# Continental 4 Seasons now available in 32mm



## Migen21 (Oct 28, 2014)

I stopped in at my LBS at lunch today, lo and behold, what did I see on the tire shelf?

Continental Gran Prix 4 Seasons in 32mm! I thought they were only available in 23/25/28, so this was a pleasant surprise.

YAY? maybe. I't s definitely an intriguing option. My gravel bike currently sees about 50/50 pavement and gravel (I mostly ride to the trails), and I'm running Clement's 700/35 X'Plor USH. These conti 32's may be a viable option for my gravel riding. I rarely encounter mud or slop on my gravel rides. Mostly dry dirt and gravel roads. I've tried riding the 28mm 4 season on some of my rides, and it worked, but I think the 32mm would be more comfortable (less likely to pinch flat at a little lower pressure). 

Aside from a few experiments, i've used the 25mm and 28mm 4 seasons pretty much exclusively for the last few years. They are great! Grip, Puncture Resistance, Durability.. all great! 

Sadly, I don't think the 32s will fit on my old rim brake Gran Fondo (no room under the brake calipers - the 28's are already fairly tight), but I think I'll give them a try on my Norco Search gravel bike this spring and see how they do.


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## Jon D (Apr 11, 2011)

Great news. Need to try a set on my Domane disc 


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## harryman (Nov 14, 2014)

It's nice to see more road options in the 30+ category.


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## Migen21 (Oct 28, 2014)

I got these mounted up to some HED Belgium Plus (internal 20mm width) and took them for a spin this weekend. 

It was a good test. Lots of variable conditions from dry pavement, to wet,leaf covered pavement, smooth gravel, rough gravel, and even a little loose gravel and slimy mud.

After about 110 miles, my review is definitely favorable. I rode them at 60f/65r, and probably could go down another 5lbs easy. FWIW, I'm 240lbs and normally ride the 28s at 75f/80r. I'll continue to experiment with the pressure and see how low I can go comfortably and still ride in the winter.

They handled all of the terrain I rode on just fine, with the except of the some loose sandy gravel, and the slimy mud. Not surprisingly, they were more than a little squirmy in the slimy mud (I call it "grease"), but nothing that isn't knobby is going to deal with that well.

Very comfortable on all of the surfaces I rode, not a lot heavier than the 28s, and (nearly) Zero chance of pinch flat!.

The only similar tire I could compare to is the Compass Bon Jon Pass, which in fairness is a larger tire, with softer compounds. The compass tire was more supple and rode a little softer. They both have great grip on asphalt. The trade off is that the Conti's are going to be *much* longer wearing and probably a little better for cold weather due to the Silica compound.


Here is a picture of the bike to show the scale. 

Those fenders are also new to me. They are Portland Design Works "Poncho" 38mm fenders.


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## dcgriz (Feb 13, 2011)

Are they true to their size on these rims?


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## Migen21 (Oct 28, 2014)

I don't have my calipers to measure them. 

I'll try to remember to grab them next time i'm out at the guitar shop.

You can see by looking at the side shot that they don't bulge out from the rim much, if at all. They actually look pretty sleek for their size.


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## Drizt (Oct 16, 2016)

They look similar in size to the 28c 4 seasons on my belgium disc+ rims

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## dcgriz (Feb 13, 2011)

The 28mm 4-seasons on my Belgium C2 rims (not +) measure 26.5 to 27mm. Hopefully the new 32mm are closer to 32 than to 30.


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## rochrunner (Jul 11, 2006)

I'm getting a new Felt VR5 that looks like the ideal "do everything" bike for me. It comes with 700x28s, can "officially" take up to a 30, but has clearance to easily go to a 700x35 or even wider. I'll have to take a look at these since it seems like a 700x32 would make better use of this bike's capabilities than the OEM tires, especially if the 4-seasons are good for puncture resistance as well. They would also do quite well on the road, especially if pumped up a bit for that purpose.


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## harryman (Nov 14, 2014)

dcgriz said:


> The 28mm 4-seasons on my Belgium C2 rims (not +) measure 26.5 to 27mm. Hopefully the new 32mm are closer to 32 than to 30.


Same for me, on 19mm internal, they measure 26.7mm. Other Contis measure big, so it's odd.


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## rm -rf (Feb 27, 2006)

For comparison, I have *25c 4Season* tires on HED Ardennes+ rims. Hed says the rims are 25mm external, 21mm internal. I measure 25.5mm external and 20.6mm internal.

These tires measure *29.0 mm* on this rim. I haven't tried the 28c version, but that seems to be not much different than my 25c.

View attachment 316657


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## Migen21 (Oct 28, 2014)

dcgriz said:


> The 28mm 4-seasons on my Belgium C2 rims (not +) measure 26.5 to 27mm. Hopefully the new 32mm are closer to 32 than to 30.


The "32mm" Conti 4 Season mounted on HED Belgium Plus hoops and inflated to about 55psi (they could be run lower, but I'm being overly protective of pinch flats because we've had some really crappy weather - heavy deluges and windy conditions - no fun to fix a flat in)

33.91mm width
31.20mm height (above the rim edge)


I have about 200 miles on them now. My opinion hasn't changed. They are a great tire, especially for fall/winter commuting. My commute takes me through a lot of fallen leaves, twigs, and small branches, and some dirt/mud/gravel trails. They handle everything extremely well, although slimy mud feels a bit treacherous (I typically try to avoid this anyway, just because of the mess it makes of the bike), but I think that is to be expected on a non-treaded round tire like this. They handle the fall debris like a champ.


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## dcgriz (Feb 13, 2011)

Thanks for the report


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