Review: Continental Grand Prix 5000 AS TR tyre

Tubeless road tyres were well established before Continental entered the market. It turned out to be worth the wait. The Grand Prix 5000 TL was a fast-rolling tyre with a lovely ride feel that was available in 32mm and 28mm widths as well as 25mm.

The updated GP5000S TR version seemed even faster; it was ridden to victory in 2021’s Paris-Roubaix and World Time Trial Championships.

I liked these tyres so much I kept riding mine through the winter, ultimately trashing them within 12 months. I bought another pair but wasn’t eager to repeat the experiment. They were £80 each!

Fortunately there’s now an all-season option, the Grand Prix 5000 AS TR. This is even more expensive: £89.95 for the all-black version, which has reflective sidewalls, and £84.95 for the cream-sidewall version, which does not. The new tyre promises higher mileage, better puncture protection and improved wet weather grip.

As I didn’t get any punctures during the test, I stabbed the 5000S and AS tyres with sharps to gauge the force required. The AS didn’t actually seem a lot tougher through the tread; it has a Vectran breaker strip but so does the 5000S. The sidewalls of the AS were significantly tougher, however. So presumably the sidewall casing is thicker, there’s more rubber, or both.

That would account for the weight difference. I weighed the 32mm AS at 401g, compared to a claimed 350g (345g for my in-use sample) for the 5000S.

Heavier tyres with tougher sidewalls generally roll slower. Repeated roll-down tests of the (used) 5000S and new AS suggest that the All-Season is only 1.75% slower on average. That’s less than differences I measured between in a group test of four all-season tyres.

The older 5000S is: a) not an all-season tyre; b) very fast rolling in the first place. So it’s fair to say that the GP5000 AS TR is still a very quick tyre, whose losses to its faster stablemate are fairly negligible unless you’re riding against the clock or overly keen clubmates.

The GP5000 AS TR has the same sort of supple ride as the 5000S. Anecdotally, wet roads grip seems better. I’ve had a couple of occasions when a lightly loaded 5000S front tyre has drifted a little on wet corners. Not so the AS, which I’ve so far only ridden on wet roads.

Verdict

A tougher, grippier and only marginally slower version of my favourite tubeless road bike tyre.

I’ll hang onto the GP5000 S TR for summer rides but the AS version makes sense for the other three seasons – or perhaps even all four. Fingers crossed it continues to wear well.

Other options

Pirelli Zero Race TLR 4s £79.99

Judging by the rolling performance of the tubed-only Pirelli P Zero Race 4S I tested, I’d expect Pirelli’s tubeless four-season tyre to be fast.

Sizes: 28-, 30-, 32-622.

Goodyear Vector 4seasons Tubeless Complete £64.95

Significantly cheaper than other tubeless four-season tyres. Richard Hallett liked the rolling performance but not the ride feel of the racier Goodyear Eagle F1.

Sizes: 25-, 28-, 30-, 32-622.

First published in Cycle magazine, February/March 2024 issue. All information correct at time of publishing.