Continental TravelContact Tires
By James Sharp

Commuting by bicycle is incredibly harsh on both the rider and the equipment. Unlike normal road and mountain biking, the die-hard commuter has limited choices in their route, the weather conditions, traffic and road debris. This requires hardiness in both rider and bike. The commuter deals with rain, snow, nails, glass and being run off the road by rude drivers. These things conspire against the wheels and tires. Punctures, gravel and potholes will destroy a pair of nice supple race tires. Enter Continental. Continental makes tires for about any occasion including commuting and touring. If you need a tire, chances are Continental makes one, and probably a good one at that.

One tire that Continental makes for these conditions is the TravelContact. This tire is available in both 700x37C (reviewed here) and 26x1.75 sizes. They are smooth down the middle and have Continental’s trademark pentagonal “Endless Edge” knobs on the sides. This makes for a fast rolling tire that can still corner comfortably on gravel and rougher roads. The main tread portion features the Continental SafetySystem, which is a weave of tight nylon fabric, reinforced with Kevlar®. For additional puncture resistance, the sidewalls also have a layer of Kevlar®. This makes a tire incredibly puncture resistant. What it doesn’t do is make for a lively or lightweight tire. All that reinforcement doesn’t let the tire deflect like a normal road tire, in spite of the 240tpi casing. Each tire weighs in at 590 grams.

We have been using this tire for commuting and light off-road duty. We have had only one flat, and that one due to a piece of glass that worked its way into the tire over the course of a few days worth of riding. In addition, we have discovered that the TravelContact is capable enough for gravel roads, the side knobs grip adequately for less aggressive cornering. While the side knobs lend to the side-to-side stability of the tire, there is inadequate straight-line traction for steep trails or loose gravel for climbing or braking. The tire didn’t call attention to itself very much. Not because it is ho-hum, but rather that it did its job, and did it without complaining. It also did its job without noticeable wear. These are long lasting tires!

The biggest problem with the tire is its size. There aren’t a lot of road bikes that can fit a 37C tire. This limits it to “city” bikes, Cyclo-cross and Touring bikes. Fortunately the Mountain bike version of the tire is fairly thin and will fit most, if not all, mountain bikes out there. Even still, I would like to see a narrower version, something in the 27C range.

Summary: If you tour by bike, commute by bike or otherwise need a long lasting, puncture resistant tire, look no further, provided you have the frame/fork clearance. The TravelContact has enough volume to take the edges off of potholes and gravel, but rolls smooth enough so they don’t slow you down considerably. The side knobs just increase your confidence, whether an unruly driver runs you off the road or if you are off-road by choice. $30 is about average for this type of tire, but the way these tires are holding up, they aren’t going wear out any time soon! Expect a long relationship with the TravelContacts.

James Sharp is a contributing editor for GearReview.com specializing in mountain biking.

For more information, contact:
BikeMine
1639 West Sheridan Ave.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73106
Phone: 1-800-223-3207
E-mail: req@bikemine.com
www.bikemine.com