Conti GP4000s or Michelin Pro4 Service Course

vanleapo

I am in need of some new tyres, and these are both on offer at Ribble.
Should I stick with the tried and trusted GP4000s or give the Pro4 a try?
I still haven't seen many reviews of the Pro4.

Your opinions please.

sandyballs

Love my Conti's, stick with what you know.

Hoopdriver

+1 for the Contis

ilm_zero7

I used to be 100% Pro Race, but latterly have found their puncture resistance questionable, and they seem to flatten much quicker - so my next pair will be GP 4000's

I have not tried the PR4's yet, are they any better?

Lookyhere

For general riding around the Contis are v. good but i ve recently got some pro3s from CRC - £18 -and they are fantastic, seemingly much smoother, grippier and more confidence inspiring during cornering - poss due to the side walls being more supple so i guess this is where they could fall down on the durability stakes - but at £36 per pr ?

ajb72

As an alternative to throw into the mix, have you considered the Conti Force & Attack?

They feel as fast as the Pro Race to me and definitely quicker than the 4000s, but the wider rear tyre is great for a tad more comfort, but the narrow front end still keeps the handling sharp. I cannot comment on long term durability yet as I've only covered a few hundred miles on them, but zero signs of wear yet and no punctures either. They can usually be found cheaper than a pair of 4000s if you search.

Tom Dean

Contis the best all rounder IMO but they feel so dead. I use them but I wish there was something better. I would go for the Pro4 if a good price - I think I saw them for £25 the other day.

giant_man

Michelin pro races for me, I certainly wouldn't touch the conti's .....

speshsteve

went through 4 sets of pro 3 races and although they rolled well, were comfy and grippy they just punctured and ripped all the time as well as only lasting a couple of thousand miles at a push. Since I moved to conti's I will never go back, just as fast and grippy and last bloody ages...very happy

waterford123

I've done the same as lookyhere, saw Pro 3 at 18 quid each and ordered a couple, when they give up then it's back to the conti. You can't beat a bargain like that.

nferrar

Neither, just get Schwalbe Ultremo ZX's...

d4evr

Conti for me, bought a set recently and I am very impressed so far. I did not really believe they would be as good as they say (they are trying to get you to buy them afterall) and some of the customer reviews seemed hard to believe RE the extra mph/ rolling resistance etc. but I have to say that is exactly what I have found. I will certainly make them my tyre of choice in future!!

vanleapo

Thanks for your comments.
I should have mentioned that over the last couple of years I have tried GP4000s, Pro Race 3, Schwalbe Ultremo ZX.
I've had to bin quite a few Pro Race 3 and Ultremos due to deep cuts and side wall damage after relatively small mileages <1000miles.
The GP4000s are certainly the longest lasting of the lot, and the most predictable. I even use them throughout the winter.
On the other side of the coin the Ultremos do seem to roll the fastest.
I was hoping that I would hear more positive things about the Pro 4. I might just have to give them a try.

These tyres are for a new set of 50mm carbon clinchers. What do you reckon all black, or coloured sidewalls (if I go with the Pro 4).

Thanks

Sleeping_menace

+1 for the Conti's.. they're the best tyre I've yet used..

tmg

I have the PR4s and they are better than the 3s

The 4s are much easier to get on and off, they roll better, seem to have more grip and as yet (touch wood) no punctures (been using them since March).

Have never tried contis so can't compare but would take a lot of convincing for me to change over

flasher

I've used GP4000s throughout the year for the past 3 years, and they've been great, both for wear and puncture resistance, however my next pair will probably be Pro4's, just to try something different!

hugo15

I've just switched to the GP4000s after being a long term Pro Race 2/3 user. Hoping that they will cut up less and last longer. The GP4000s ride seems to be just as good as the Michelins.

g00se

If you likes the Ultremo ZX apart from the cuts, have you tried Ultremo DDs? they still roll very quick for the 'training' version.

sandyballs

Well you never said these are for a set of 50mm Carbon Clinchers. Ignore all the above go for Vittoria Corsa Evo CX with some latex tubes. Planet X had them for £37 a piece I think, I use them on my Shimano C50's and they roll fantastic. I use the Conti's 4000s on a set of Ksyrium Elites for Trg, and can feel the difference.

Im Bald Ok

I'm never buying a pair of GP4000's again. I've bought 4 single tyres in the last 2 months. 3 of them binned because of deep cuts in the sidewalls. So bad the tubes protruded out of the side when inflated.

I was running Pro 3's all of last year (few punctures) and wanted to give the GP's a try. Have moved onto Ultremo ZX's (so far so good), then Pro 4's if they fail.

cmanios

I recently swapped my stock Lugano's for Michelin pro 4 SC tires and I'm very impressed. They're definitely more grippy and more confidence inspiring in the corners, also saved 125 grams per tire versus stock. The graphics look better then the contis in my opinion and ribble has them on special right now (4000s is on special there too), you won't find them anywhere cheaper. I've since swapped to latex tubes as well and I've had no issue with flats thus far and Montreal's roads don't have a very good reputation at all. I love the combo of the pro4's and latex, I'm very pleased with them.

vanleapo

Sandyballs wrote:

Well you never said these are for a set of 50mm Carbon Clinchers. Ignore all the above go for Vittoria Corsa Evo CX with some latex tubes. Planet X had them for £37 a piece I think, I use them on my Shimano C50's and they roll fantastic.

That's the problem when you starting asking for opinions. Last night I was swaying in the direction of the Contis, but now I'm starting to think about the Evo CX (only £34.95 @ Parkers). Decisions, decisions
I have used latex tubes for the last few years, they do seem to give a better ride. Would a 60mm valve be long enough for a 50mm deep rim, or would I be better off with a short valve and an extender?

I also see that Parkers have the 700 x 20 version of the Evo CX. Do you think there would be anything gained from putting a 700x20 on the front, but keeping a 700x23 on the back?

sandyballs

I have used the Tufo extenders which gives you the valve still on the outside rather than the simple extenders, and really like them. I use vittoria latex tubes which only came in one size from Wiggle and have removable valve core with the smallest Tufo extender and there is more than enough valve sticking out.

Hope that gives you more headaches about what to get.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/tufo-valve-extension/