Continental Pure Contact tyre

The Continental Pure Contact is described as 'a lightweight urban tyre designed for cyclists seeking enhanced confidence for their daily commutes, errands and adventures'. I've had them aboard my gravel bike, tackled everything from battle-scarred town centres to mucky waterlogged backroads and singletrack and am suitably impressed. I'd go as far as to say they'd be good for lightweight/weekend touring too, if frame clearances allowed.

> Order now: Continental Pure Contact for £59.95 from Continental Bicycle Tyres UK

The Pure Contacts are aimed at e-bike audiences and bikes capable of 50km/h, and their maximum payload of 115kg lends them to cargo builds and, as I suggested above, weekend touring, too.

Specification

Given Continental's long history in automotive tyre production, I wasn't surprised to learn technology has crossed over and been employed here, specifically puncture resistance courtesy of Vectran technology employed in the brand's race tyres and its Poly X breaker strip, transitioned from its car tyres. This is a multi-layer system that elevates protection to level 8 – the highest in Conti's range, superseding level 7 held by its E-Contact Plus.

The casings employ recycled materials, specifically silicate from the ash of rice husks. I'm told this is an agricultural waste product that can be processed into silica. Silica helps boost grip, rolling resistance and durability. This is blended with sustainably sourced natural rubber for strength.

Tread patterns in road cycling applications have been the stuff of contention and, some argue, often employed as psychological reassurance. After all, save for ice, a slick (not bald!) tyre is the most tenacious, dependable choice. That out of the way, Continental says its tread pattern with symmetrical repeating grooves, scales and drainage is designed for improved grip and rolling resistance.

Continental recommends a 23mm rim width for the Pure Contacts, and aside from our 40mm ones, they're available in 47, 50 and 55mm widths in 700C, as well as 50, 55 and 60mm in 650B. Pressures range from 35 to 75psi.

Performance

My gravel bike was the obvious choice for trying out the Pure Contacts. This runs Ryde rims, the front a 19mm Sputnik, the rear a 23mm Andra. While there wasn't much in it, from the packet I was surprised to discover the tyres were easier to mount on the bigger section rim. Two tyre levers were needed to coax the last 20 per cent aboard the narrower rim, while it rolled aboard the 23mm using only my thumbs.

Even run at lower pressures, there's been no issue with squirm on the 19mm front wheel, but I did wonder if it might, initially.

The tyres arrived at November's close, characterised by rain and stormy, flooded conditions as December progressed. Consequently, there's been a fair bit of wet, gloopy stuff to measure claims by, and I've had a few impromptu muddy meanders, too.

I've found 55-60psi bang on for my tastes, although have also dropped them to 35 when it turned unexpectedly slippery – conditions where, with advanced warning, I'd usually reach for spiked/studded winter rubber.

> How to choose the best bike tyre pressure – balancing speed, comfort and grip

Since they're only 60g or so heavier than my 40mm gravel defaults, I wasn't overly surprised by the Pure Contacts' relative speed, accelerating quickly with only modest effort and being easy to keep on the boil. Great for powering away from the lights, taking evasive action in traffic, or just meeting a sharp climb.

Even at the higher pressures, they've felt very compliant, taking rumble strips, pockmarked tarmac and the odd sneaky hole in their stride. Bike and wheel weight are significant, but I've also found them suitably flickable and have been able to weave around the odd, unexpected rut, kamikaze rodent and the like.

Stormy conditions brought flooding to these parts, and I was similarly impressed by how well the tyres coped, purging grimy sludge from the verges with surprising efficiency, and flushing hedge clippings, flints and similarly sneaky sharps into the bargain.

I've pushed them quite hard into the bends and sweeping descents to see if I could coax a loss of traction or similar, but nothing. I wasn't so cavalier when ice was present, but even across frosty sections, run at 35-40psi, there was ample feedback. A similar story when negotiating railway crossings and other wet, raised ironworks.

The compound offers loads of feedback, so save perhaps for black ice, you'd have to be going some to take a slide let alone a spill.

Off road means different things to different people, and though the Pure Contacts are not a cyclocross or gravel tyre, run at 50psi or so they've behaved surprisingly well along unmade roads and relatively dry farm tracks. Too gloopy and they'll turn slick much quicker than 'cross or gravel tyres, but get to a firm stretch and accumulated stuff is churned out promptly.

My gravel build runs an old USE SX elastomer suspension post, but even so, the tyre's pocket of air offers a smooth passage.

Puncture resistance & durability

I was expecting good things, given the technology, and am not surprised to be flat free 600 mixed terrain miles hence. I've deliberately ridden through broken glass, thorns and hedge clippings – the latter often embedded in mud. Nothing, and neither are the casings showing any signs of cuts or similar casing damage.

That said, in my experience most puncture-resistant tyres do their thing very reliably for the first 1,200 miles or so; punctures tend to occur when sharps have worked into the casings over time.

Value

At £59.95 these are at the upper end of the genre – Pirelli's Angel DT Urban tyre, for example, is a good bit cheaper at £39.99. Available in a choice of widths ranging from 28-52mm, it also employs a silica compound and promises e-bike compatibility. I've found them very reliable and compliant along wintry rural roads, although the 5mm puncture-repelling belt only runs along the centre strip, and at 768g for the 700x32 there's also a weight penalty.

Maxxis' Overdrive Excel is cheaper still at £34.99, and is another model I've had positive long-term experiences with. Available in 700x32, 35 and 40mm, it employs a dual-compound casing and puncture-repelling technology. However, it, too, is heavier than the Continental, and I've found the puncture-repelling tech vulnerable to flints and similarly aggressive sharps.

Conclusion

Ultimately, I've been pleasantly surprised by the Continental Pure Contacts. They've proven quick, compliant and dependable in some very wet and wintry conditions. E-bikes and commuting might be the primary audiences, but I'm of the opinion that they'd serve you well for gravel and a bit of light touring on and to a lesser extent off road.

> Order now: Continental Pure Contact for £59.95 from Continental Bicycle Tyres UK

Verdict

Reliable yet engaging tyres with wider horizons than commuting, but that's reflected in the price