I have been using this product for my whole time as a cyclist.
As a young junior my dad used to put these tyres on my bike and I used them to train and race on. After the years of training and racing on these tyres they have always remained my favourite as they have held me in good stead in all conditions wet or dry.
They are usually looked at as just a general use tyre (not seen as a super fast tyre) but in my opinion they are right up there with the best of the best in the clincher tyre world. These tyres are great in the dry but to me where they are truly great are in the wet, I have been in racing situations in the wet where I am heading towards a corner faster than what I’m comfortable with and the GP’s won’t slip, where I have used other tyres and I have ended up with skin off.
Now when I first started I was using the original GP 4000 s and always loved them, so when they brought out they improved model I was worried that they wouldn’t live up to the quality of the originals. But just after a few rides on the new model I was sold, they are just as good if not better, even though they have a different feel, they are amazingly grippy, although in the attempt to get more grip out of these tyres they have brought what feels like to me a slightly and by slightly I mean basically negligible sluggish feel to them. However once I moved to a wider tyre from the 23 mm to the 25 mm tyre that changed again the rolling resistance wasn’t an issue anymore and on top of that having the wider tyre allows you to run a lower pressure, which gives an enhanced grip level and an un suspecting lower rolling resistance. (Which essentially means you go faster and grip better)
The last point I will make about these tyres which is also the best is their puncture resistance. These things are unlike any other tyre I have ridden you can literally ride for thousands of kilometers without a flat (so long as you look after them)which is a major bonus to these versatile GP’s.
In conclusion the Continental GP 4000 S and S 2 are without a doubt the best product in the tyre market and by far my favourite tyre out there. I would recommend them to riders of all levels for crusing on the Sunday mornings or for racing.
- By Kell O’Brien - Pushys sponsored athlete