In this article I’m going to share the best selling road bike tires of the last few months. The list is compiled based on aggregated sales statistics from Amazon worldwide, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Europe.
Probably the most popular product category I’ve written about, Continental seems to be a clear winner overall, taking all the top spots.
Their standard Grand Prix 5000, together with the all-weather Grand Prix 4-Season prove to be dominating the road bike sales. They offer a great ride feel, with great to near-perfect puncture protection, depending on your specific choice.
This pair is furthermore complemented by the GatorSkin and Ultra Sport, adding an extremely puncture-proof and affordable road bike tire to the list. Schwalbe’s Durano Plus is the German brand’s puncture-resistant tire that has the ability to compete with the 4-Season and GatorSkin.
For more information and tire specifics check the overview of best selling road bike tires.
Continental Grand Prix 5000
The Continental Grand Prix 5000 is a clincher tire and dubbed as the best allrounder in the field.
And on paper at least the numbers are very impressive. A 330 TPI tire (very supple) at a claimed weight of 200 grams for a 23 mm width version. It has the exact same Vectran breaker as the other ones on this list, so as far as puncture protection is concerned, this tire performs equally impressively.
And this tire comes in a tan wall version or transparent as Continental calls it. But if you want the lightest version of this tire, you’ll have to stick to black.
- Best all-round road bike tire on the market, supple, light, good puncture protection, tan wall option available
- None
Continental Grand Prix 4-Season
The Continental Grand Prix 4-Season utilizes an extra bead-to-bead layer Continental calls Duraskin, reserved for their most durable tires.
Each road tire in the Continental lineup uses a puncture resistant breaker for the center tread. The Grand Prix 4-Season uses two, effectively doubling its puncture resistance when compared with the other tires. It makes for a road bike tire with a ridiculous level of puncture resistance, and is something I haven’t seen in any other road bike tire I’ve researched.
And last but not least, the Continental Grand Prix 4-Season uses 3 layers of 110 TPI for both durability and longevity, without sacrificing too much in terms of weight, grip and ride feel. Which makes this tire one of the if not the most fit-and-forget tires you can find.
The only thing keeping this tire from a 5-star rating is that it’s not available in a tubeless version. It comes in sizes 23, 25, 28 and 32 mm.
- The best, and lightest, all-weather tire money can buy, with bead-to-bead protection and dual breakers.
- Only clincher available
Continental Gatorskin
Very similar to the Hardshell version the Continental Gatorskin is an incredible road bike tire with an exceptional level of puncture protection.
It offers a more supple 3-ply 180 TPI carcass with the same PolyX Breaker, a tightly woven polyester fabric sitting underneath the center tread, preventing foreign objects from reaching the air chamber.
It also has the Duraskin bead-to-bead protection, reinforcing its sidewalls and giving the tire its distinctive burgundy appearance, and adding an extra protective layer made from an incredibly strong polyamide fabric.
This tire is the pinnacle of perfection, offering the seemingly unattainable blend of maximum puncture-protection without sacrificing to much in the weight department, all in a road bike tire with a slick tread pattern. An absolute no-brainer for people who appreciate hard-wearing, fast-rolling tires.
- Maximum puncture protection, distinctive looks, and a slick tread pattern makes this one of the best road bike tires for mile-crunchers.
- You trade in ride feel for puncture protection
Continental Ultra Sport III
The Continental Ultra Sport III is a budget-friendly slick tire for commuters and road bikes.
It offers a no-frills tire in an affordable package, and one of the cheapest big brand tires money can buy
It’s a solid option for people who understand they get what they pay for.
- Extremely budget-friendly, no-frills commuter tire.
- None for its price-point
Schwalbe Durano Plus
The Schwalbe Durano Plus is a road bike tire that utilizes the SmartGuard belt.
The thought behind this puncture resistant layer is rather simple, but has stood the test of time, making it a popular choice in the fight against flats.. What you do is you make the belt, sitting underneath the center tread, so thick that you could virtually run over anything without getting a flat.
Its system is utilized in their Marathon lineup as well and has found its way into this road tire. It sits at the top of their puncture proof technologies. With an extra 5 mm of material stuffed in the tire, you can basically push a thumbtack into it and still hold air.
That material does add weight, so it’s easily a 100 grams heavier than a lighter competitor. It’s also not the most supple tire, so this tire definitely caters to those who are really sick and tired of finding themselves at the side of the road with their bike upside down. And obviously, it’s a solid training tire.
On the other hand, I don’t think any other tire beats this one in terms of being puncture proof.
- Very durable, extremely puncture resistant, and affordable road bike tire
- Low rolling resistance, heavy
Road Bike Tires Weight Rating
I’ve always been fascinated by bicycle tires, and road bike tires offer some of the most premium pieces of rubber you can put on your rims. It’s a good place to save quite a bit of weight without paying a really large amount of money. It’s not like there are titanium or carbon tires, which are traditionally materials to make bicycle products lighter that are very expensive.
The lightest 700C tire I’ve looked at is the Veloflex Record, which is a track tire sitting at 135 grams for a 23 mm version. The heaviest tire I’ve taken into account is the Schwalbe Lugano II Endurance weighing 490 grams for the same 25 mm tire width.
In the following graph you can find the weight ratings for each tire. The weight ratings represent a relative percentage irrespective of tire width and only looking at 700C versions of the respective tire. The numbers are compared against each other resulting in a percentage of 0 for the relative heaviest tire and 100 for the relative lightest tire.
Road Bike Tires Puncture Protection Rating
Nobody likes a flat tire. It’s one of the most jarring things to break the flow of a ride. That’s why puncture protection is an important factor when considering a certain bicycle tire.
Puncture protection sits at the other end of the tire weight, suppleness and possibly grip. The more rubber you add to a tire, and the more layers of protection sit underneath it, the more weight you add, and the stiffer your tire gets. That’s why racing tires have the most minimal protection, and touring or 4-season tires the most.
The puncture protection ratings you see here are a function of TPI, in combination with tire weight, and puncture protection technology added to the tire. From sidewall protection, multiple breakers and tire belts.
Specifications selling road bike tires
Name | Size | ETRTO | Weight (gr) | Tread color | Sidewall color | Compound | Puncture protection | Tire bead | Buy at Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Continental Gatorskin | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 245 | Black | Black | DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker | foldable | ||
Continental Gatorskin | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 230 | Black | Black | DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker | foldable | ||
Continental Gatorskin | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 280 | Black | Black | DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker | foldable | ||
Continental Gatorskin | 700Cx32 | 32-622 | 345 | Black | Black | DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker | foldable | ||
Continental Gatorskin | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 315 | Black | Black | DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker | wired | ||
Continental Gatorskin | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 360 | Black | Black | DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker | wired | ||
Continental Gatorskin | 700Cx32 | 32-622 | 420 | Black | Black | DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker | wired | ||
Continental Gatorskin | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 305 | Black | Black | DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker | wired | ||
Continental Grand Prix 4-Season | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 230 | Black | Black | Max Grip | DuraSkin / Double Vectran Breaker | foldable | |
Continental Grand Prix 4-Season | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 235 | Black | Black | Max Grip | DuraSkin / Double Vectran Breaker | foldable | |
Continental Grand Prix 4-Season | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 295 | Black | Black | Max Grip | DuraSkin / Double Vectran Breaker | foldable | |
Continental Grand Prix 4-Season | 700Cx32 | 32-622 | 340 | Black | Black | Max Grip | DuraSkin / Double Vectran Breaker | foldable | |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 | 700Cx30 | 30-622 | 255 | Black | Black | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | foldable | |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 240 | Black | Black | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | foldable | |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 200 | Black | Black | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | foldable | |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 245 | Black | Transparent | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | foldable | |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 | 700Cx32 | 32-622 | 285 | Black | Black | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | foldable | |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 225 | Black | Black | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | foldable | |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 230 | Black | Transparent | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | foldable | |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 275 | Black | Cream | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | foldable | |
Continental Grand Prix 5000 | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 255 | Black | Cream | BlackChili | Vectran Breaker | foldable | |
Continental Ultra Sport III | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 295 | Black | Black | PureGrip | foldable | ||
Continental Ultra Sport III | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 270 | Black | White | PureGrip | foldable | ||
Continental Ultra Sport III | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 255 | Black | Yellow | PureGrip | foldable | ||
Continental Ultra Sport III | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 255 | Black | White | PureGrip | foldable | ||
Continental Ultra Sport III | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 255 | Black | Black | PureGrip | foldable | ||
Continental Ultra Sport III | 700Cx32 | 32-622 | 410 | Black | Black | PureGrip | wired | ||
Continental Ultra Sport III | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 365 | Black | Black | PureGrip | wired | ||
Schwalbe Durano Plus | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 385 | Black | Black | ADDIX | SmartGuard | foldable | |
Schwalbe Durano Plus | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 450 | Black | Black | ADDIX | SmartGuard | foldable | |
Schwalbe Durano Plus | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 410 | Black | Black | ADDIX | SmartGuard | wired | |
Schwalbe Durano Plus | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 450 | Black | Black | ADDIX | SmartGuard | wired | |
Schwalbe Durano Plus | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 530 | Black | Black | ADDIX | SmartGuard | wired |
Johan van Seijen
FoundeR Restoration.bike
Johan van Seijen is the founder of restoration.bike. His passion for cycling in general, and restoring older bikes turned into a website to share his knowledge with a broader audience. Starting out on his father’s road bike and riding classics as the Amstel Gold Race and Liege Bastogne Liege he has shifted his attention to trail, XC, and gravel riding since. No matter how much he loves writing about everything related to cycling, nothing beats actually using his ever-expanding bicycle collection.
You might also like
The 5 most important criteria on how to choose road bike tires
Apart from your frame, tires are probably the most important bicycle component that creates your riding experience. In in this article you’ll learn everything there
The top 7 best puncture resistant road bike tires for 2023
In this article I’m going to give you my list of the best puncture resistant road bike tires.
You know, it’s very nice to go very fast, but I’ve always dreaded that jarring feeling as the irregularit
The top 7 best gumwall road bike tires in 2023
With this article I’m going to give you an overview of gorgeous-looking gumwall road bike tires.
If you take a brief glance at the domain name of this website you quickly realize that I feel right at
The top 6 best tubular road bike tires
In this article I’m going to give my list for the best tubular road bike tires.
In the industry there are a few well known brands who’ve been at the top of their game for many years, and their tires