Continental

Aero 111 Tubeless Road Tire

Comfortable, grippy—Black-Chili(G)👍🏼

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Size Bought:

26mm

Tried on the front of a Hunt aero-wide wheel to see if I felt any difference. Over a century with long sections of headwinds, I didn’t necessarily notice any “aero-advantage” but less watts of output over such a long distance is very difficult to detect. I did feel good enough for a sprint-finish as I crossed the line after 8-hours out in the high mountains around mammoth, CA. Could I really notice any aero advantage?—not really but maybe the gain in wind tunnel tests (by Swissside aerodynamics) could make the difference for someone with power meter or who is very tuned in to their particular bike. In defense of the Aero 111 tire, I did set several downhill PRs while tucked-in as compared to previous years over the same segments. **Note—this tire is now the Highest rated road bike tire for wet-grip according to Bicycle Rolling Resistance website ** higher rated than their GP 5000 all-season tire.

Super hard to install

I been ridding on contis for the past 6 years from 4000’s to 5000’s and gatorskins and never let me down now. I had my hopes high and I was eager to try it but after a couple of hours of fighting it and using every trick in the book to install it, I came to the conclusion that is not worth the hassle. So hard to install it at home with every tool at my disposal, I can’t imagine how bad things can be if I have to fix a flat out in the road, kudos to the efforts in making an aero tyre but even a Ferrari is worthless if it wont start.

Good tire

Like most people interested in this tire, I've been running GP5K S TR's and have been very happy with those. As a bigger rider, I generally roll 32 rear and a 30 in the front. So my observations are only about the size 29. And I have only had a chance to ride these on my Dogma X. Here are my thoughts. I think the 111's is a very different tire than the GP 5K S TR. Aerodynamics: I don't have a wind tunnel. But the 111's are noticeably better at rolling in a cross wind and are much much smoother at turn in (especially in crosswinds). Going back to a GP 5K S TR size 30 in the front it was very obvious that the front wheel was stalling at turn in (and with gusts in crosswinds) and it tended to destabilize the bike. I didn't get that at all with the 111. Ride quality: Out on the road these are not as supple/smooth as a GP 5K. And it is easy to see why -- just handling the tire out of the box the rubber compound feels stiffer. And that translates to the front end of the bike. Dropping a few psi helps. But it's still noticeable. Grip: I couldn't tell a difference between the Aero 111 and the GP 5K. And that's a huge positive as I adore the grip levels of the 5Ks. Of course, the better grip may simply be due to the better turn in characteristics of the Aero 111. The 111's do sound like they "squeal" a little bit more loudly than the 5K in a hard lean. Sizing: These appear to "plump up" more than the GP 5K after a couple of rides. At 60 psi on my Enve SES 4.5s (TSS, 25mm internal, 32 external) at install the 111 was around 29.5 mm WAM. After a few hundred km they clocked in around 30.5mm. WAM. At 60 psi on my SES 6.7s (TSS, 23mm internal, 30 external) a used tire clocks in at 29.0mm WAM. In contrast, I never notice more than a few tenths of a millimeter difference in WAMs for GP 5Ks between install and end of life. In all, I like this tire. I bought one from the initial run. And now have another. So there's that. As we all know, equipment choices tend to be about tradeoffs. For me, I see the Aero 111/GP 5K S TR tradeoff as reduced upper body fatigue from not having to wrestle a stalling front wheel in crosswinds. But that may come at the cost of increased hand fatigue (relative to the 5K in 30) due to the slightly smaller size and less supple ride quality. You might also get a little bit more speed out of the Aero 111...

Pricey tire

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Felt no difference than any other tire.

Trying it liking it

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

I saw the tech info on Tour riders and wanted to try this. I've been riding the Continental 5000 S TR for two and a half years and love them (28's then 30's this year) 2022 Pinarello Dogma F w/ZIPP NSW 454. I did notice a mild increase in speed. That is on a long stretch. For a competitive rider I would go for this. I absolutely don't need this tire and the regular 5000's would be fine but what the heck! I did get caught in the rain on three occasions. It seemed like these slinged a bit more water in my direction at times. Other than that all good. Pumped right up once I got it on the rim. Since I was running 30's on rear I went with the 29.

Was skeptical but this tire delivers!

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

I have always run Continental tubeless (5000TL and then 5000S TR) I was caught up by the claims and reviews of the difference this front tire would make in your ride so I gave it a try. My setup is a '23 Canyon Aeroad CFR with DT Swiss Arc1100 62mm wheels (by chance THE wheel this tire was developed and tested on by Continental and DT Swiss) My first ride on the tire was my regular rout that I have ridden for several times a week for several years so I am intimately familiar with how my bikes perform along that given route. During that ride I experienced steady 5-10 mph winds (tracked by Windfield App on Garmin 1040) and frequently at the yaw angles that Continental claims the biggest gains are made. I do not have any scientific data to back Continental's "negative drag" claims but here is what I can say anecdotally - during this and subsequent rides I have been turning in PR after PR as well as my highest average speed on this same 30 mile course in over five years of riding it. At average speeds of 20.5 mph for a 30 mile ride this tire seems to deliver the exact results Continental claims it will. Gone is the buffeting one can sometimes experience while using a deep section front wheel, cross-winds and oncoming tractor trailer gusts seem to get cut through to the point that there is almost never any unsettling feedback or wobble in the cockpit. In the event that there is a bit of feedback (have experienced some over 35 mph) it is minimal and "releases" very quickly. The fact that all this difference is noticeable speaks volumes to me about the product and what it claims to accomplish. Additionally, ride comfort and grip are fantastic. I replaced a Conti 5000S TR 28mm with the Aero111 in a 26mm and was pleasantly surprised that I only picked up a bit of harshness likely due to the slightly lower volume and higher required pressure for the narrower rubber. Setup was an absolute breeze requiring no levers and just my normal floor pump. I cannot speak to durability as far as puncture resistance or how long those magic little divots in the tread will last, but if my experience with years and thousands of miles on other Continental products holds true to the Aero111, then I will remain a happy and loyal customer. I will be ordering another Aero111 front tire for my Ultimate CFR in a 29mm to see if the wider version delivers the same results.

Continental aero 111

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

I was an avid vittoria fan running pros and control only on my four bikes. Wanted to try these on my aero setup tarmac 7. These are lighter then my corsa pros and I believe they have an extra layer of protection. They are as comfortable ( didn’t think that was possible) and these corner better than any tire I’ve ever owned. Can’t comment on the aerodynamic properties but I have run my best time ever on these. Plus they are futuristic looking. I will be surprised if most of the professionals don’t convert to these if they can. I don’t ever rate products but had to rate these because they are amazing!

A game changer for cross-wind stabilty

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Coming from GP5000 S TR in 25c (measuring around 26.5mm), I noticed a tremendous increase in crosswind stability on my 46mm deep front wheel (21mm internal, 27.6mm external). The advertised speed improvements look very marginal except for very particular situations (slow TTs with crosswinds), and I have not tested them personally. In my setup, the 26c measures the same as the GP5000 S TR in 25c. Bicyclerollingresistance.com confirms that they roll slightly slower than the GP5000 S TR in exchange for a massive increase in wet grip and a slight increase in the tread's puncture protection. These differences are probably due to the slightly larger thickness of a much softer black chili rubber. These are incredibly costly, but front tires wear very slowly. In my opinion, if it lasts a couple of years, this is the best front tire you can get for most situations (in 29c for most modern bikes)