Continental
On The Leading Edge Once Again
For many of us, Continentals were the first tires we put to the pavement. The legacy brand covers our entire journey from novice to pro with unparalleled depth in its tire lineup. And they’ve come a long way since their start in 1871’s Hanover, Germany. In their all-new Aero 111 road tire, Continental have unlocked a pinnacle design that marries everything they know about performance rubber with everything their collaborators know about performance aerodynamics.
Vortex Technology Is Key
The surface of Aero 111 is tread like none other. Cavities in the design are vortex generators, resulting from Continental’s collaboration with Swiss Side and DT Swiss to create a tire that assists with aerodynamic performance. The goal was to improve the sailing effect—a forward-acting force on the rim & tire surface—to reduce drag on the wheel-tire system and boost steering stability. At our normal riding speeds of ~19–28mph, the Aero 111 saw negative drag at yaw angles +/- 15 degrees when mounted to 62mm deep rims. This means less energy to go your regular training and racing speeds and better handling at higher speeds. And the benefits may improve with deeper profile rims, according to Continental.
BlackChili & Vectran
If you’ve been on Conti’s high-performance tires, you’ve probably fallen in love with the speed, grip, and feel of ones like the GP5000. That’s due to Conti’s BlackChili—a mold-breaking rubber compound that adds grip, reduces rolling resistance, and improves durability. There’s no give-and-take anymore. It’s all in balance and designed to help you perform. Vectran is the thermoplastic, multi-thread yarn puncture protection layer in Aero 111. It’s designed to reduce minor punctures without sacrificing suppleness and ride quality. Testing by Continental shows excellent tread-wear too (a lifespan of nearly 5,000 miles). In other words... Aero 111 is loaded with Conti’s best stuff.
Ready For Your Setup
Aero 111 comes in two tubeless-ready sizes: 700x26mm and 700x29mm. You'll need a somewhat modern bike to clear the larger sizes, but this reflects Conti's push for performance at the cutting edge. They found the 26mm measured true mounted to a 20mm inner-width rim, while the 29mm measured true mounted to a 22mm inner-width rim.
Aero 111 is not a cheap tire, but it's not just any tire either. With its all-round high performance and reasonably long tread-life, you get a lot for the money. We believe it's the best tire you can mount up for the sweet spot of your riding season, making it a wise investment for any cyclist.
