CX/Gravel Tire Test: Continental Terra Competition Trail Grip 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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The Terra Competition is available in 2 different casing/compound versions: Race Rapid and Trail Grip. We already tested the Terra Competition with the Race casing and Rapid compound last month and found it to be a very balanced All-Road tire with better off-road performance than a full- or semi-slick tire.

The version with the Trail casing and Grip compound we have on test today has the exact same tread pattern, but it comes with additional layers under the tread and an even grippier compound. We're not sure if this Trail casing and grippier compound is actually needed on a tire like the Terra Competition. We found the Race Rapid version already provided decent protection and enough wet grip in our hard-surface test.

It all comes down to the performance penalty between these 2 different versions of the Terra Competition, and that's exactly what we've tested. Read on to view our full test results, a comparison to the Terra Competition, and a comparison to similar tires from competing brands.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Continental
Model	Terra Competition Trail Grip
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	0150758
EAN	4019238401714
TPI	3/330
Compound	Grip Compound
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	40-622
Specified Weight	470 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	72
Made In	Pro Data
Available Sizes	35-622 (700x35c) 40-622 (700x40c) 45-622 (700x45c)

Continental Terra Competition Trail Grip 40 Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	470 grams
Measured Weight	462 grams
Measured Width Casing	37 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	35 mm
Measured Height	Pro Data
Tire Circumference	Pro Data
Measured Knob Height Center	0.5 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	1.0 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	3.60 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	37 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)	20.0 Watts CRR: 0.00600
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	73 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	3.60 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	79 Points
Wet Grip Center	Pro Data
Wet Grip Edge	Pro Data
Measured Knob Height Center	0.5 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	1.0 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 Trail Grip version of the Terra Competition is a no-nonsense tire that offers decent rolling resistance, very good puncture resistance, and a lot of wet grip in a gravel/all-road bike package. If you care more about performance though, we do not see any advantage over the lighter and faster Race Rapid version of the Terra Competition.

We also noticed that the Trail Grip version comes from a different factory in a different country, which is new for Continental's high-performance tires. This doesn't have to be a bad thing, but we did notice that the yellow Continental colors are slightly off as well. If you care about looks, that might be a turn-off when mixing the Trail Grip/Race Rapid versions front/rear.

We would stick with the Race Rapid version and only consider the Trail Grip version if you like the tread pattern and have experienced an actual lack of grip or puncture resistance with the Race Rapid.

Compare the Continental Terra Competition Race Rapid and Trail Grip on our comparison section.

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RATING: 4.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Recommended

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