CX/Gravel Tire Test: Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR 35

NOTE: This Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR 35 was tested as a CX-Gravel tire at low air pressures (CX-Gravel standard protocol). You can also find a test of the 30 mm Grand Prix 5000 S TR in the road bike section.

Continental launched the Grand Prix 5000 S TR in 2021, and it's still the go-to tubeless-ready road bike tire in 2026. Continental initially released the S TR in the 25, 28, 30, and 32 mm sizes, and back in 2021, that was all we could ask for. Fast forward to 2026, where we now see the 28 and 30 mm sizes as the standard, with some brands even releasing 35, 38, or even 40 and 42 mm sizes of their road bike tires.

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Continental looks to follow the same trends, and they've now made the Grand Prix 5000 S TR available in the 35 mm size. We expect it to be a welcome surprise for those looking for fast 35 mm road bike tires, as the Grand Prix 5000 S TR is still pretty much the fastest all-round road bike tire. We remember the days when fast 35 mm slick tires were hard to find, and most of you had to settle for subpar tires if you preferred the volume.

Even though the Grand Prix 5000 S TR was released almost 5 years ago, we can't spot any changes (on paper) as it still uses the tubeless-ready 2/220 TPI casing with Vectran anti-puncture strip and Conti's BlackChili compound. Our test results show some differences, and we think Continental did retune the BlackChili compound a bit for the new 35 mm size, as it appears to be a bit better than the smaller sizes.

Somewhere between 2021 and now, Continental also released brown/transparent sidewall versions of all sizes of the Grand Prix 5000 S TR, but the new 35 mm size is only available in full black. We have no information on a brown/transparent sidewall version of the 35 mm size, but we wouldn't be surprised if that comes later.

We've tested the Grand Prix 5000 S TR with black sidewalls in the 25, 28, 30, and 32 mm sizes, and we even have a dedicated Grand Prix 5000 S TR comparison article. If you want to compare the new 35 mm size to the other sizes, you can do so through Pro View, which lets you compare all of our 450+ tested tires in a single overview.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Continental
Model	Grand Prix 5000 S TR
Year	2026
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	High
Buy At	Ad Amazon.com
Manufacturer part number	0102100
EAN	4019238326659
TPI	2/220
Compound	BlackChili
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	35-622
Specified Weight	365 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	65
Made In	Pro Data
Available Sizes	25-622 (700x25c) 28-622 (700x28c) 30-622 (700x30c) 32-622 (700x32c) 35-622 (700x35c) 30-584 (650x30b) 32-584 (650x32b)

Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR 35 Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	365 grams
Measured Weight	356 grams
Measured Width Casing	34 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	33 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)	2.60 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	None (30 ml sealant)
Measured Width	34 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)	11.4 Watts CRR: 0.00342
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	38 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	2.60 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	75 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

The 35 mm Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR shows remarkable performance in our tests, with improved wet grip and even lower rolling resistance than the previously tested 25, 28, 30, and 32 mm sizes. The bump in performance is larger than we would expect from a simple size bump, and we suspect the 35 mm size comes with an improved BlackChili compound.

We've seen before that larger sizes of the same tire sometimes use a slightly retuned compound, as the larger sizes allow for a softer compound due to the increased contact patch, which lowers contact pressure. Unfortunately, we have no official information on an improved compound, and we have no idea whether the improvement will trickle down to smaller sizes in newly manufactured tires.

The 35 mm size of the Grand Prix 5000 S TR is now the fastest 35 mm tire you can buy. Wet grip has been improved to a level that might be good enough, and the less-than-average puncture resistance also becomes less of a problem with the bigger sizes, since the sealant has a better chance of sealing punctures in tires with more volume and lower pressures.

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RATING: 5.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Highly Recommended

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