CX/Gravel Tire Test: Continental Grand Prix 5000 32

The original tube-type Continental Grand Prix 5000 has been a huge success for Continental: it launched in 2018 and is still one of the most popular road bike tires today. Continental set a new benchmark in 2018, and we've seen other brands launch new tires every 3-5 years to catch up to the performance the Grand Prix 5000 series offers.

We already compared all sizes of the Grand Prix 5000 in our Grand Prix 5000 23, 25, 28, and 32 mm comparison back in 2019, and if you followed our website over the years, you should be aware of its performance. Today, we're going to take another look at the biggest size of the Grand Prix 5000, and that's still the 32 mm size. We're sure many of you would welcome a 35 mm Grand Prix 5000 as the move towards bigger tires has accelerated since 2018.

We've bought a fresh 2025 sample of the 32 mm Grand Prix 5000, and it's a good opportunity to see if its performance is still up to the original standards.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Continental
Model	Grand Prix 5000
Year	2025
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	HIgh
Buy At
Manufacturer part number	0101626
EAN	4019238007855
TPI	3/330
Compound	Black Chili
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	32-622
Specified Weight	290 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	102
Made In	Pro Data
Available Sizes	25-622 (700x25c) 28-622 (700x28c) 30-622 (700x30c) 32-622 (700x32c)

Continental Grand Prix 5000 32 Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	290 grams
Measured Weight	274 grams
Measured Width Casing	31 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	mm
Measured Height	28 mm (un-round)
Measured Knob Height Center	0.0 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	0.0 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	2.90 mm
Measured Total Thickness Sidewall	Pro Data
All size measurements are taken at low air pressure on a 17.8 mm inner width rim.

Rolling Resistance Test Results

Rolling Resistance Test Results
Inner Tube	Conti Race28 Wide (125 gr butyl)
Measured Width	31 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 (66 psi / 4.6 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 (55 psi / 3.8 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 (44 psi / 3.0 bar)	17.1 Watts CRR: 0.00513
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 (33 psi / 2.3 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	49 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Pro Data
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Pro Data
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Pro Data
Tread Total Tire Thickness	2.90 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	71 Points
Wet Grip Center	Pro Data
Wet Grip Edge	Pro 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

Comparing the performance of the 32 mm Grand Prix 5000 is tricky, since 32 mm tires fit in our CX/Gravel category (31-50 mm). Luckily, we have Pro View, where all 437 tires that we've tested to date can be compared in a single overview. When we compare the 25, 30, and 32 mm sizes of the Grand Prix 5000 in Pro View, we see surprisingly similar performance, especially given that the 25 mm test was from 2018!

Pro View offers two options in the graphical overview for comparing rolling resistance: "VCAP - Volume Compensated Air Pressures" and "AAP - Actual Air Pressures". When we look at the VCAP chart, which is the easiest way to compare tires of different sizes, we see that the 25 mm from our 2018 test has a slight edge in rolling resistance. When we look at the actual air pressure graph, we see surprisingly similar performance across all sizes of the Grand Prix 5000.

When we compare the new 32 mm Grand Prix 5000 to the old 32 mm from 2018 that we used for our original Grand Prix 5000 Comparison, we unfortunately do not have measurements at the same air pressures. We can compare though: the old one was measured at 60 psi, and we recorded a rolling resistance of 12.9 watts. The new one was measured at 55 psi and 66 psi, at which we recorded a rolling resistance of 14.8 and 13.5 watts, respectively. With some extrapolating, we estimate the rolling resistance of our 2025 Grand Prix 5000 32 mm to be 14.1 watts at 60 psi—all with the Continental Race 28 Wide butyl tube.

When we compare all our new and old tests, it looks like rolling resistance has increased a bit (about 9%) for the latest Grand Prix 5000 samples compared to our old tests from 2018/2019.

Drawing a hard conclusion is difficult with the limited number of samples we've tested. There will always be some variation between samples, and the most important conclusion is that the Grand Prix 5000 is still a strong-performing tire today.

RATING: 4.5 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Highly Recommended

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