CX/Gravel Tire Test: Continental City Ride II 37

The Continental City Ride II is a value for money tire optimized for use in urban areas. The City Ride II comes with a 3/66 carcass, a modern looking tread pattern, 1 mm thick puncture protection layer under the tread, and a long lasting rubber compound. It's available in the most popular 26 and 28-inch sizes and seems to be available at quite an attractive price for a big-brand tire.

Ad Buy Continental City Ride II at Amazon.com

I've already tested the more expensive Continental Contact (read review) and TopContact (read review) touring bike tires. Both those tires didn't impress me in any of our tests. I find it interesting to test some cheaper tires as well to find out how much worse (if any) those tires perform compared to the top of the line tires that often carry a hefty price tag. Let's see if this tire is a good buy.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Continental
Model	City Ride II
Year	2015
Supplied By	Supplied by Continental
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	Low
Buy At	Ad Amazon.com
Manufacturer part number	0100706
TPI
Compound
Bead	Wire
ETRTO	37-622
Specified Weight	740 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	75
Made In	Pro Data
Available Sizes	47-622 (28x1.75) 42-622 (28x1.60) 37-622 (28x1.40) 32-622 (28x1.25) 37-590 (26x1.40) 47-559 (26x1.75)

Continental City Ride II 37 Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	740 grams
Measured Weight	782 grams
Measured Width Casing	37 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	mm
Measured Height	Pro Data
Tire Circumference	Pro Data
Measured Knob Height Center	0.0 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	0.0 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	5.50 mm
Measured Total Thickness Sidewall	Pro Data
All size measurements are taken at high air pressure on a 18 mm inner width rim.

The City Ride II is quite a heavy tire, specified weight of the 37-622 version is 740 grams. My sample comes in at an even higher 782 grams. It measures 37 mm wide and 37 mm high on a 17C rim, this is a good size as most other 37-622 rated tires have a bit less volume.

At 2.2 mm deep, tread depth is above average and should provide for a decent mileage. With a total tire thickness at the center of the tread of 5.5 mm, it's obvious this tire has a 1 mm thick anti-puncture layer. Most tires without a thick anti-puncture layer come in at 4 - 5 mm. At 1.8 mm thick, the sidewalls are above average as well.

Rolling Resistance Test Results

Rolling Resistance Test Results
Inner Tube	Conti Tour 28 (170 gr butyl)
Measured Width	37 mm
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 66 psi/4.6 bar 33-35 = 60 psi/4.1 bar 36-38 = 54 psi/3.7 bar 39-42 = 50 psi/3.4 bar 43-46 = 46 psi/3.2 bar 47-50 = 42 psi/2.9 barHigh Air Pressure (54 psi / 3.7 bar)	Pro Data
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 55 psi/3.8 bar 33-35 = 50 psi/3.4 bar 36-38 = 45 psi/3.1 bar 39-42 = 42 psi/2.9 bar 43-46 = 38 psi/2.6 bar 47-50 = 35 psi/2.4 barMedium Air Pressure (45 psi / 3.1 bar)	Pro Data
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 44 psi/3.0 bar 33-35 = 40 psi/2.8 bar 36-38 = 36 psi/2.6 bar 39-42 = 33 psi/2.3 bar 43-46 = 31 psi/2.1 bar 47-50 = 28 psi/1.9 barLow Air Pressure (36 psi / 2.6 bar)	36.5 Watts CRR: 0.01094
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 33 psi/2.3 bar 33-35 = 30 psi/2.1 bar 36-38 = 27 psi/1.9 bar 39-42 = 25 psi/1.7 bar 43-46 = 23 psi/1.6 bar 47-50 = 21 psi/1.4 barExtra Low Air Pressure (27 psi / 1.9 bar)	Pro Data
The CX/Gravel section is a multi tire size section, air pressures have been adjusted to the measured casing width. All numbers are for a single tire at a speed of 29 km/h / 18 mph and a load of 42.5 kg / 94 lbs. Use the formula: RR (Watts) = CRR * speed (m/s) * load (N) to calculate rolling resistance at a given speed and load.

Compared to the other Continental touring bike tires, performance in the rolling resistance test is decent. On average, rolling resistance is about 1 watt higher when compared to the Contact or TopContact. For its price, performance is great.

When we look at the best performing tires with comparable or better puncture resistance, the City Ride II lags the Marathon GreenGuard (read review) and Energizer Plus (read review) by close to 4 - 6 watts. It looks like Continental has some work to do.

Puncture Resistance Test Results

Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Total Puncture Score Tread	93 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Pro Data
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	13
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Pro Data
Tread Total Tire Thickness	5.50 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Pro Data
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Pro Data
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Pro Data

In the puncture resistance test, the City Ride II performs average. With a score of 13 points in the tread test and 6 points in the sidewall test, it outperforms the more expensive Continental Contact by 2 points (13 Vs 11). With a score of 6 points in the sidewall test, the sidewalls are strong enough.

When looking at the Puncture Factor scores (which are more important for touring bike tires), the City Ride II is able to outperform both the Contact and TopContact thanks to its greater total thickness of the tire in both the center of the tire and sidewalls.

Hard Surface Static Grip Test Results

Static Grip Test Results
Wet Grip Average	No Data
Wet Grip Center	No Data
Wet Grip Edge	No Data
Measured Knob Height Center	0.0 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	0.0 mm
Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 CX/Gravel grip test rim width = 23.0 mm
Wet Grip Test and Off-Road Tires (info)

Conclusion

For the money, the Continental City Ride II performs great. When we compare this tire to the more expensive Continental Contact and TopContact, rolling resistance is a bit (5-10%) higher than both those tires. The good part is that it outperforms those tires in the puncture tests thanks to its 1 mm thick puncture layer which increases the thickness of the tire to provide for a better puncture resistance.

While the City Ride II performs great when compared against similar tires from Continental, adding other brands into the mix changes things. The Schwalbe Marathon (read review) is still our number 1 pick as it offers a lower rolling resistance and provides for a better puncture resistance. The Marathon can be found for just a bit more money (10 - 20%).

Ad Buy Continental City Ride II at Amazon.com

RATING: 4.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Recommended

Comments