Continental's new Terra Competition gravel tyre looks to offer true mixed surface performance and an aero advantage too

Continental has launched an all-new gravel tyre, the Terra Competition, providing "uncompromised speed and improved aerodynamics". It refers to this new model as a design "to blur the line between road and gravel", and the goal from product managers was apparently just to be fast.

At first glance, which I was able to do last October in Bentonville, Arkansas before Big Sugar Gravel, the Terra Competition appeared to be just a slick to use on pavement. But a closer look, and then a test ride on 18 miles of tarmac and chunky gravel, provided a clearer focus of that "blur". The first glance proved to be misleading, as the Terra Competition was not only smooth but grippy.

Low profile for aerodynamics

The design for multi-surface speed was quite evident, with a unique tread pattern and lightweight construction.

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The tread pattern includes a low profile and a continuous centre line. Light knobs on the tread actually are a bit more pronounced towards the shoulder, but still streamlined, which Continental touts as a design "to reduce aerodynamic drag" and provide confidence for "necessary soil interaction" with off-road environments.

There are two casings for the Terra Competition - Race and Trail - with different compound configurations. The Race casing is a supple one-ply construction with reinforced sidewall and crown, while The Trail casing is also one ply but with more overlap protection on the crown for puncture protection. Both are tubeless ready and hookless compatible and sold with a folding bead.

In a press release, Continental described the material used for puncture protection as "a textile breaker" which is used throughout its tyre ranges. There was a bit more used in the Trail casing, which gave that version a bit more weight. All models use the famous BlackChilli rubber compound, found on the brand's high performance road and gravel models such as the venerable Continental GP5000 S TR.

The weight optimisation was touted to save up to 16% of weight (up to 68g), with the 35-622 Race variant weighing just 345g, as compared to Continental's Terra Speed at the same size, which came in at 413g.

There is also a claimed reduction of up to 17% in rolling resistance in comparing the two Continental offerings, Terra Competition versus Terra Speed.

• Weight: 345g (35mm width, 28"), 420g (40mm width, 28"), 470g (45mm width, 28")
• Available in 700 x 35mm, 40mm, and 45mm and in Race and Trail casings
• $87.95-$89.95 / €75.99-€77.75 for Race Rapid in 35/40/45 black sidewall only
  $76.95-$78.95 / €65.69-€68.25 for Trail Grip in 35/40/45 black sidewall or black/transparent

Continental sponsored athlete, Russell Finsterwald, had the following feedback to offer after using the new tyres in training, before breaking them out to race Valley of Tears in Texas in early March:

"It's really cool to have a tyre that is fast that also handles," Finsterwald outlined the overall performance.

"It's an aggressive tyre that's meant for going fast on courses that have a fair bit of tarmac and little bit of dirt. I think the things I've noticed on them is they're just really fast rolling in a nice, supple tire. And for being a semi-slick, they actually corner really well."