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Continental Grand Prix 4 Seasons
Price: £69.95 / €74.95 / $86.95
Weight: 295g/10.4oz claimed
Widths: 23, 25, 38, 32c
Measured: 30.54mm, 296g
Tubeless: No
Hookless: No
The Continental Grand Prix 4 Seasons tyre is actually an evolution of sorts of the old GP4000 S II race tyre from the brand, but beefed up and designed to be far more puncture resistant, almost to the same level at the Continental Gator Hardshell it shares its Duraskin outer layer with. Both are winter road bike tyres, with the aim of providing increased puncture protection over roads that are more likely to be debris-strewn.
Where things differ are that the Grand Prix 4 Seasons have far better traction in the rain, and a far more supple overall feeling that leads to a tyre that feels nowhere near as sluggish. It can’t compete with the rapid rolling of the pricier sibling, the GP5000 AS TR, but for a mix of hard wearing, decent performance, and reasonable value, it’s a truly superb training tyre that can venture out on some faster paced group rides.
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Design and specifications
The Continental Grand Prix 4 Seasons tyre is quite similar in its make-up to the Gator Hardshell tyre but with a few key differences. Construction starts with a total of 5-plys of casing, designed to reduce the incidence of anything penetrating all these layers to reach the inner tube within. On top of this, a sixth ply is present in the form of the same Duraskin layer that is found on the Gatorskin tyres, going from bead to bead and visible externally.
Atop this, not one, but two layers of Vectran breaker has been added. This is similar in construction to a Kevlar vest, being a mesh of densely woven and difficult to penetrate. It is also wider than what can be found on the likes of the GP4000 S II this tyre is based on, or the more modern GP5000 AS TR tyres. Finally, the tread uses not the top tier Black Chilli compound, but a Black “Max Grip Silica” which is designed to be better for wet weather grip, extended tread life,…
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