Continental Grand Prix 4000 Tires (clinchers)

Last year, I moved to Conti Grand Prix 3000 tires after the Vittoria Corsas which I loved were getting loads of cuts on the roads I was riding. The Corsa's soft tread made them feel great and handle well. To be sure, the Corsa's never punctured, but I rode in fear of spending serious time on the side of the road. The Contis were much tougher in almost typical Germanic style. They held up great and, while not as nice in the corners or soft on the road, they were pretty nice overall and I mentally felt that I was riding on indestructible treads.

This year, I moved to the new Conti Grand Prix 4000. I only have a few hundred miles on them, but they seem pretty similar to the 3000s on the road. They're lighter than the 3000s and now use "Vectran" instead of Kevlar to allegedly improve puncture resistance. The tires are also supposed to be a bit softer, although I can't tell.

So, all that's pretty positive or, at least, as expected. The downside is that these things are a bear to mount on wheels. I have Zipp 303s, which don't have much of dish - they're pretty shallow rims. Once I get one side of the tire on, I almost break my fingers getting the other bead mounted. Initially, I *had* to use levers to mount the tires (yeah, I know, I know - not supposed to do that . . . ) and, in fact, it resulted in two blowouts. One on the road. After repeated attempts and, I assume some stretching, I was able to mount the tires without levers, but it took me forever. Thank God I wasn't doing it on the side of the road - I was in my basement.

After checking several web sites, I found that I wasn't the only one with this problem. The Zipps exacerbate it for sure, but if you already have trouble mounting tires on your rims, it will be worse with the Contis.

Worthwhile? Maybe. I rode 4000+ miles on my 3000s without so much as a serious nick in them - no flats. If I get the same performance out of the 4000s, it'll be worthwhile.