CX/Gravel Tire Test: Continental Terra Competition Race Rapid 40

The Terra Competition is a new gravel tire from Continental, featuring a unique tread pattern and Continental's latest off-road casing designs and compounds. According to Continental, the Terra Competition is built for All-Road riding, and based on the tread design, it could be the ideal mix between a full slick tire and semi-slick/low-knob-height tires often used on gravel bikes.

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We've already seen the new casings and compounds in action on Continental's new mountain bike tires, and we've already tested some of those extensively. While Continental offers some of its new mountain bike tires in 4 casing/compound options, the Terra Competition is available in just 2: Race casing with Rapid compound and Trail casing with Grip compound. We don't see that as a bad choice, since the 4 casing options were a bit redundant given the lack of a significant difference between the Race and Trail casings.

The Race and Trail casings are essentially the same as they're both specified at 3/330 TPI, but the Trail casing features a wider anti-puncture strip under the center tread, and the rest of the tire is always at least three layers thick. The Race casing has a small area between the center and edge of the tread that consists of only two layers, and that's the weakest link in that casing.

Before the Terra Competition, Continental only had the Terra Speed TR (read our review) as a serious contender for all-road gravel use, but it suffered from low wet grip on hard surfaces, which is an important factor for gravel bike tires. Continental fixed that with the Terra Competition, as even the Rapid compound offers better wet grip than the old Black Chili compound.

Both the Race Rapid and Trail Grip versions of the Terra Competition are available in the 35-622, 40-622, and 45-622 sizes. Surprisingly, only the Trail Grip version is available with either black or transparent sidewalls, while the Race Rapid is only available with black sidewalls.

We've tested the 40-622 size of the Continental Terra Competition Race Rapid, and you'll find our full test results, comparison to other gravel bike tires, and conclusion below.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Continental
Model	Terra Competition Race Rapid
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	0102026
EAN	4019238401466
TPI	3/330
Compound	Rapid Compound
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	40-622
Specified Weight	425 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	72
Made In	Pro Data
Available Sizes	35-622 (700x35c) 40-622 (700x40c) 45-622 (700x45c)

Continental Terra Competition Race Rapid 40 Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	425 grams
Measured Weight	430 grams
Measured Width Casing	38 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	36 mm
Measured Height	Pro Data
Tire Circumference	Pro Data
Measured Knob Height Center	0.5 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	1.1 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	3.00 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	38 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)	16.3 Watts CRR: 0.00489
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.

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	3.00 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	78 Points
Wet Grip Center	Pro Data
Wet Grip Edge	Pro Data
Measured Knob Height Center	0.5 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	1.1 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 Continental Terra Competition with Race casing and Rapid compound offers balanced performance in our tests, and we view it as an excellent choice for all-road performance where you need better off-road performance than a full-slick tire. Rolling performance is good, but the Terra Competition performs best at the higher end of the air pressure range, as we see a surprisingly steep rolling resistance curve when compared to the competition.

Thanks to the anti-puncture strip, the Terra Competition offers better tread puncture resistance than most other gravel bike tires, while the sidewalls show average strength. Hard-surface wet grip has been greatly improved over Continental's old Black Chili compound, adding to the versatility of the Terra Competition.

We now rate the Continental Terra Competition as one of the best all-road gravel bike tires, together with the Hutchinson Caracal Race (read our review). The Terra Competition doesn't offer the ultra-low rolling resistance of the Caracal Race, but it's the more versatile tire thanks to the added protection and a non-slick center tread.

Compare the Continental Terra Competition and Hutchinson Caracal Race on our comparison section.

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RATING: 5.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Highly Recommended

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