Road Bike Tire Test: Continental Grand Prix 5000 TT TR 28
Contents and Test Summary
- Introduction
- Manufacturer Specifications
- Size, Weight, Thickness
- Rolling Resistance: 7.1 Watts
- Puncture Resistance: 33 Points
- Static Wet Grip: 66 Points
- Conclusion: 4.8 / 5 Highly Recommended
- Comments
- Continental Grand Prix 5000 TT TR 28
(100% is best)
The Grand Prix 5000 TT TR is Continental's fastest road bike tire, and it competes with time-trial tires like the Vittoria Corsa Speed G+ 2.0 TLR (read our review) and the Schwalbe Pro One TT TLE (read our review). The Grand Prix 5000 TT TR is basically a renamed Grand Prix 5000 TT TdF (Tour de France edition) (read our review) that we tested last year. When the 5000 TT TdF launched, we were worried about the limited edition nature of that tire, but Continental solved that issue with the 5000 TT TR, which should be readily available.
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The TR (tubeless-ready) lineup of the Continental Grand Prix 5000 now consists of 3 tires: the Grand Prix 5000 S TR (read our review) for all-round usage, the Grand Prix 5000 AllSeason TR (read our review) for better grip and durability, and the Grand Prix 5000 TT TR for when you need the absolute best performance. From a construction standpoint, the main differences can be found in the strength of the sidewalls, the tread thickness, and a grippier Black Chili compound on the AllSeason TR.
When we look at the casing constructions, Continental chose to stay with 2 layers of casing material + an extra layer of Vectran anti-puncture resistance material on all editions of the Grand Prix 5000 TR. This means the TT TR and AllSeason TR offer roughly the same force to puncture, but the AllSeason TR does offer slightly better puncture resistance thanks to the higher tread thickness. The idea is that the sealant should seal most punctures, and more tread puncture resistance isn't required (according to Continental) on tubeless-ready tires filled with sealant.
We do find a big difference in the casing construction when we look at the sidewalls of these tires. The new TT TR's sidewalls consist of only 2 layers of 110 TPI casing material, while the sidewalls of the S TR are made up of 3 layers, and on the AllSeason TR, that has been bumped up to 4 layers. The thinking here is that on tubeless tires, the sidewalls need to be stronger for better sealing and puncture resistance, as sidewall punctures are harder to seal by the sealant due to the limited thickness of the sidewalls when compared to the tread.
A note on tubeless sealant and its sealing capabilities: while our Total Puncture Score takes into consideration the thickness of a tire, the re-sealing capabilities are not taken into account. In general, re-sealing after a puncture works better on materials that have a higher thickness. This is because it's easier for the sealant to build a stable seal when there is more material to fill.
We're not sure if Continental made the right choice by keeping the extra layer of Vectran puncture-resistant material, as with the thinner sidewalls and slightly less tread thickness being the only difference, the 5000 S TR and 5000 TT TR perform surprisingly close to each other in our tests. We assume Continental has more data, and the extra layer of Vectran only adds very little weight and rolling resistance making it not worth removing it.
We've tested the 28-622 of the Grand Prix 5000 TT TR as the 28 mm size quickly becomes the preferred tire size in the tubeless road bike category. It's also available in the 25-622 size for those who still like slightly smaller tires.
Manufacturer Specifications
| Manufacturer Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Brand | Continental |
| Model | Grand Prix 5000 TT TR |
| Year | 2023 |
| Tire Type | Tubeless |
| Supplied By | Bought in store |
| New or Used | New |
| Mileage | 0 km |
| Price Range | Very High |
| Buy At | Ad Amazon.com |
| Manufacturer part number | 0101894 |
| EAN | 4019238056273 |
| TPI | 2/220 |
| Compound | Black Chili |
| Bead | Folding |
| ETRTO | 28-622 |
| Size Inch | 28" |
| Specified Width (mm) | 28 |
| Specified Weight | 245 grams |
| Max Air Pressure (psi) | 94 |
| Made In | Members Only |
| Available Sizes |
25-622 (700x25c) 28-622 (700x28c) |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 TT TR 28 Test Results
Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
| Size, Weight and Thickness Measurements | |
|---|---|
| Specified Weight | 245 grams |
| Measured Weight | 250 grams |
| System Adjusted Weight (tire + valve + rim seal) |
270 grams |
| Measured Width | 29 mm (un-round) |
| Measured Height | 26 mm (un-round) |
| Total Tire Thickness Center | 1.9 mm |
| Total Tire Thickness Sidewall | Members Only |
| Unmounted Casing Width | 75 mm |
| Unmounted Tread Width | Members Only |
| Tread Cover (Tread / Casing Ratio) | Members Only |
| All size measurements are taken at an air pressure of 100 psi / 6.9 bars on a 17.8 mm inner width rim. | |
Rolling Resistance Test Results
| Rolling Resistance Test Results | |
|---|---|
| Inner Tube | None (20 ml sealant) |
| Measured Width | 29 mm (un-round) |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 132 psi/9.1 bar 25-27 = 120 psi/8.3 bar 28-29 = 108 psi/7.4 barUltra High Air Pressure (108 psi / 7.4 bar) |
7.1 Watts CRR: 0.00213 |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 110 psi/7.6bar 25-27 = 100 psi/6.9 bar 28-29 = 90 psi/6.2 barExtra High Air Pressure (90 psi / 6.2 bar) |
7.6 Watts CRR: 0.00228 |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 88 psi/6.1 bar 25-27 = 80 psi/5.5 bar 28-29 = 72 psi/5.0 barHigh Air Pressure (72 psi /5.0 bar) |
Members Only |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 66 psi/4.6 bar 25-27 = 60 psi/4.1 bar 28-29 = 54 psi/3.7 barMedium Air Pressure (54 psi / 3.7 bar) |
Members Only |
| The Road Bike 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 | 33 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 | 1.9 mm |
| Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle | Members Only |
| Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle | Members Only |
| Sidewall Total Tire Thickness | Members Only |
Static Grip Test Results
| Static Grip Test Results | |
|---|---|
| Wet Grip Average | 66 Points |
| Wet Grip Center | Members Only |
| Wet Grip Edge | Members Only |
| Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 Road bike grip test rim width = 19.0 mm |
|
Conclusion
- Continental Grand Prix 5000 TT TR 28
(100% is best)
The Continental Grand Prix 5000 TT TR is simply one of the fastest tubeless road bike tires on the market. Although the Veloflex Record TLR (read our review) rolls even faster, that tire might be too thin for open roads. When we compare the 5000 TT TR with the Vittoria Corsa Speed (read our review) and Schwalbe Pro One TLE TT (read our review), we see it easily outperforms the Schwalbe Pro One TT and comes in almost equal in performance when compared to the Vittoria Corsa Speed TLR.
When we compare the Grand Prix 5000 TT TR to the Grand Prix 5000 S TR (read our review), which is Continental's all-round tubeless-ready version of the Grand Prix 5000, we see only slight differences in performance. Maybe some of it can be attributed to the weight of our 28-622 samples, as we had a relatively light (265 grams vs 280 specified) S TR and a fairly heavy TT TR (250 grams vs 245 specified). As expected, rolling resistance does come in a bit lower on the 5000 TT TR thanks to the thinner sidewalls and slightly less tread thickness.
If you need those last few watts and grams of performance, the Grand Prix 5000 TT TR will be the faster choice over the Grand Prix 5000 S TR.
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RATING:
4.8
/ 5
TEST VERDICT:
Highly Recommended