Continental Contact Plus tire review(on Trek Domane+HP)

[Hefeman]

Was going to post on Trek forum but thought others might be interested.

Bought a Domane+HP on the first of June. Got a front flat on my first ride(my fault for over inflating). When I removed the tube, I was surprised at how lightweight the stock Schwalbe gravel tires were considering they were on a heavy class 3. Didn't think the rear would wear well. First thought was to replace with my go to Conti 4 Season. Then I saw these Contact Plus tires which they advertise as ebike tires. Heavy but it's an ebike. Wire bead made in India.

Bought the Contact Plus(35s) but they sat around for months. Mostly because I figured they would be difficult to mount. Finally put them on and installing was not hard at all. Went on my first ride last night. Neighbor wanted to ride down to the ACL music festival. It ended up being a 37 mile trek where I hit about every road condition possible.

Initially, I noticed the weight and ride. Felt more like my motorcycle tires. They seemed very planted and I had no issue with rolling resistance(I only used motor 19% of the ride and rarely on flats). Then I hit some fast downhill. 38mph and ride was steady. Then I hit a section of grooved pavement. This always scares me on my motorcycle but the Contact had no issues. Then it was on to the gravel hike and bike trail at the lake. Again, the ride was fine. Next, we got caught in a hard rain for 15 minutes. I was soaked but the tires did a good job of moving water(and there was alot). Then, I accidentally did some off-road. Hit a mud puddle in the grass and that was the first time there was any control issue. Pretty sure any tire would have a problem. Almost forgot the cobbles! Oddly enough some small brick sections still downtown. Not Roubaix but weird that a last minute ride took me on a cool tire test track.

So, I came away with positive thoughts about the Contact Plus. Yes, it is an absolute beast but I didn't feel any big penalty. This tire dealt well with all sort of road(and trail) conditions. Well, no snow but that is a rarity in Central Texas (except for this year, but I'm not going out in that). Should work well for commuting. Cheers.

 

[Hefeman]

Spent some more time on these tires. This tire is comically large and my initial thoughts were based on how awful I thought the ride would be. Yeah, it's not a horrible tire but it is certainly heavy and the ride is not soft as with my gravel tires. While I didn't notice a big change in rolling resistance, there certainly has to be a decrease. That info is probably out on some review site. I was thinking maybe I should run the Contact on the rear and keep a gravel tire on the front. For now, I'm sticking with both Contact Pluses though they are heavy and not quite as responsive in slow, technical situations(though that could be more related to the heft of the +HP). Will update if anything of interest occurs as I spend more time on them.

Based on when/where you ride, this tire may interest you. If you're all about weight, look elsewhere. For now, I'm rating these Contact Plus tires at 4 out of five stars. Likely overkill for my riding but again, as a commuter, these should minimize the need for ever fixing a flat in your work clothes.

 

[m@Robertson]

I had those tires in 700C x 37 on a pedelec I no longer own. My experience is pretty much the same as yours. I'd only add that over time they were flatproof and wore like iron. The chief drawback was the loss of ride comfort but they were hi pressure tires on an ultralight bike that was *almost* but not quite a road bike, so hard tires are expected on that sort of bike.