Continental Ultra Race Tires - Clincher Reviews

Price Paid:  $40.00 at LBS

Favorite Ride:
South Florida is all the same

Bike Setup:
specialized transition

Summary:
Bought these tires as a cheaper alternative to the 4000's. Had no problems with wet/dry/cornering/etc. However, at about 200 miles the tire was squared off...this is a bad thing. I air up before every ride to 110 PSI and weigh 180lbs. At about 600 miles, the purple low tread indicator began to show through all around the riding surface of the tire. I ride on good enough roads and dont lock up the brakes. I honestly expected more mileage, as the front tire is fine. Maybe I should have rotated every 150 miles. On the bright side I never had a flat, fishtail, or any negative result. I am 30 years old and can hang with most ppl here in south FL.

Strengths:
Performance was good.

Weaknesses:
durability lacked

Comments

jaybirdy (09/01/2011)

all tire manuf. want you to buy new tires. you can go 2-3 times further than the tread wear indicators says.

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Price Paid:  $0.00 at OE on new bike

Favorite Ride:
Any that get's me away from work

Bike Setup:
Kona zing Delux with 105/Mavic

Summary:
Came on my new bike. Have put >5,000 miles on the original set. Tires ride smooth which is good for Northern Michigan where roads are so bad. Maybe not the fastest rolling, but they last. Ride 18 miles round trip to work almost every day (depending on weather) including winter; only 1 flat. Agree with other reviewers to keep the pressure high and that the tires do pick up stones.

Strengths:
Long lasting, smooth ride, flat resistant

Weaknesses:
None for a commuting tire

Similar Products Used:
Hutchinson Fusion

Price Paid:  $35.00 at on line

Favorite Ride:
60 mile group ride

Bike Setup:
Trek 2.1. Triple. Bontragger wheels.

Summary:
I like this tire for recreational use. At 220 grams for the folding tire it's not too heavy. The recommended pressure is 110 psi. USE THIS PRESSURE. I put slightly over 120 psi in the tire and the bead started to rise. I let the air out and reseated the tire and all was well.
The tire feels confident in all the conditions I've come across.

Strengths:
It has a soft ride. Great for the horrible roads this spring in New Jersey. As good as riding on a 25.

Weaknesses:
The rubber compound is a bit soft and can hold on to pebbles or glass. I haven't had any flats, so I can't really complain.

Similar Products Used:
Bontragger dual compound. Standard equipment on my Trek. The Continental gives a better ride.

Price Paid:  $40.00 at Online outlet

Favorite Ride:
North County coastal

Bike Setup:
Trek 1400 Aluminum with Matrix/105 handspun wheels.

Summary:
I bought these tires in yellow to mount on a blue framed Trek. I thought it would be a nice color scheme and I am partial to Continental tires anyways. It was a choice between the Ultra Sport and Ultra Race. Wound up with the Race…no regrets! These tires have held up well over the last 3000 miles with only 3 flats.

All three flats were caused by goat-heads and I am yet to find a tire that will defend against those. They are the most evil weed growing along our bike paths in SoCal!

I went through two sets of these over almost 6000 miles. The first set lasted right on 3000 and I retired my old Trek with the second set still in ride-able condition.

Strengths:
Lightweight and fairly resistant to punctures. Sticky compound that inspires confidence in high speed curves, provided higher pressures are applied to the tires.

Weaknesses:
Rough ride when pumped up to max pressure. Feel sluggish when inflated below 100 psi and very loose at 90 psi. These tires require high pressure.

Similar Products Used:
Continental Ultra Sport, Vittoria Zaffiro and Rubino.

Price Paid:  $0.00 at Cadans

Bike Setup:
Ridley Campagnolo Veloce/Centaur

Summary:
Do not get these tires! Horrible! They may not be expensive, but you will be spending a lot more than the price difference on new inner tires! They are weak, soft, slow, suck up an immense amount of sharp objects and will have you get flats time and again. My last set were schwalbes that i litterally wore out without getting one flat. Now i have these and they already cost me more on inner tires, plus i will have to replace them prematurely simply because they stink.

Strengths:
None

Weaknesses:
-Expensive if you count the amount of inner tires you will need to buy due to flats.
-SLOW (too soft, a lot of friction)
-The amount of flats you will be getting.

Similar Products Used:
Michelin, Schwalbe