Continental releases special edition tan wall GP5000

Whilst the actual 2020 Tour de France is still some weeks away, Continental has stuck with the release of its limited edition tan wall GP5000 tyre on what would have been the second rest day of the original race schedule.

Tan wall tyres have seen a resurgence over the last couple of years but until today Continental has stood resolute in only offering full black race tyres throughout its range. This is all changed with this Tour de France special version of the GP5000, one of our all-time favourite tyres here at Cycling Weekly. 

The tyre itself still retains the same Black Chilli rubber compound as the existing GP5000 but foregoes the all over treatment of the sidewalls, instead opting to keep things tan - or as Continental is calling it 'cream wall'.

Without a pair in the office to inspect, we can't confirm currently if its a natural rubber colour or a pigment added to create the fashionably en vogue sidewall colour.

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What we do know is that Continental are only releasing this special edition in a single size and style, namely its standard clincher 700c x 25mm.

There is currently no indication if this is to be extended out to the other tyre widths of the GP5000 range (23, 28 or 32mm) or if it will ever be available in a tubeless version.

These tyres share all the same Continental technologies as the existing black version such as Vectran puncture protection and a 330 TPI construction process. What is different is the weight.

It seems this tanwall version comes with a 30 gram penalty over the blackwall version with a published weight of 255 grams over the 225 gram advertised weight of the existing version - so it seems fashion does have a downside.

The Tour de France special edition GP5000 will cost you €69.90 (approx £61.90/$78) and according to Continental will be available for purchase from bike shops from today.