Continental Archetype review: Tadej’s Tour-winning tyres are fittingly fast

Pogačar is now a Continental global brand ambassador and this tyre was developed with his UAE Team Emirates-XRG in time for the Tour

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Photos: Alessandra Bucci Words: Simon Smythe

You might argue that Tadej Pogačar could win the Tour on a pair of tractor tyres but, utterly dominant as he was over those three weeks, it was also clear that the equipment he used was incredibly finely tuned so that nothing was left to chance. Most obviously there was his Colnago Y1Rs aero bike that was stripped of its heavy white paint for the uphill time trial and subsequent mountain stages. That took us all by surprise when we were expecting to see him finally ride the lightweight V5Rs lightweight bike. But special tyres too?

It’s fair to say a tyre specifically developed by Continental with UAE Team Emirates-XRG, which only that team would be using, was also a surprise. In the days of tubulars, riders might use high-quality, handmade ‘sew-ups’ from artisan manufacturers such as Dugast instead of their tyre sponsor’s offering, particularly for the cobbled Classics. Meanwhile, Continental’s own Competition Pro LTD tubs were legendary and were made for pro teams only.

But this year the German tyre brand announced a partnership not only with UAE Team Emirates – along with six other WorldTour teams – but also with Pogačar himself. “It goes beyond sport – it’s a shared commitment to safety, performance and mutual respect on the roads,” said Continental in a press release. Obviously it won’t do Conti any harm to be linked with the world’s best rider – look at what the 'Pogačar effect' did for Colnago’s fortunes – but in professional cycling the hardware itself has to be up to the job. It’s more than just sticking the TP logo onto a product, sitting back and waiting for the euros to roll in. You have to put the R&D hours in.

So the Archetype, launched just before the Tour as a limited edition model, was claimed by Continental to be its “lightest and fastest race-specific 30mm tyre, offering [at 275g] a substantial 35g weight saving over the Grand Prix 5000 S TR”. Bicycle Rolling resistance has independently tested the Archetype and the resulting data confirms that it is indeed Continental’s fastest tyre.

Continental Archetype on two Zipp wheels

Although Conti claims the tyre is “born from countless hours and wins with UAE Team Emirates-XRG”, there aren’t many actual details about the tyre itself. This is unsurprising. Tyre compounds – in motorsport as well as bike racing – are kept secret. When I visited the Korbach factory in 2019 – the year of the special Continental Pro LTD TdF tubular released to celebrate 100 years of the yellow jersey – we were closely supervised and were only allowed to take photographs in certain areas. The Archetype is claimed to be made with Conti’s Black Chili compound, a mix of synthetic and natural rubbers that's used by all its top tyres. The compound recipe can be adjusted for specific disciplines, so even though it goes by the same name, the chances are it’s not the same as what’s in the others.

So the compound is likely to be specially formulated, and the other big difference between the Archetype and the Grand Prix 5000 S TR is the lack of Vectran Breaker, Continental’s puncture protection technology. Although the brand claims Vectran does not adversely affect rolling resistance, it’s certain that a thinner carcass will deform more readily, lose less energy to hysteresis and roll faster – and it will also be lighter, explaining the weight saving.

The carcass has the same threads-per-inch count at 220 (2 x 110 TPI ply folded) and the other standard technologies such as Active Comfort Technology and Lazer Grip are present.

But why only the 30mm size and no 28mm? The most obvious explanation is because they were developed for UAE Emirates’ ENVE wheels: the hookless ENVE SES 4.5 is the all-rounder wheel most frequently used and it has an inner rim width of 25mm and an external diameter of 32mm. However, in this year’s race we also saw Pogačar using the new, lighter, ENVE SES 4.5 Pro with 28mm Continental Grand Prix 5000 TT TR time trial tyres, which weigh 240g. These wheels have rims with hooks that are narrower at 23.5mm with an external rim diameter of 30.8mm.

Ride impressions

I didn’t have the ENVE 4.5 SES wheels that the Archetypes were designed for, but I did have a set of the new Zipp 353 NSWs that, like the ENVEs, have a hookless rim with a 25mm internal width and are compatible with tyres 29-35mm .

They seated well and, as you can see from the photos, matched the width of the rims perfectly. The measured width was actually closer to 32mm. SRAM’s tyre pressure calculator for me and the Reap Vekta bike I rode the Archetypes with said 56.2psi for the front and 58.3psi for the rear. This sounds ludicrously low if you’re remotely old school, but in practice feels firm but springy to squeeze between thumb and forefinger, and they look truly voluminous. In fact, clearance was pretty tight to the Reap’s seatstays, but the whole system was stiff enough not to ever rub.

There’s an immediate sensation of smoothness and speed. I’ll admit I didn’t ride the Reap this time with other wheels and tyres to compare, but having ridden Princeton Wake 6560 and 28mm Grand Prix 5000 tyres with another Reap Vekta, I’d say this already fast bike is even faster with the Archetypes. Last time I said its ride was “firm rather than plush” but that it was more like a Ferrari than a family saloon. With better rubber it has a that extra small-bump absorption that makes it supersonic. I did a course PB by eight seconds for a short club time trial using this setup for nine watts less power. Of course more is down to aerodynamics than rolling resistance, but on a sporting circuit like that I would estimate the tyres play a crucial role. There are some left-handers that need to be taken at speed on this circuit and although I’m not prepared to test them to the limit of their traction even for a Rouleur review (plus I need to give the Reap back unscuffed), I felt confident leaning them right over.

I also rode the Archetypes for fast group rides with similar sensations. I used them on damp roads and they still felt grippy, and although I never used them in a full downpour – that’s when you’ll find me on Zwift these days – I would imagine they’re still pretty good.

That brings me to their puncture resistance. Despite a very slight worry at the back of my mind about riding what are essentially time trial tyres on potholed roads, they don’t have a single cut on the tread after 100-plus miles. I haven’t ridden them enough to find out how quickly they wear, but judging by the softness of the tread – and the resulting grippiness – they might not be up there with the Grand Prix 4 Season. But it’s clear that they’re a race-day tyre, not a training or winter tyre. Additionally, at £94.99 you’d want to save them for best. For comparison, the Conti Grand Prix 5000 S TR is priced at £84.99, the Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR has a RRP of £90 while the Pirelli Race TLR RS is £85 and the Cadex Aero Cotton is £84.99. The Grand Prix 5000 TT TR is more expensive than most at £104.99.

Verdict

Lightweight, fat and fast tyres that are supple and grippy, the Archetypes have been independently verified to be the Conti’s fastest tyres. They’re a little more expensive than other brands’ racing tyres – in other words, they’re expensive – and since they have minimal puncture resistance they should be kept – and prized – as a secret weapon for race-day.