CX/Gravel Tire Test: Continental E.Contact 37

According to Continental, the E.Contact is a tire designed for large e-bikes or rental bikes. They claim this tire to have the highest puncture and cut protection while still providing a low rolling resistance thanks to its double layer of puncture resistance material. The E.Contact comes with the ECO 50 logo and the ECE-R75 certification which makes it suitable for high-speed e-bikes up to 50 km/h.

To achieve the highest puncture protection, Continental uses both a thick but soft layer of puncture resistance material together with a SafetyPlus Breaker which is a layer which is harder to penetrate, but much thinner. When examining the E.Contact, I immediately noticed this to be a very stiff tire. On top of that, the rubber compound itself also appears to be of a very hard kind. I definitely believe this tire to be hard to puncture, but is rolling resistance still acceptable?

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Continental
Model	E.Contact
Year	2015
Supplied By	Supplied by Continental
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	Med
Buy At
Manufacturer part number	0100687
TPI	3/180
Compound
Bead	Wire
ETRTO	37-622
Specified Weight	800 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	87
Made In	Pro Data
Available Sizes	47-622 (28x1.75) 42-622 (28x1.60) 37-622 (28x1.40) 47-559 (26x1.75)

Continental E.Contact 37 Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	800 grams
Measured Weight	840 grams
Measured Width Casing	35 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)	6.60 mm
Measured Total Thickness Sidewall	Pro Data
All size measurements are taken at high air pressure on a 18 mm inner width rim.

Rolling Resistance Test Results

Rolling Resistance Test Results
Inner Tube	Conti Tour 28 (170 gr butyl)
Measured Width	35 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 (60 psi / 4.1 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 (50 psi / 3.4 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 (40 psi / 2.8 bar)	42.2 Watts CRR: 0.01265
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 (30 psi / 2.1 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.

Puncture Resistance Test Results

Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Total Puncture Score Tread	124 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Pro Data
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	16
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Pro Data
Tread Total Tire Thickness	6.60 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Pro Data
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Pro Data
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Pro Data

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

Puncture resistance is good, but rolling resistance is very high. Continental's claim of offering the highest puncture resistance while still rolling easy isn't true. I really like Conti's road bike and mountain bike tires, but can't recommend using their touring bike tires as they don't impress. Using the E.Contact on rental bikes might be a good choice as I'm sure the hard compound and strong sidewalls will last for ages.

It gets boring, but just getting a pair of Schwalbe Marathon (read review) or Marathon Plus (read review) seems to be the easy choice in the tour/e-bike category. Those tires provide a good puncture resistance and a much lower rolling resistance.

RATING: 2.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Not Recommended

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