CX/Gravel Tire Test: Continental Terra Hardpack TR 50

The Continental Terra Hardpack is a tubeless-ready, semi-slick gravel bike tire that's available at quite a good price when we compare it to most other high-end gravel bike tires that we've tested over the past 2 years. For now, it's only available in the 50-622 size, but given its performance and price, we hope to see some smaller sizes shortly as well.

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To keep the price down, the Terra Hardpack comes with Continental's PureGrip compound instead of the premium BlackChili compound they use on their most high-end tires. Even though this seems like a downgrade, we've already tested some other tires that come with the PureGrip compound, and it performs very strongly in our wet grip tests. It does roll a bit slower, and if you're looking for pure rolling performance, the BlackChili compound is the better choice.

Together with the Terra Hardpack review, we're also introducing a new protocol for the inner tubes we use during the tests. As you might know, tubeless-ready gravel bike tires were still tested with an inner tube as we stuck with our original inner tube protocol that we introduced in 2014. As tubeless tires are now the norm for most high-performance tires, we have to move with the times, which is why we now test all tubeless, tubeless-ready, and tubeless-compatible tires tubeless with sealant.

This change affects the test results of 117 out of 266 tires we tested between 2014 and 2022. To keep the data "compatible" and easy to compare, the rolling resistance of those 117 tires has been recalculated with data we obtained from inner tube tests. The original test data is also still available, and you can find it on the tire's review page, where you now see 2 sets of rolling resistance data.

We also changed our test wheel as our previous wheel wasn't tubeless-ready, and inflating some tubeless-ready tires without an inner tube was troublesome. We used a rim with the same width, and the width and height measurements come out the same for both the old and new rims.

You also might have noticed from the picture above that we moved our test lab to a new location where we have more room to expand. We also took apart the rolling resistance machine for servicing and gave it a big makeover. We're now ready to keep on testing tires for years to come.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Continental
Model	Terra Hardpack TR
Year	2023
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	Med
Buy At	Ad Amazon.com
Manufacturer part number	0150565
EAN	4019238052107
TPI	3/180
Compound	PureGrip
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	50-622
Specified Weight	530 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	65
Made In	Members Only
Available Sizes	50-622 (700x50c) 50-584 (650x50b)

Continental Terra Hardpack TR 50 Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	530 grams
Measured Weight	561 grams
Measured Width Casing	48 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	45 mm
Measured Height	46 mm (un-round)
Measured Knob Height Center	0.5 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	3.4 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	2.50 mm
Measured Total Thickness Sidewall	Members Only
All size measurements are taken at low air pressure on a 17.8 mm inner width rim.

Rolling Resistance Test Results

Rolling Resistance Test Results
Inner Tube	None (30 ml sealant)
Measured Width	48 mm
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 66 psi/4.6 bar 33-35 = 60 psi/4.1 bar 36-38 = 54 psi/3.7 bar 39-42 = 50 psi/3.4 bar 43-46 = 46 psi/3.2 bar 47-50 = 42 psi/2.9 barHigh Air Pressure (42 psi / 2.9 bar)	Members Only
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 55 psi/3.8 bar 33-35 = 50 psi/3.4 bar 36-38 = 45 psi/3.1 bar 39-42 = 42 psi/2.9 bar 43-46 = 38 psi/2.6 bar 47-50 = 35 psi/2.4 barMedium Air Pressure (35 psi / 2.4 bar)	Members Only
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 44 psi/3.0 bar 33-35 = 40 psi/2.8 bar 36-38 = 36 psi/2.6 bar 39-42 = 33 psi/2.3 bar 43-46 = 31 psi/2.1 bar 47-50 = 28 psi/1.9 barLow Air Pressure (28 psi / 1.9 bar)	18.6 Watts CRR: 0.00558
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 33 psi/2.3 bar 33-35 = 30 psi/2.1 bar 36-38 = 27 psi/1.9 bar 39-42 = 25 psi/1.7 bar 43-46 = 23 psi/1.6 bar 47-50 = 21 psi/1.4 barExtra Low Air Pressure (21 psi / 1.4 bar)	21.9 Watts CRR: 0.00656
The CX/Gravel section is a multi tire size section, air pressures have been adjusted to the measured casing width. All numbers are for a single tire at a speed of 29 km/h / 18 mph and a load of 42.5 kg / 94 lbs. Use the formula: RR (Watts) = CRR * speed (m/s) * load (N) to calculate rolling resistance at a given speed and load.

Puncture Resistance Test Results

Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Total Puncture Score Tread	40 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Members Only
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Members Only
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Members Only
Tread Total Tire Thickness	2.50 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Members Only

Hard Surface Static Grip Test Results

Static Grip Test Results
Wet Grip Average	77 Points
Wet Grip Center	Members Only
Wet Grip Edge	Members Only
Measured Knob Height Center	0.5 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	3.4 mm
Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 CX/Gravel grip test rim width = 23.0 mm
Wet Grip Test and Off-Road Tires (info)

Conclusion

The Continental Terra Hardpack performs well in our tests, with a strong performance in the (center) wet grip test, which again shows us the Continental PureGrip compound is one of the best gripping compounds. It isn't the fastest rolling, our most puncture-resistant tire, but when we also consider its price, we're sure this will be quite a popular choice.

We did notice the tread is relatively narrow on this tire, but given its tread pattern, we're not sure how this will affect its real-world rideability. The semi-slick tires with a slick center and knobs along the edge of the tire are always a tradeoff when it comes to lean angle, as you'll want to be on the edge of the tread at some point. When the tread is too wide, you might never reach the knobby part of the tread.

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RATING: 4.5 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Highly Recommended

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