Touring Bike Tire Test: Continental City Ride II

The Continental City Ride II is a value for money tire optimized for use in urban areas. The City Ride II comes with a 3/66 carcass, a modern looking tread pattern, 1 mm thick puncture protection layer under the tread, and a long lasting rubber compound. It's available in the most popular 26 and 28-inch sizes and seems to be available at quite an attractive price for a big-brand tire.

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I've already tested the more expensive Continental Contact (read review) and TopContact (read review) touring bike tires. Both those tires didn't impress me in any of our tests. I find it interesting to test some cheaper tires as well to find out how much worse (if any) those tires perform compared to the top of the line tires that often carry a hefty price tag. Let's see if this tire is a good buy.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Continental
Model	City Ride II
Year	2015
Supplied By	Supplied by Continental
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	Low
Buy At	Ad Amazon.com
Manufacturer part number	0100706
TPI
Compound
Bead	Wire
ETRTO	37-622
Size Inch	28"
Width mm	37.00
Specified Weight	740 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	75
Made In	Members Only
Available Sizes	47-622 (28x1.75) 42-622 (28x1.60) 37-622 (28x1.40) 32-622 (28x1.25) 37-590 (26x1.40) 47-559 (26x1.75)

Continental City Ride II Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	740 grams
Measured Weight	782 grams
Measured Width	37 mm (un-round)
Measured Height	36 mm (un-round)
Tread Depth	2.2 mm
Total Tire Thickness Center	5.5 mm
Total Tire Thickness Sidewall	Members Only
All size measurements are taken at an air pressure of 60 psi / 4 bars on a 17.8 mm inner width rim.

The City Ride II is quite a heavy tire, specified weight of the 37-622 version is 740 grams. My sample comes in at an even higher 782 grams. It measures 37 mm wide and 37 mm high on a 17C rim, this is a good size as most other 37-622 rated tires have a bit less volume.

At 2.2 mm deep, tread depth is above average and should provide for a decent mileage. With a total tire thickness at the center of the tread of 5.5 mm, it's obvious this tire has a 1 mm thick anti-puncture layer. Most tires without a thick anti-puncture layer come in at 4 - 5 mm. At 1.8 mm thick, the sidewalls are above average as well.

Rolling Resistance Test Results

Rolling Resistance Test Results
Inner Tube	Conti Tour 28 (170 gr butyl)
Rolling Resistance 75 PSI / 5 Bar	23.9 Watts CRR: 0.00716
Rolling Resistance 60 PSI / 4 Bar	25.1 Watts CRR: 0.00752
Rolling Resistance 45 PSI / 3 Bar	Members Only
Rolling Resistance 30 PSI / 2 Bar	Members Only
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.

Compared to the other Continental touring bike tires, performance in the rolling resistance test is decent. On average, rolling resistance is about 1 watt higher when compared to the Contact or TopContact. For its price, performance is great.

When we look at the best performing tires with comparable or better puncture resistance, the City Ride II lags the Marathon GreenGuard (read review) and Energizer Plus (read review) by close to 4 - 6 watts. It looks like Continental has some work to do.

Puncture Resistance Test Results

Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Total Puncture Score Tread	93 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Members Only
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	13 Points
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	No Data
Tread Total Tire Thickness	5.5 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	No Data
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Members Only

In the puncture resistance test, the City Ride II performs average. With a score of 13 points in the tread test and 6 points in the sidewall test, it outperforms the more expensive Continental Contact by 2 points (13 Vs 11). With a score of 6 points in the sidewall test, the sidewalls are strong enough.

When looking at the Puncture Factor scores (which are more important for touring bike tires), the City Ride II is able to outperform both the Contact and TopContact thanks to its greater total thickness of the tire in both the center of the tire and sidewalls.

Static Grip Test Results

NOTE: Grip test data is only available on tires tested after November 2018. You can find more information about our grip test here: Introducing Grip Testing

Static Grip Test Results
Wet Grip Average	No Data
Wet Grip Center	No Data
Wet Grip Edge	No Data
Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 Tour/E-Bike grip test rim width = 23.0 mm

Conclusion

For the money, the Continental City Ride II performs great. When we compare this tire to the more expensive Continental Contact and TopContact, rolling resistance is a bit (5-10%) higher than both those tires. The good part is that it outperforms those tires in the puncture tests thanks to its 1 mm thick puncture layer which increases the thickness of the tire to provide for a better puncture resistance.

While the City Ride II performs great when compared against similar tires from Continental, adding other brands into the mix changes things. The Schwalbe Marathon (read review) is still our number 1 pick as it offers a lower rolling resistance and provides for a better puncture resistance. The Marathon can be found for just a bit more money (10 - 20%).

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RATING: 4.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Recommended

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