Review: Continental Grand Prix 5000 AS TR | road.cc – road.cc

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At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don’t intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product’s function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
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A tyre for all seasons, that’s the thinking behind the new Continental Grand Prix 5000 AS TR. The AS – All Season – is a more robust version of the company’s performance range of tyres for use year-round. It offers great grip and impressive rolling resistance, and seems very durable. It’ll cost you, though.
For other (cheaper) options, check out our guide to the best road bike tyres.
Many bike brands spec Continental’s Grand Prix 5000 S TR tyres on their high-end models, and with good reason – they are very good indeed in terms of performance.
With this AS model Continental has aimed to keep as much of the 5000 S’s performance as possible, but with the durability of its Grand Prix 4 Season.
Conti has tweaked its Black Chilli compound to increase grip in wet conditions and has gone for a thicker tread for longevity and durability. Beefed-up sidewalls also add to that.
Over the last month of wet roads and thorns from hedgecutting, the AS TRs have stood up well, covering hundreds of miles without showing any signs of cuts or damage. That could just be luck, but they have certainly given me confidence while out riding on the back lanes while I’ve been waiting for spring to arrive.
Performance-wise, the AS TRs feel great. They are carrying a few grams over the S TR, but only about 50g in total, so not enough to change the feel when it comes to acceleration or rolling resistance.
The compound has a sticky feel to it, and gives great grip even in the wet and cold, inspiring plenty of confidence in the bends or when travelling quickly through roundabouts.
The ride is supple too, even with the boosted sidewall protection; unless you were to run the S and AS tyres side by side, you’d struggle to notice the difference.
In fact, I’d go as far to say that you could race on these tyres during the summer and train on them in the winter.
They’re designed for tubeless setups and are also compatible with hookless rims – something that is becoming more commonplace.
I fitted them to a couple of different rims; they fitted easiest to the narrowest ones, with an inner rim width of 19mm, needing a bit more finger power to get them on the wider wheels.
Once on the rim, setting them up tubeless was very easy, with the bead popping into place with the use of a powerful track pump.
The biggest issue for me, though – and I doubt I’m alone – is the price: £89.95 each!
Panaracer’s Agilest TLR tyre was given a 9/10 by Steve in his review – they are not only light and fast, but he also said they are tough enough for winter roads. All that for just £59.99.
And the Corsa N.Ext TLR tyres from Vittoria were also highly rated by Aaron, who said that they were impressively puncture resistant, grippy, and fast rolling. At £69.99 they’re a tenner more than the Panaracers, but that’s still a £20 saving over the Contis.
From a performance point of view, there’s little to fault with the Grand Prix 5000 AS TRs. They feel every bit as good as the standard S, but with the added protection to cope with poor road conditions. They’re very expensive, though, and with many other tyres on the market offering similar performance at a much cheaper price, the competition is tough.
Very impressive performance blended with durability, but oh so expensive
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Continental Grand Prix 5000 AS TR
Size tested: 25-622
Tell us what the product is for and who it’s aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
The Grand Prix 5000 AS TR tyres are designed to offer the performance of the 5000 S TR, with the durability of Grand Prix 4 Season.
I found them to be an impressive balance of the two.
Conti UK says: “A welcome addition to the Grand Prix 5000 family – a tubeless-ready All-Season (AS) model. Choose the GP5000AS for maximum protection in all-weather conditions, complimenting our already established GP4Season as a tubeless alternative.”
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
From Conti:
Improve sidewall protection compared to Grand Prix 5000 S TR
Improved durability over Grand Prix 5000 S TR
Rubber compound formulated for wet weather riding
Hookless ready profile
Tyre Technology: BlackChilli II Compound, Vetran Tyre Breaker, Active Comfort Technology, Tubeless Ready
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Great performance and durability.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Great grip and performance.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Expensive.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
It is one of the most expensive tyres on the market.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Possibly, if they were on offer.
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
Awesome performance and durability, but they lose half a star for the massive price.
Overall rating: 8/10
About the tester
Age: 44  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg
I usually ride: This month’s test bike  My best bike is: B’Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components
I’ve been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,
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With 20 years of road cycling and over 150,000 miles in his legs it’s safe to say Stu is happiest when on the bike whatever the weather. Since writing his first review for road.cc back in 2009 he has also had a career in engineering including 3D-CAD design and product development, so has a real passion for all of the latest technology coming through in the industry but is also a sucker for a classic steel frame, skinny tyres, rim brakes and a damn good paintjob.
His fascination with gravel bikes is getting out of control too!
This one anyway
In other news: CPS refuse all cases referred by Police, after all, they proactively investigate crime. Can’t be having that, can we?
And they contain electrolytes.
I have no doubt that they’re extremely good. But I just don’t see how that price is viable. 
Just ride like a race team – everyone takes a turn at the front.
Bloody hell – make sure that if you buy, you buy through the Paul Smith website and not Rapha. Mucho cheaper!
Exactly. There’s far more ‘keep right’ than ‘keep left’ in Rule 72. It’s about encouraging the use of primary road position.
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I was there on saturday. The Enigma’s really did look stunning. The ti’s paint job looked like it could have been anodized and really worked well….
This is a good instructable on building a tool although the Sealey one I linked is probably cheaper and you can stand on the handle if it’s…
A bit weighty, but this is a smooth-rolling tyre that delivers confidence-inspiring grip levels
Fast, grippy and quite the looker – the money-no-object tyre to beat in 2023
Very good tyres with grippy tread for proper UK conditions, and reliable and durable too
Innovative all-rounders that can be left on all year, though they are quite pricey
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