Touring Bike Tire Test: Continental Urban Taraxagum
Contents and Test Summary
- Introduction
- Manufacturer Specifications
- Size, Weight, Thickness
- Rolling Resistance: 24.2 Watts
- Puncture Resistance: 84 Points
- Static Wet Grip: 73 Points
- Conclusion: 3.5 / 5 Recommended
- Comments
- Continental Urban Taraxagum
(100% is best)
The Continental Urban Taraxagum is the first tire (we're aware of) that comes with a compound made from dandelion rubber. Given that the dandelions are sourced from within Germany, the Urban Taraxagum is not only made in Germany but nearly all of its ingredients are sourced from within Germany. Continental claims that the shorter distances from the fields to their plants uses resources more efficiently, which is an important contribution to sustainability.
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From a construction standpoint, the Urban Taraxagum seems nearly identical to the Grand Prix Urban (read our review) we tested back in 2021. The only difference is the Taraxagum compound and a slightly revised tread pattern. As these 2 tires are so similar, we'll be able to compare the Taraxagum compound made from dandelions to Continental's Black Chili compound, which is one of the best performing traditional compounds.
The Urban Taraxagum is a very light tire, and although it fits the touring bike category, it looks and feels more like an oversized road bike tire. The Urban Taraxagum and Grand Prix Urban share the same 3/180 casing and Vectran anti-puncture strip, and together with the compound, those are the ingredients that make up most of the performance of a bicycle tire.
Like the Grand Prix Urban, the Urban Taraxagum is only available in a single size: 35-622 (700x35c). 35-622 might be a bit small for touring bikes, and we feel a 40-622 version would be a great addition to both the Grand Prix Urban and Urban Taraxagum. As previously mentioned, we will compare the Urban Taraxagum with the Grand Prix Urban and a couple of other touring bike tires we tested over the last couple of years.
Manufacturer Specifications
| Manufacturer Specs | |
|---|---|
| Brand | Continental |
| Model | Urban Taraxagum |
| Year | 2022 |
| Supplied By | Bought in store |
| New or Used | New |
| Mileage | 0 km |
| Price Range | High |
| Buy At | Ad Amazon.com |
| Manufacturer part number | 0101675 |
| TPI | 3/180 |
| Compound | Taraxagum |
| Bead | Folding |
| ETRTO | 35-622 |
| Size Inch | 28" |
| Width mm | 35.00 |
| Specified Weight | 340 grams |
| Max Air Pressure (psi) | 85 |
| Made In | Members Only |
| Available Sizes | 35-622 (700x35c) |
Continental Urban Taraxagum Test Results
Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
| Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements | |
|---|---|
| Specified Weight | 340 grams |
| Measured Weight | 348 grams |
| Measured Width | 33 mm (un-round) |
| Measured Height | 30 mm (un-round) |
| Tread Depth | 1.0 mm |
| Total Tire Thickness Center | 3.2 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. | |
Rolling Resistance Test Results
| Rolling Resistance Test Results | |
|---|---|
| Inner Tube | Conti Tour 28 (170 gr butyl) |
| Rolling Resistance 75 PSI / 5 Bar |
22.1 Watts CRR: 0.00662 |
| Rolling Resistance 60 PSI / 4 Bar |
24.2 Watts CRR: 0.00725 |
| 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. |
|
Puncture Resistance Test Results
| Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better) | |
|---|---|
| Total Puncture Score Tread | 84 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 | 3.2 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 | 73 Points |
| Wet Grip Center | Members Only |
| Wet Grip Edge | Members Only |
| Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 Tour/E-Bike grip test rim width = 23.0 mm |
|
Conclusion
- Continental Urban Taraxagum
(100% is fastest - lightest - thickest - strongest)
Although the Continental Urban Taraxagum's construction is very similar to the Continental Grand Prix Urban (read our review), we've found some significant differences in performance in our tests. The most notable and negative difference is the significantly higher rolling resistance of the Urban Taraxagum, which shows us that Continental's dandelion compound still has a long way to go from a sustainability standpoint.
We're not sustainability experts, and we simply don't know how much energy is saved during the manufacturing process when working with dandelion compounds. We do know the Taraxagum dandelion compound consumes more energy when in use than the traditional Black Chili compound, which negates some of the potential gains made during manufacturing.
We do see some positive test results regarding wet grip and puncture resistance as the Urban Taraxagum performs a bit better in our wet grip and puncture resistance tests than the Black Chili equipped Grand Prix Urban. Given these positive aspects of the Taraxagum compound, we're quite optimistic about the Urban Taraxagum and the potential of dandelion compounds.
Jump over to our comparison section to compare the dandelion Urban Taraxagum and traditional Black Chili Grand Prix Urban side by side
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RATING:
3.5
/ 5
TEST VERDICT:
Recommended