CX/Gravel Tire Test: Continental Terra Competition Race Rapid 45

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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The Terra Competition is available in 2 casing/compound options: Race casing with Rapid compound and Trail casing with Grip compound. We already have a basic understanding of the performance of both the Race Rapid and Trail Grip versions of the Continental Terra Competition, as we've already tested them just a couple of weeks ago in the 40 mm sizes.

We found a significant difference in speed and protection between those versions, and it looks like the Race Rapid version will be the most popular among our website visitors. The Pro Member votes also confirm this, as the 45 mm version of the Terra Competition quickly gathered enough votes to get tested in our monthly tire voting round.

If you'd like more background on Continental's new Terra Competition, we recommend our initial review of the 40 mm size, which includes a more thorough introduction. This is our test of the 45 mm Continental Terra Competition Race Rapid, and you can find our full test results, a comparison with the 40 mm Terra Competition Race Rapid (read our review) and 40 mm Terra Competition Trail Grip (read our review), and a selection of similar tires in the 44-50 mm size range 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	0102027
EAN	4019238401462
TPI	3/330
Compound	Rapid Compound
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	45-622
Specified Weight	475 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	65
Made In	Pro Data
Available Sizes	35-622 (700x35c) 40-622 (700x40c) 45-622 (700x45c)

Continental Terra Competition Race Rapid 45 Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	475 grams
Measured Weight	482 grams
Measured Width Casing	43 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	41 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)	3.10 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	43 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 (46 psi / 3.2 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 (38 psi / 2.6 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 (31 psi / 2.1 bar)	15.8 Watts CRR: 0.00474
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 (23 psi / 1.6 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	56 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	3.10 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	82 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 45 mm Continental Terra Competition Race Rapid confirms the strong performance of the Race Rapid version of the Terra Competition in our tests. We even see the 45 mm version ahead of the 40 mm version (read our review) in the tread puncture test and wet grip tests. Rolling resistance is similar, but the rolling resistance curve is slightly different: the 45 mm size performs better at low air pressures, while the 40 mm size performs better at higher air pressures.

When we compare the 45 mm Terra Competition Race Rapid to other 44-45 mm tires, the Terra Competition looks even stronger than the 40 mm size. This is mainly because most other tires show a small performance regression with larger sizes, while the 45 mm Terra Competition Race Rapid shows a small performance bump.

With the results of the 45 mm in mind, we now rate the Continental Terra Competition Race Rapid as the best all-road gravel bike tire. It comes close to the speed and wet grip of some of the best full-slick road bike tires, but offers a much more versatile tread pattern and better puncture resistance than most road bike tires.

Compare the 40 and 45 mm Terra Competition Race Rapid on our comparison section.

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RATING: 5.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Highly Recommended

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