CX/Gravel Tire Test: Continental Grand Prix 5000 TL 32

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  • Continental Grand Prix 5000 TL 32
Performance compared to all other CX/Gravel tires
(100% is best)
Pro Members get 11-point radar charts

Continental Grand Prix 5000 TL 32 road bike tire on a rolling resistance test machine

NOTE: This Grand Prix 5000 TL 32 mm was tested as a CX-Gravel tire at low air pressures. You can also find a test of the 25 mm Grand Prix 5000 TL in the road bike section.

The Continental Grand Prix 5000 TL might be a bit of a strange tire to find in the CX-Gravel section, but in the 32 mm size, it appears to be quite popular as a semi-offroad tire. If you've been on our website before, you probably know the Grand Prix 5000 TL is one of the fastest tubeless road bike tires yet still offers quite a good puncture resistance and tread thickness.


Continental recently released the Grand Prix 5000 S TR, which will replace the Grand Prix 5000 TL. As I had quite a hard time finding the 32 mm version of the Grand Prix 5000 TL in stock somewhere, it looks like the Grand Prix 5000 TL has gone out of production already. It's very likely a test of the 32 mm version of the Grand Prix 5000 S TR will be coming soon, so this test probably will be mainly used as a reference to compare the TL and S TR versions.


The 32 mm version of the Grand Prix 5000 TL is very similar to the 25 mm version we tested back in 2018. If you need more information about the Grand Prix 5000 TL, you can find that in our review of the 25 mm version of the Grand Prix 5000 TL that we tested back in 2018.


Manufacturer Specifications


Manufacturer Specs
Brand Continental
Model Grand Prix 5000 TL
Year 2021
Supplied By Bought in store
New or Used New
Mileage 0 km
Price Range High
Buy At
Manufacturer part number 0101630
EAN4019238007954
TPI 3/180
Compound Black Chili
Bead Folding
ETRTO 32-622
Specified Weight 370 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi) 87
Made In Members Only
Available Sizes 25-622 (700x25c)
28-622 (700x28c)
32-622 (700x32c)
28-584 (650x25b)

Continental Grand Prix 5000 TL 32 Test Results

Continental Grand Prix 5000 TL 32  mountain bike tire on a rolling resistance test machine

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements


Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight 370 grams
Measured Weight 370 grams
Measured Width Casing 30 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread 29 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) 3.10 mm
Measured Total Thickness Sidewall Members Only
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)

(current protocol)
Conti Cross28 (160 gr)

(test protocol)
Measured Width 30 mm 30 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 bar
High Air Pressure

(66 psi / 4.6 bar)
Members OnlyMembers Only
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 bar
Medium Air Pressure

(55 psi / 3.8 bar)
Members OnlyMembers Only
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 bar
Low Air Pressure

(44 psi / 3.0 bar)
16.0 Watts
CRR: 0.00480
19.8 Watts
CRR: 0.00594
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 bar
Extra Low Air Pressure

(33 psi / 2.3 bar)
19.8 Watts
CRR: 0.00594
24.8 Watts
CRR: 0.00743
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

Continental Grand Prix 5000 TL 32  mountain bike tire on a rolling resistance test machine
Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Total Puncture Score Tread 53 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall Members Only
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle Members Only
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle Members Only
Tread Total Tire Thickness 3.10 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle Members Only
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle Members Only
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness Members Only

Hard Surface Static Grip Test Results


Static Grip Test Results
Wet Grip Average 71 Points
Wet Grip Center Members Only
Wet Grip Edge Members Only
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


  • Continental Grand Prix 5000 TL 32
Performance compared to all other CX/Gravel tires
(100% is fastest - lightest - highest - strongest)

Pro Members get 11-point radar charts

The 32 mm version of the Continental Grand Prix 5000 TL performs very strongly when compared to CX-Gravel tires. It looks like its small size and corresponding low volume are a bit of a handicap when compared to the equally fast Challenge Strada Bianca Pro HTLR that performs a bit stronger at the lower air pressures. When digging into the exact air pressures used for the CX-Gravel tests, the Grand Prix 5000 TL should be slightly faster than the Strada Bianca, even at the lowest air pressures.


Our Grand Prix 5000 TL sample comes with a particularly thick tread as we've measured it at 3.1 mm, while most other 5000 TL's that we've had on the test bench come in somewhere around 2.8 - 2.9 mm thickness. Performance in the puncture tests is also very good, which can be attributed to the Vectran anti-puncture belt and good tread thickness.


Compared to other CX-Gravel tires, the 32 mm version of the 5000 TL version should be a fast choice, but the off-road grip will be very low, and the volume is still on the low side. We're hoping Continental might one day release 35 mm versions of their best-performing road bike tires.


RATING: 5.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT:
Highly Recommended


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