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Things to know about Continental

The Neue Hannoversche Gummi-Warenfabrik went bankrupt in 1869, and the financier Moritz Magnus had to pay a total of 18,500 thalers to take over what was left of the company. In 1871, it became the joint stock company Continental-Caoutchouc- und Gutta Compagnie and, over the years, one of the most renowned manufacturers of tires of all kinds. In addition to the financial skills of the investors, the company owed its success to the chemist Adolf Prinzhorn, who as technical director was responsible for the development department from 1876 and saw to it that the newly invented material rubber was thoroughly researched and developed further. Under his supervision, all kinds of products made of rubber were created - hoses, rubber-coated, waterproof fabrics or medical articles were among them.

Continental tires ensure a smooth ride

As you've already read in the intro, Continental tires ensure a smooth ride. Starting in 1892, the manufacturer was the first German producer to supply pneumatic tires for bicycles, thus giving the wheels some extra cushioning and significantly more comfort.

"I ride tires from Continental-Caoutchouc- und Gutta Compagnie!" eventually became too cumbersome a statement. In 1929, the company name was officially shortened to Continental Gummiwerke AG, of which only Continental AG remains today. To this day, the company's headquarters are in Hanover, one of the largest plants on European soil is in Korbach near Frankfurt. Around 30,000 car and truck tires roll off the production line there every day. There are also 561 subsidiaries and plants in 58 countries, including North America, South America, South Africa, India, China and Australia. Continental employs around 236,000 people worldwide.

Bicycle tires with the "Handmade in Germany" seal are always easily recognizable by the wild horse in the company logo, which is known far beyond Germany's borders.

Conti ensures a perfect grip!

Not only cyclists should be familiar with Continental, car manufacturers are also convinced of the top quality of the tires. Otherwise, certainly not every third car in Europe would be delivered on Conti tires! This makes Continental one of the largest car industry suppliers. Besides, it is quite possible that you are traveling with Continental without even being aware of it! A successful rubber compound is useful wherever a good connection between man and the ground is needed - for example in the case of a shoe sole. Continental therefore supplies soles for many hiking boots, running sneakers and outdoor shoes that provide the necessary grip even under the worst conditions.

Compounds for Continental bicycle tires

Every bicycle tire has to fulfill three requirements. It needs good grip, meaning it should provide slip-free adhesion and thus optimum acceleration under all circumstances. At the same time, however, the rolling resistance should not be too high; after all, you don't want to work against a tire that more or less sticks to the ground and doesn't move forward. Last but not least, bikers want the greatest possible mileage, in other words, tires whose abrasion is kept within limits.

This calls for a rubber compound like Black Chili, that can easily fulfill these three wishes. Together with the tire construction, the carcass and the tread pattern that the perfect hoops for your bike adventures are made. Another rubber compound with cult character is the mix with the self-explanatory name Pure Grip Compound.

Time and again, Continental's bike tires impress in product tests and in practical use. In 2022, road bike tires topped the Rennrad News User Testes, Top Contact II was the staff's pick for all-round tires in RadTouren magazine, and the Grand Prix 4 Season winter road bike tire received a score of 1.6 when tested by Tour magazine.

Continental tires for mountain bikes

Mountain bikes tires, especially for trail bikes and enduros, often consist of Pure Grip Rubber. Here, the compound of the tire is engineered for perfect performance and excellent grip. This comes a little at the expense of durability, but tires like Trail King Performance, Mud King or Gravity make your bike literally stick to the trail. Other technologies, for example, the Continental Apex carcass (prevents punctures and cuts), Shield Wall System (for durable sidewalls) or ProTection (for resistant tires that provide good shock absorption and a smooth ride) make the tires the best material you can fit to your bike.

If you look at Continental's sponsorship lineup, you'll quickly see that the tires provide enough quality and performance to reach true pro level. Names like Sam Pilgrim, Andreu Lacondeguy and Martin Söderström highlight the manufacturer's success. Trail legend Danny Macaskill, whose tricks depend on optimum grip and reliability, also equips his bike with Continental bicycle tires. The AMG Rotwild and Nikolai BikeBauer teams are also riding on the tires from Hanover.

Continental tires for road bikes

Light and fast, these two basic requirements of bicycle racing also apply to tires. With models such as Grand Prix (in different versions), Giro or Tempo, Continental has some excellent road bike tires in its range, also the proprietary technologies are absolutely impressive!

SuperSonic (low weight with excellent acceleration), Lazer Grip (improved grip going around corners), Active Comfort ( absorption of shocks) Plus+ (puncture protection) are just a few from the long list that promise a top performance and limitless training fun.

For Gravel Bikes and Cyclocross there is a whole range of specific tires, you can find them under names like Terra Trail, Speed King CX, Cross King CX or Mountainking CX Race Sport.

Conti tires for city and touring

For recreational bikes such as city bikes and trekking bikes, reliability is what counts most, therefore Continental has developed a whole range of technologies for this sector that are above all designed to prevent punctures in order to increase reliably - from a Puncture Belt (a rubber insert that keeps sharp objects away from the bicycle tube) to their Safety System (makes the carcass cut- and puncture-resistant). At the same time, the tires for these bikes are always particularly comfortable and have a balanced ratio of long life and good performance.

Tires for e-bikes and s-pedelecs

Along with the sweeping success of e-bikes, the demand for tires that are licensed for the higher weight and greater speeds of these motorized bikes is growing by the day. Continental has a whole range of tires with e-bike approval on offer, they are labeled with a special logo, a green plug.

Buy Continental online

In our brand store, you can find a wide selection of bicycle tires and other equipment by Continental. The tires are available in all wheel sizes, we carry folding tires, clincher tires, tubular tires and of course tubeless-ready tires in our online store, and the matching tubes, too! There's rim tape and tire sealant to complete your wheel and get it ready for use! Mounting aids such as tire levers are also available here on Bike Mailorder.