Continental Ultra Sport II Road Bike Folding Tires

Conti's Ultra Sport 2 tires perform exactly as many reviewers describe -- good and bad. They're very good values, with acceptable weight and reasonably low rolling resistance. On the road they feel pretty comparable to the highly rated Schwalbe One V-Guards I'm replacing. The little difference I feel could be attributed to the very slightly larger 700x25 size of the Ultra Sport 2 pair I order, vs the 700x23 size of the Schwalbe One V-Guards. With only 30 miles so far the Ultra Sport 2 tires are barely broken in and it took a couple of miles just to stop squeaking on pavement. They feel slightly squirmy on tight turns compared with the narrower Schwalbes. I'll experiment with air pressures. The test ride was at 100 psi front and rear.Too soon to say whether the Conti's will hold up as well as the Schwalbe One V-Guards, which withstood lots of nicks and cuts from road hazards (our roads are atrocious due to construction debris, including razor sharp broken slate used in flooring in a nearby high-end housing development). The Schwalbe One V-Guards cut fairly easily but the thin V-Guard puncture layer maintained structural integrity and I was able to ride for months despite cuts. I replaced the Schwalbes after more than 1,700 miles and the front tire was still good, with only the rear tire finally beginning to show a small avulsion from a cut through the puncture shield. Reportedly the Continental Ultra Sport 2 lacks a similar puncture shield, so we'll see whether they maintain integrity as well when nicked or cut.The bad? They're as difficult to mount as many users report. A tire bead jack is a must. I nicked a new tube mounting the front tire when I had to resort to using plastic tire levers. I ensured the usual precautions, including new 10mm narrow Velox cloth rim tape that wouldn't interfere with seating the bead. Just a slow leak and I was reluctant to remove the tire to patch or replace the tube. So I injected 2 ounces of Slime for tubes. Opinions differ on this practice. At worst it may clog the Presta tube. This tube has a removable core that can be replaced or cleaned (latex sealant is soluble in ammonia). But after spinning the wheel to distribute the Slime the puncture sealed and I was able to ride the next day, no problems.But for future use I've ordered a Kool Stop tire bead jack, which is highly rated and should make it easier to install tight fitting tires. Even the Schwalbe One V-Guards were a tight fit, but not as difficult as these Contis.

Tire pressure is the key to performance with these tires. Was at 110 PSI and I was actually going slower than my old tires. After doing some research online I changed psi to 75 in the front and 90 in the rear. This added 2 mph to my speed

I had gators before and these feel similar. Coming from 23s I got the 25s because I use my bike for work. I’m a messenger in NYC and I put my equipment through a lot. I gave these a spin and I can say that even in the rain I still have the confidence to corner turns and the bumps on the road are well absorbed. I have them at 100psi because of pinch flats and I don’t have any issues with grip. They stick to the ground and most importantly they were a breeze to install. Keep in mind that the small holes in the tire tell you when you should replace the tire. When you can’t see the holes anymore you have worn the tire and should be looking into replacing them. This isn’t a defect. Also when installing the tire make sure it’s seated correctly. Install the tire with the tube and only give about 5-10 psi and give the tire a good massage to make sure the beads sits snug on the clincher of the rim. Then I would jump to 60psi and so on until you’ve reached your desired psi. Allow the rubber to mold before inflating them to the max. Also make sure your tire is installed with the correct rotation. There’s an arrow on the side wall that tells you. Tape on the valve stems will prevent the screw from backing out and reduce rattling. If you need great tires get these.

There were some reviews saying these were very tight and hard to get on. Road bike tires do take some elbow grease (along with tire tools) to get them on. These were no harder to put on than any other road bike tires.As with all Continental tires, these are well made and the blue stripe looks great.

I have ridden most of the brands and models of all kinds of tires. I stick with Contis now. I use the All Seasons most of the year, and Ultra Sport ll for the summer months. The are plenty fast, and responsive, and wear a long time. They go on easy every time. I ride a lot and am not going to buy fancy light weight tires that feel just slightly better for a ton of cash and have them wear out or puncture in half the time. For rough roads and city use I go with the All Seasons or Gatorskins. Superb tires!.

When you want to keep things on a budget and not get caught up in this "only the best for me" slip stream, THESE TIRES KICK ASS !!!!! They last for the duration and I'm not robbing the bank account to keep my bikes outfitted with good tires. I haven't experienced not one flat through the last 6 sets of these tires and each set racked up close to 3 to 3500 miles before I decided to change them out and some of my counter parts took those tires and are still riding on them !!!!!!!!!! WTH, what more could you ask for out of a product at that price ??!!!!

Haven't had a chance to use tires on the road yet as they are extremely tight on the rim and I've pinched 2 tubes putting them on. The quality appears great however and I received them quickly from the seller. Would be 5 stars if they weren't so difficult to put on the rim. So, just know you will probably need help putting them on or will need baby powder and lots of patience to get the tires on without pinching the tubes..

Giving this a one for two reasons. This tire is being sold at performance bike website for $19. Second I've trashed two tubes trying to install this. I've changed many, many tires in my decades of cycling and have never had to go through three (hopefully just three) tubes to get the tire on the rim. This difficulty would be easier to stomach in a high-end racing tire -- it's unacceptable in a mid-grade recreational tire. I would have returned them if I had not trashed the packaging getting the tires out. If you are OK with a mid-grade recreational tire, I recommend you choose a different tire that doesn't have the installation issues.