Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed

Mar 9, 17 9:20

Post #1 of 25 (4235 views)

I need to buy some new tires for TT races this season. I've read the recent threads on these tires (at least most of them), and now need to make some decisions.

BTW - I have a Flo 60 front wheel and a Renn 555 rear disc.

The crr for the 23mm GP TT looks great, but it ballons big - so not sure if it would make a good front tire. And my rear wheel is narrow, so I don't know if it would be the best choice there either.

The Conti SS (23mm) is probably my best choice, but:

1) Where can I buy them? I live in the USA.
2) Can I buy last year's model? Has the new model been tested? If so, what are the test results compared to last year's model? And how do I tell the difference between these models?

Other suggestions?

Thanks.

Michael

Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [wacomme] [ In reply to ]

Mar 9, 17 9:43

Post #2 of 25 (4210 views)

Just wait for it ... Thomas will undoubtedly weigh in on this one!

------
"Train so you have no regrets @ the finish line"

Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [wacomme] [ In reply to ]

Mar 9, 17 9:53

Post #3 of 25 (4196 views)

I'm almost 100% set on my new setup for this coming year. Have a local sprint in 2 weeks with a HIM 2 weeks after that. Here's what I'm thinking:

- 23mm SS (new version) on the front (better cda than the TT and probably a wash on crr). Still waiting on testing for the new SS.
- 23 mm TT on the rear. The 23mm measures almost as if its a 25mm. (I need to pull the trigger soon and buy some TT tires).

I do have 6 brand new SS 23mm (new version) sitting in my house. I may be willing to sell a few of them.

Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [wacomme] [ In reply to ]

Mar 9, 17 10:58

Post #4 of 25 (4141 views)

wacomme wrote:

I need to buy some new tires for TT races this season. I've read the recent threads on these tires (at least most of them), and now need to make some decisions.

BTW - I have a Flo 60 front wheel and a Renn 555 rear disc.

The crr for the 23mm GP TT looks great, but it ballons big - so not sure if it would make a good front tire. And my rear wheel is narrow, so I don't know if it would be the best choice there either.

The Conti SS (23mm) is probably my best choice, but:

1) Where can I buy them? I live in the USA.
2) Can I buy last year's model? Has the new model been tested? If so, what are the test results compared to last year's model? And how do I tell the difference between these models?

Other suggestions?

Thanks.

Michael

Right on queue as requested ;)

Did Tom A publish his testing yet? Regardless you really can't get any more old Supesonics anyway. Your only real chance is to set up a saved search on eBay and hope someone lists a couple. I scored a couple that way. I have two brand new ones.

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Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [wacomme] [ In reply to ]

Mar 9, 17 16:07

Post #5 of 25 (4011 views)

Corsa TLR in a 23 or 25 would be my pick for the rear and I would probably still do the TT on the front because I am not sure you will find a SS and there is some confusion about whether the later SSs are better than the easier models. What I find on EBay tends to be people off stuff.

Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [Thomas Gerlach] [ In reply to ]

Mar 9, 17 17:32

Post #6 of 25 (3979 views)

TG, I think star bike has some older SS in stock. I just ordered a couple more...I think I have a good half dozen...should last me a while!

Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [anthonypat] [ In reply to ]

Mar 9, 17 17:34

Post #7 of 25 (3978 views)

anthonypat wrote:

TG, I think star bike has some older SS in stock. I just ordered a couple more...I think I have a good half dozen...should last me a while!

Are they the old ones for sure? I posted a link to eBay link a while back with a seller in Australia showing the old one but they ended up being the new ones.

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Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [Thomas Gerlach] [ In reply to ]

Mar 9, 17 18:02

Post #8 of 25 (3957 views)

I'll let you know in a week!

Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [Thomas Gerlach] [ In reply to ]

Mar 9, 17 18:14

Post #9 of 25 (3949 views)

Thomas Gerlach wrote:

anthonypat wrote:

TG, I think star bike has some older SS in stock. I just ordered a couple more...I think I have a good half dozen...should last me a while!

Are they the old ones for sure? I posted a link to eBay link a while back with a seller in Australia showing the old one but they ended up being the new ones.

Yeah. I bought some of those from Austrailia, but was able to get a refund before they shipped.

I found another source showing the old model in stock on their website and confirmed the tread was fully smooth before buying. What I received was an older, old stock SS. With the new Conti tire manufacturing info TomA provided it turned out this was a 2008 SS. It has Black Chili, but may be from before they started rolling better.

The Starbike offering mentioned above shows the older label SS like the one I just received. Though the description claims it is the 2011 updated SS.

Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [wacomme] [ In reply to ]

Mar 9, 17 20:00

Post #10 of 25 (3895 views)

wacomme wrote:

The Conti SS (23mm) is probably my best choice, but:

1) Where can I buy them? I live in the USA.
2) Can I buy last year's model? Has the new model been tested? If so, what are the test results compared to last year's model? And how do I tell the difference between these models?

Ribble or other UK or Euro shops: http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/...lding-tyre/#pid=8593

I guess people are going for the old SS23 because the new one is too fat? There's always the new 20mm SS which grew a little.

Some people have found the new SS to be fast. If the new SS without a Vectran belt is slower than the TT with one, then something really doesn't make sense.

Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [grumpier.mike] [ In reply to ]

Mar 9, 17 20:05

Post #11 of 25 (3891 views)

If the Renn disc is narrow,wouldn't a 25 give you a "light bulb" profile? I thought this was bad. With the narrow wheel, I'd be more inclined to run a 20, 21, or 22. This assumes that aero trumps rolling resistance - which may be completely wrong for the rear. What have I missed?

Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [FatandSlow] [ In reply to ]

Mar 15, 17 9:22

Post #12 of 25 (3678 views)

Any updates about the model year SS tires from Star Bike?

Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [wacomme] [ In reply to ]

Mar 15, 17 13:00

Post #13 of 25 (3580 views)

Has anyone been able to see how the sizes of the new range compare. Would a 20mm give a similar fit to the 2016 23mm Gp SS?

Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [wacomme] [ In reply to ]

Mar 15, 17 14:48

Post #14 of 25 (3523 views)

I got some just last week from Star Bike and they appear to be the new type with tread on the sides. I can post pictures later if needed.

Last edited by: narcomoeba: Mar 15, 17 14:49

Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [grumpier.mike] [ In reply to ]

Mar 15, 17 19:10

Post #15 of 25 (3429 views)

Has Tom A posted the tubeless results? I know he said the tubed setup tested faster but he was holding the reults until he had everything ready to post at once.

Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [boing] [ In reply to ]

Mar 15, 17 20:37

Post #16 of 25 (3401 views)

boing wrote:

Has anyone been able to see how the sizes of the new range compare. Would a 20mm give a similar fit to the 2016 23mm Gp SS?

No, the new SS20 is less than 1mm wider than the old SS20.

Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [anthonypat] [ In reply to ]

Mar 28, 17 10:31

Post #17 of 25 (3137 views)

anthonypat wrote:

TG, I think star bike has some older SS in stock. I just ordered a couple more...I think I have a good half dozen...should last me a while!

Can you provide any updates on this Starbike order? Did you receive the old or new SS version? Date of manufacturing?

Thanks!

Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [SummitAK] [ In reply to ]

Mar 28, 17 10:41

Post #18 of 25 (3125 views)

Hey, don't wanna create a new thread, so will ask here.

I got a new Canyon Speedmax, and there are Conti GP TT 23mm with it.

I wonder if it will be OK for an Ironman Copenhagen? Or probably I should switch to Conti GP 4k S II?

I kinda worry a little bit about flat tire at this course and afraid of durability of GP TT comparing to other tyres.
Thanks.

Last edited by: NickMa: Mar 28, 17 10:43

Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [NickMa] [ In reply to ]

Mar 28, 17 10:46

Post #19 of 25 (3116 views)

NickMa wrote:

Hey, don't wanna create a new thread, so ask here.

I got a new Canyon Speedmax, and there are Conti GP TT 23mm with it.

I wonder if it will be OK for an Ironman Copenhagen? Or probably I should switch to Conti GP 4k S II?

I kinda worry a little bit about flat tire at this course and little bit afraid that GP TT will be easy to flat than other tyres.
Thanks.

The GP TT has the same Vectran flat protection belt as the GP4SII. The GP4KSII may have a bit thicker tread rubber in the center, but my Conti flats are almost always sidewall cuts which wouldn't make a difference between these two tires.

Depending on how fast you ride, what wheels you are using and what you expect to see for wind on this IM course, running the GP4KSII on your front wheel may provide aero benefits that offset the slightly higher Crr. GP TT on the back wheel for sure. If you use latex tubes for the fastest possible combination you can add tire sealant to the tube for insurance.

Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [SummitAK] [ In reply to ]

Mar 28, 17 10:58

Post #20 of 25 (3100 views)

Got you. Thanks a lot.
But if you do, would you go to 23mm GP4000SII or 25mm?

Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [NickMa] [ In reply to ]

Mar 28, 17 11:09

Post #21 of 25 (3085 views)

NickMa wrote:

Got you. Thanks a lot.
But if you do, would you go to 23mm GP4000SII or 25mm?

For the front I would always go narrower, but it is wheel dependent. I think Flo claims the GP4KSII 25c is optimum for their new carbon clinchers. There may be other exceptions as well.

On the rear, with a bike frame that shields the leading edge of the rear wheel you can generally go with a wider tire such as a 25c w/o paying an aero penalty. This again depends on your wheel and how the tire mounts up.

Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [SummitAK] [ In reply to ]

Mar 28, 17 11:12

Post #22 of 25 (3078 views)

SummitAK wrote:

NickMa wrote:

Got you. Thanks a lot.
But if you do, would you go to 23mm GP4000SII or 25mm?

For the front I would always go narrower, but it is wheel dependent. I think Flo claims the GP4KSII 25c is optimum for their new carbon clinchers. There may be other exceptions as well.

On the rear, with a bike frame that shields the leading edge of the rear wheel you can generally go with a wider tire such as a 25c w/o paying an aero penalty. This again depends on your wheel and how the tire mounts up.

Minor correction: the 24mm Force ended up being the fastest tire for Flos :)

Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [GreenPlease] [ In reply to ]

Mar 28, 17 11:27

Post #23 of 25 (3059 views)

GreenPlease wrote:

SummitAK wrote:

NickMa wrote:

Got you. Thanks a lot.
But if you do, would you go to 23mm GP4000SII or 25mm?

For the front I would always go narrower, but it is wheel dependent. I think Flo claims the GP4KSII 25c is optimum for their new carbon clinchers. There may be other exceptions as well.

On the rear, with a bike frame that shields the leading edge of the rear wheel you can generally go with a wider tire such as a 25c w/o paying an aero penalty. This again depends on your wheel and how the tire mounts up.

Minor correction: the 24mm Force ended up being the fastest tire for Flos :)

Good correction. I pulled that info from another post w/o checking the Flo results again and it may have been listed in the context of being the fastest GP4KSII option. The 23c Conti SS (previous version) was right there with the Force on the unweighted aero/Crr. But then damn Conti went and upgraded the Force, Attack and SS lineups in late 2016. New tread patterns for all, with new casings for SS (GP TT casing?). No hands on with the Attack/Force III to see if the were just relabeled or received updated casings too.

Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [SummitAK] [ In reply to ]

Mar 28, 17 11:51

Post #24 of 25 (3040 views)

SummitAK wrote:

anthonypat wrote:

TG, I think star bike has some older SS in stock. I just ordered a couple more...I think I have a good half dozen...should last me a while!

Can you provide any updates on this Starbike order? Did you receive the old or new SS version? Date of manufacturing?

Thanks!

New version. Looks like the old style is extinct

Re: Continential GP TT vs SS (Supersonic) tires - for Speed [anthonypat] [ In reply to ]

Mar 28, 17 12:21

Post #25 of 25 (3016 views)

anthonypat wrote:

SummitAK wrote:

anthonypat wrote:

TG, I think star bike has some older SS in stock. I just ordered a couple more...I think I have a good half dozen...should last me a while!

Can you provide any updates on this Starbike order? Did you receive the old or new SS version? Date of manufacturing?

Thanks!

New version. Looks like the old style is extinct

Thanks for the info.

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