Picture this……Race day and you emerge from the swim feeling great. Your arms and legs are still bristling with energy, and you are in a good position to do well in this event. You have invested months of preparation and plenty of cash into this triathlon, and you are focused on doing well. Your bike sits up ahead, a picture of elegance and power, waiting for you. You dry off quickly, put on the helmet and before long you are off and racing. You have a great coach (thanks Richard!!), a great team, a great bike, but it can all go sour quickly because of a poor choice in tires.

Professional triathletes understand that on race day, the journey to the finish line isn’t three separate disciplines, but one challenge. Intense thought and preparation time is spent on every aspect of the event from diet right through to a personal training regime. Every triathlete works towards their goal, but did you ever think exactly what you are depending on for more than 30% of the event? Oh yes, your tire selection is very important!

Why is tire selection important?

Tire selection is of the utmost importance to triathletes of all levels for two very important reasons; time and safety. A balance must be found in your tire selection that achieves fast rolling (low resistance), puncture protection, and sufficient grip to keep you racing on. Unbalanced focus on one element will lead to a variety of problems, i.e. super light but easily punctured tires / super strong but heavy tires / ultra fast but slippery tires.

What makes a good training / racing tire?

Before you can choose a tire for training / racing, you need to think about the conditions under which you will be riding. Every rider has their own preference in tires, but I personally ride no other tire than a Continental. For that reason, I will recommend a series of tires (which I have personally used in the Alps, throughout Germany, Japan and Australia, in triathlons and in road races) as I explain the importance of tires to each and every triathlete. I have ridden Continental tires for more than 10 years now, and have worked with Continental in Germany, therefore I have seen Continental tires being developed, tested, produced and raced – and I can say with confidence that these really are the tires for triathletes and road cyclists alike. If you don’t believe me, ask Faris al Sutan, Cameron Brown, or riders from the Deutsche Telekom team – their success is cold hard proof and Claire Murray, who many of you know very well and recently signed a deal with Continental as her preferred tire for racing and training.

What makes a Continental tire so special?

Since 1871, Continental has been making tires. Continental is the only German bicycle tire manufacturer still making tires in Germany. This shows clearly a dedication to customer service and delivering an exceptional product. Continental has decades of cycling victories in all disciplines, and the experience gained through racing, coupled with advanced materials and serious chemistry has given birth to tires which win the worlds most grueling races under all conditions. In short, I believe that riding Continental tires provides you with the confidence to push yourself to even greater heights, secure in the knowledge that your tires are up to the challenge.

Factors to consider when selecting your tire?

The first factor when choosing new tires is the surface on which you ride. If you are fortunate enough to have silky smooth roads, then a Supersonic tire may be what you are looking for as they are optimized for weight, but provide lower puncture resistance. If you are riding cobblestone roads or in terrain similar to the Paris – Rubaix then you can’t go past the Ultra Gatorskin range with the Dura-skin side wall reinforcement. If you ride on a generally acceptable surface, but deal with the occasional problem of glass on the road then a Vectran reinforced tire such as the GP4000 is a great tire to ride.

The second factor when selecting a new set of tires will be the weather. Obviously, wet roads are far more slippery and precarious and require a tire with a more adhesive compound to guarantee grip under all conditions. Surprisingly, the tread pattern on road tires has almost nothing to do with adhesion to the road surface – grip is given through the rubber compound from which the tread is made. Continental tires are on the forefront of rubber mixture technology – using science along with the feedback received from their professional teams and Triathletes – to continuously improve and develop safer and faster tires for athletes. Tires such as the GP4000S have a new rubber technology, which gives even greater adhesion to the road, while keeping rolling resistance to a minimum.

How do you know when to invest in new tires?

This has been a problem plaguing cyclists for many years – when is it time to replace your current tires. As a general rule, tires will last up to three years if looked after. Yet, depending on how much you ride and on what surface, you may not get such a long lifespan from you tires. The last thing you want is for a tire to fail when out on a ride due to overuse – and Continental has the answer to this. In selected tire models (GP4000, GP4000S, GP Triathlon, etc) there is a tire wear indicator built into the tire. A double set of indents in the tire allow you to clearly see how much of the tire tread is left. As long as you can still see the indent, you can still use the tires. This innovation has taken the guess work out of deciding when to change tires.

What should I use at the Phuket Triathlon?

For the upcoming race in Phuket, I can make the following recommendation based on the following course information. The first 15 kilometers of the 55 kilometer cycle leg involve coastal climbing, so a lightweight tire is desirable, but with sufficient grip in the downhill sections. After the three hills the course becomes a high speed technically challenging circuit through pineapple and rubber plantations. The road surface is not constant, but ranges from smooth tarmac to bumpy and damaged roads. Based on this information, I recommend either the GP4000 or the GP Triathlon depending on your individual riding style and preference.

The GP Triathlon was developed specifically for triathletes, and was used by Faris Al Sutan when he won the Hawaiian Ironman in 2005. A slick looking tire, with the same adhesive rubber compound as found in the GP4000 – the clincher tire of choice for many cycling pro teams. In addition the tire contains a layer of Vectran beneath the running strip which ensures extraordinary puncture protection. The Vectran layer is thin and light, yet the liquid crystal polymer fibers are five times stronger than steel. The casing is 330 tpi (threads per inch) ensuring a tight, strong and shape holding tire. This fast and light tire weighs in from 190 grams – and comes in orange and black. If you are looking for a really fast tire for long stretches, this is your tire.

The GP4000S is the successor to the GP4000, and has an improved rubber compound which has further reduced the rolling resistance of the tire. For those who have used the GP4000 tires in the past, this tire will be very appealing. The GP4000S only comes in black. The GP4000S is more of a road race tire than the GP Triathlon, so it may be better suited to the sharp turns throughout the plantation. Either way, both tires will protect you from debris such as pineapple husks, thorns, etc bringing you safely to the finish line in good time.

What about for Training?

Irrespective of if you are training or racing, all cyclists hate punctures. That is why I personally recommend Continental tires in all conditions. I have suggested race tires, but what about for training purposes. I have found the GP4000 tires to be my personal pick for both racing and training. If you want to win, you need to train hard. If you need to train hard, your equipment must withstand the stress of hard use. What is the point of purchasing cheaper training tires that puncture sooner and provide less than optimal grip? Clearly, the professional teams understand this, and that is why the GP4000 is so popular. Light, fast and safe – what more can a triathlete ask for? A variety of colors obviously! The GP4000 tires come in ten amazing colors, including gold, silver, bronze, lemon yellow, Conti orange, grey, blue, metallic blue, red and black. You understand that your bike is your pride and joy and when it carries you to victory you both deserve to look good as you cross the finish line.

As a triathlete you spend thousands of dollars annually on your bike, your clothing, your dietary intake and you invest months of effort in training. That is why it is all the more important that you choose the right tires for your bike – it will make the difference at the finish line. I hope that the information here will help you to choose correctly your next pair of tires. I wish you all the success in Phuket.

Cheers Richard.

Lothar Leder using Continental Tires at the Hawaii Ironman.

T-Mobile Professional team using Continental Tires.