kgs and habitually run with
panniers.
--
Cheers
Euan

Euan said:

snip....

I've had nothing but positive experiences with GP4000. I got 10,000kms
out of one set, no issues. I way about 82 kgs and habitually run with
panniers.
--
Cheers
Euan

Just got hold of two used Conti GP4000s (done about 2000 road k's) from a friend for mag trainer use, will certainly let you know if the back one does "blow", gets tacky, does anything weird etc...

Am at 8000k on Maxxis Columbierres on the roadie and no punctures, no idiosyncracies, nada...just rock solid performance and inflated to 130psi always...

did use Vitt Rubino's at 110psi and wore em out super fast. (never got more than 2-2500k, one set was beaded and sheesh, kept getting dislodged/busted wire beading into the tubes-crossing tram tracks and pot holes too much)

82-5 kilos ( now ) , sure that helps a bit...

Gags said:

Am I the only person who has had problems with these tyres??? I have bought

I recall Lama had issues with them in the wet. I had the GP3000's and
was very happy with them, but unfortunately when I needed new ones
probikekit didn't have them. It was the talk about 4000's int he wet
that put me off getting them.

DaveB

Gags said:

Am I the only person who has had problems with these tyres??? I have bought
three sets of these and so far I am not going too well with them. The first
set was going OK for a few months but then one day one of the sidewalls blew
out while the bike was hanging on the hook in the shed. The second set is
still going OK but having said that I have hardly ridden them as they have
been on my second roadie that I will probably be selling soon. The third
set that were fitted to my "good" roadie have been on for about 4 or 5
months or so and have been fine up until today. I was out doing the regular
BR ride today (DaveB and I were the only two there) and after Dave turned
off at Kangaroo Ground, I headed towards Clintons Road. After I hit the
smooth section at the bottom of the long downhill I thought that I must have
run over a nail or something as I could feel a slight bump each time the
tyre went around. I stopped to have a look and discovered that a section of
the rear tyre had a "bend" in it. The rim was still true but there was a
noticable kink in the rear tyre. I can only assume that there is some sort
of flaw in the sidewall that has caused it to distort in one spot......maybe
the guy who handmakes them (according to the blurb on the box) was hungover
that day and didn't see the flaw?? Anyway, I was a bit concerned about the
possibility of the sidewall blowing out on a downhill at 60kph plus and so I
let out a bit of air pressure and took it pretty easy for the rest of the
ride.

Surely it is not simply because I weigh around 98kg???

For the record, I use a track pump to get the tyres to 110psi at the start
of every ride and this is within the recommended inflation figure for the
GP4000. Also, the two tyres that I had problems with were from different
batches (the first had tan sidewalls and the second black). I am going on
another ride tomorrow morning with a mate from work and I have thrown on a
set of Vittorias to see how they go......if they are OK it might be time for
a change.

Gags

You're pretty generous to keep getting the same tyre. If I had that many issues with a tyre, I'd switch brands. For the record, I have GP4000's and haven't had a problem.

Gags said:

Am I the only person who has had problems with these tyres???

No. I haven't tried them, but several people I know who have say they
get cut up very easily. But that may be the price you pay for a softer
surface with better grip in the wet than, say, Pro Races.

--
Home page: http://members.westnet.com.au/mvw

Mine have been great. Only done about 1500 k's on them so far but the
rear one (soon to be replaced) has held together despite a huge rip
where the wheel met the sharp edge of a pothole after ~750 k's (so thats
around 750 k's with a hole in the side-wall). A new order is on it's
way with any luck. Very happy so far. I'm only 60 kgs and usually have
the pressures at ~100-110 (using a good quality hand pump). I believe
they are only rated to ~125???
--
Bean

Remove "yourfinger" before replying

I weigh about 66kg, always pumped to 110-120 psi.

I've got em on my racing and training bike. Have ridden them in rain, snow (!!), hail, sun since October. One puncture on my training bike and none on my racer (touch wood) and obviously alot more K's on my training bike.

I don't have any complaints. I've had just about zero puctures because after say two weeks or a really rainy ride I let teh tyres down and go throgh the casing and pick out those little pieces of glass, seems to prevent punctures pretty well.

On 2007-01-07, Gags (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

Am I the only person who has had problems with these tyres???

I'm not impressed with them. They cut very easily.

I've got to put in an order soon (gotta get new bits for mum's new
Hmas present 🙂, and I'll be going on over to Continental Gatorskins I
think.

--
TimC
"The Write Many, Read Never drive. For those people that don't know
their system has a /dev/null already." -- Rik Steenwinkel, singing
the praises of 8mm Exabytes

On 2007-01-08, Jono L (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

I weigh about 66kg, always pumped to 110-120 psi.

I've got em on my racing and training bike.

That's why you're so slow Jono! Too high pressure for a skinny guy
like you. Lower the pressure by 10PSI, and you'll stop bouncing all
over the tarmac, get more traction and go even faster! 🙂

--
TimC
"Think of bicycles as rideable art that can just about save the
world." - Grant Peterson

On 2007-01-07, Michael Warner (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

Gags said:

Am I the only person who has had problems with these tyres???

No. I haven't tried them, but several people I know who have say they
get cut up very easily. But that may be the price you pay for a softer
surface with better grip in the wet than, say, Pro Races.

The suggestion I heard on another thread was michi carbon blacks
because the old skool carbon doesn't cut up as easy as the new skool
silica compounds.

--
TimC
Hell - n. The current residence of Mr. Noah Webster, Lexicographer.
(Ambrose Bierce, _The Devil's Dictionary_)

TimC said:

On 2007-01-07, Michael Warner (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

Gags said:

Am I the only person who has had problems with these tyres???

No. I haven't tried them, but several people I know who have say they
get cut up very easily. But that may be the price you pay for a softer
surface with better grip in the wet than, say, Pro Races.

The suggestion I heard on another thread was michi carbon blacks
because the old skool carbon doesn't cut up as easy as the new skool
silica compounds.

--
TimC
Hell - n. The current residence of Mr. Noah Webster, Lexicographer.
(Ambrose Bierce, _The Devil's Dictionary_)

I've used the Michelin Carbon Blacks for a while and they were great .. No punctures at all and I got about 4000k out of them.. I'm using Vittoria Corsa CX's at the moment and they are a step up from the Michelins .. They roll really well and I've had one puncture with two sets of them .. They are softer than the Michelins so wear out quicker but they roll really well.. No probs in the wet with them either..

A while back I had a series of tyre problems that sound a bit similar - tube (not tyre sidewall) suddenly blowing out when not being ridden, "bumps" developing in the tyre, numerous flats.

I had recently switched to new wheels and was finding it extremely difficult to get the tyre (GP3000) off and back on the rim for each tube change, even with 3 tyre levers in action. I think what was actually happening was that in struggling to get the tyre back onto the rim after each change I was pinching the tube, despite trying to be as careful as possible. I'm a total hack as a bike mechanic, but after a trip to the bike shop to get them to have a go, my newly replaced tube exploded 10 minutes later, so it wasn't just me.

Anyway, I experimented with different tyres and found that Vittorias were a bit easier to get on and off the new wheels and haven't had a problem since. So perhaps it's to do with Contis having slightly smaller bead diameter than some other tyres, rather than manufacturing flaws per se.

TimC said:

The suggestion I heard on another thread was michi carbon blacks
because the old skool carbon doesn't cut up as easy as the new skool
silica compounds.

Probably. The carbon certainly makes them last longer, but also
increases rolling resistance.

--
Home page: http://members.westnet.com.au/mvw

Gags said:

Am I the only person who has had problems with these tyres???

the only people that I know that have problems like that are the ones that have bought the tires on ebay and we reckon that they are cheap knock offs and not conti made tires.

I use GP4000 on my training wheels and wet or dry and are a good ride. I normally get 8000km out of a set; I normally change them before they get to the bottom of the wear point as I have found that they do start to get punctures ones they get really worn down.

My suggestion is to get them off Probike kit or the rather then ebay.

In article
<[email hidden]>,

TimC said:

On 2007-01-07, Gags (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

Am I the only person who has had problems with these tyres???

I'm not impressed with them. They cut very easily.

I've got to put in an order soon (gotta get new bits for mum's new
Hmas present 🙂, and I'll be going on over to Continental Gatorskins I
think.

They may cut on the surface (grippy rubber), but as long as they don't
puncture, who cares?

I have ridden over fragmented glass on my GP4000 and there will be cuts.
But no punctures yet... Fingers crossed.
--

In article <[email hidden]>,

Michael Warner said:

Gags said:

Am I the only person who has had problems with these tyres???

No. I haven't tried them, but several people I know who have say they
get cut up very easily. But that may be the price you pay for a softer
surface with better grip in the wet than, say, Pro Races.

I am just trying this super glue trick to patch those cuts together. I
read somewhere that this is a worthwhile maintenance job.

One thing I have been confirm (per suggestion by others) is that in most
of those cuts I could retrieve some metal or glass piece. So it's
important to flick them out before the super glue job.
--

On 2007-01-09, Artoi (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

In article
<[email hidden]>,

TimC said:

On 2007-01-07, Gags (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

Am I the only person who has had problems with these tyres???

I'm not impressed with them. They cut very easily.

I've got to put in an order soon (gotta get new bits for mum's new
Hmas present 🙂, and I'll be going on over to Continental Gatorskins I
think.

They may cut on the surface (grippy rubber), but as long as they don't
puncture, who cares?

I have ridden over fragmented glass on my GP4000 and there will be cuts.
But no punctures yet... Fingers crossed.

I've got a cm long cut on my front, and it bulges ever so slightly (I
was convinced I could feel it back when I had the luxury of hotmix
surfaces). Being my front, I'm fully expecting it to fail when I am
going 80km/h[1] down blackburn's hill tomorrow.

[1] Maybe not tomorrow. I'm going to have the local copper on my
tail, and want to appear responsible 🙂 Then again, I haven't met the
bloke yet; he could be more irresponsible than me.

--
TimC
Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little
Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
-- Attributed to Benjamin Franklin, 1760

On 2007-01-09, jcjordan (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

Gags said:

Am I the only person who has had problems with these tyres???

the only people that I know that have problems like that are the ones
that have bought the tires on ebay and we reckon that they are cheap
knock offs and not conti made tires.

PBK in my case. I wouldn't touch Ebay with a 10m insulating pole.

--
TimC
Chuck Norris stops his fixie by putting his beard on the front tire.
....and he'd kill you with his bare hands for mentioning yourself in the
same sentence. -- Donga in aus.bicycle