THE CONTINENTAL TERRA SPEED IS THE GRAVEL TYRE I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR. SORT OF.

Words and Images - James Raison

The Summer of gravel has caused quite the flood of review gear, but I’ll say with no hesitancy that the Continental Terra Speeds caused some of the most excitement when they arrived. After working my way through a few other gravel tyres with tight-packed tread, I began looking for something with more space. The thing is; there’s not many options yet. When I cracked open the box from Germany and pulled out the Terra Speeds it was a case of hell yeah this is exactly what I’ve been waiting for.

A couple of months later I can report the Terra Speeds are fantastic in almost every way.

ABOUT

Price: Australian RRP is not known at time of publishing but UK residents pay £59.95
Weight: 420g
Revolution Tubeless Ready casing with ProTection layering
180tpi sidewalls and 4-layer 240tpi under the tread
Ultra-tacky Black Chili Compound

The tread pattern of the Terra Speed falls closer to a fast rolling MTB tyre downscaled to gravel spec and has something that most gravel treads don’t: space. The low-profile knobs are set much further apart than most gravel treads that tend to pack them together tightly. I like the 40 mm width but would like to see a 43 or 45 mm variant too for some extra thiccness. Especially because these tyres measured 39.8 mm even on some super wide Bossi RD1 wheels that are 30 mm external width. C’mon Conti, that’s the first gravel tyre I’ve had measure narrow!

TUBELESS SETUP

These were a tight tyre to mount - there’s no escaping that. I usually set up my own tubeless but weird circumstances saw me in a bike shop doing some photography so I got to watch my mechanic Pete - whose individual fingers are stronger than an arm of mine - grimace while wrestling these onto the Bossi RD1 wheels. The flipside of that tightness is they pop onto the bead instantly and inflated without issue.

Since setup they’ve held air well and required no particular maintenance. I went with Tune One Shot sealant for that extra lazy setup.

Here’s how the Continental tread compares to the Schwalbe G-One Allrounds (below)

THE RIDE

The Continental Terra is the exact tyre pattern I’ve been waiting for after a few months on ultra the popular Panaracer GravelKing SKs and Schwalbe G-One Allrounds. I enjoy both of those aforementioned tyres for general gravel grinding - the Schwalbes more than the GravelKings I’d say - but found they’d slide around uncomfortably on loose surfaces. Their tight tread pattern rolls over the top of shifty surfaces rather than gripping into them so I’ve been hunting for a gravel tyre that’s closer to a fast rolling MTB tyre for the gnarlier tracks I find myself on.

The good news is the Terra Speeds are far better than the average gravel tyre at biting down on surfaces and give you a surprising amount of grip. I started pushing to find the limits with some standing and stomping up gravelly pitches and found them still gripping where other gravel tyres have gotten slippy and forced me back into the saddle. I was able to push them harder downhill too with a more planted rear end and more confidence at the front when pinning through gravelly corners. They’re not miracle tyres and you can’t send it with reckless abandon, but they’ve been the most confident front tyre I’ve used so far. Admittedly the Bossi Grit frame deserves some credit for the stability with its longer chainstays helping the tyres to hang on.

On road the Terra Speeds are decent but don’t feel speedy like the Schwalbe G-One Allrounds and certainly less than the G-One Speeds which I’d say are the closest gravel tyres to road slick speed. There’s a draginess to them that can be drawn back to the gappy tread. That’s the concession you make for the grip off-road.

WEAR AND TEAR

All that speed and grip has to come at a cost, and it’s tread life. That fantastic, spread-out tread pattern that I’ve wanted in a gravel tyre adds greater pressure to the already low profile knobs and chews them down faster. I started noticing visually worn rear tread, compared to the front, after about 400 km. I do treat my gravel bikes as mixed terrain bikes so I’m not shy about showing them tarmac. Still, it’s the fastest wear I’ve seen from a gravel tyre in my experience testing them.

You can clearly see the wear on the bottom tyre which was mounted to the rear wheel. This is only 400 km worth of riding

Panaracer GravelKing SKs are a perfect example of the opposite approach to the Continental Terra because they have tightly clustered tread that can lack grip on shifty terrain. The GravelKings have a much longer wear life though.

As for punctures, I didn’t have any so I can’t report. I didn’t event notice the tubeless sealant having to rush into a leak and clot it up so I think that means zero punctures to date. That’s not to say they’re bombproof, I’m lacking data to report on.

HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE TERRA

To me the Continental Terra Speeds occupy the same space as the Specialized Turbo Cottons on the road bike side of the fence; high grip, amazing ride quality, fast wearing, and expensive. But I love both tyres and if money were no object they’d be what I choose most of the time.

Here’s the categories of buyer for the Terra Speeds:

I just want the best: The Terra Speeds are flippin’ excellent and if you aren’t concerned with budget then you’re all set to enjoy your fancy tyres.
Ride smart: You can be careful with your Terra Speeds by avoiding too much tarmac. Realistically you could keep the front Terra Speed for every two rears you chew through to squeeze as much out as possible.
For special occasions: Grab a set of Terra Speeds when you have something like a gravel fondo or race where you want the performance.
Business up front, party at the rear: Aesthetics aside, there’s some wisdom in the madness of mixing tyres. Whack a Terra Speed on the front for the stability and assurance of the tread pattern, and save yourself some money with a rear tyre that’ll grip less but last longer. Something like the Schwalbe G-One Allround would suffice because it has decent grip and is quite cheap.

VIDEO REVIEW

WRAPPING UP

I love these tyres. They’re awesome. I put them into my shooting star product category. Their life is short, spectacular, and you want to enjoy them for longer but the sad reality is their brevity is what makes them special. That wonderful tread pattern is the Terra Speed’s greatest strength and weakness.

Buyers need to be aware of what they’re getting here though. They’ll wear out quickly, feel a little slow on the smooth tarmac compared to other gravel tyres, and then punch a decent hole in your savings account when you want to replace them.

Still love ‘em though!

Disclosure statement: These tyres were sent for review by Continental. It’s not a paid review and we don’t get any proceeds from the sale of Continental tyres.