The Continental Aero 111 tyre is, in some ways, similar to the GP5000 line. It makes use of the identical Black Chili Compound for grip and lowered rolling resistance, and the Vectran Breaker for added puncture safety. It’s solely out there as a entrance tyre and is available in 26 or 29mm with the 26mm weighing a claimed 250g however coming in at a really related 252g on my scales.
The place issues get completely different are on the outside of the tyre. Designed with Swiss Aspect, Swiss aero specialists throughout motorsport and biking, the tyres have been designed with “48 precision-formed, vortex-generating cavities that create managed turbulence, making certain extended airflow attachment to the rim, leading to lowered aerodynamic drag and improved crosswind stability”. This leads to a large discount in drag at larger speeds based on their very own testing, saving as much as 4 watts at 30kph and 20-degree yaw vs the GP5000S TR 25mm tyre, and practically 20 watts saving at 45kph and 20 levels yaw. It’s value noting although that as pace will increase, efficient yaw angle decreases, so 20 diploma yaw at 45kph is an excessive determine to come across in most real-world testing.
Becoming and using
Continental Aero 111 tyre with vortex turbines clearly exhibiting
(Picture credit score: Future/Andy Turner)
As with every tyre, the primary a part of the evaluation course of is becoming it. I fitted these to some DTSwiss ARC 1100 DICUT DB 38 wheels, a pair that Continental really developed the tyre to carry out with! These wheels have been cussed with tyres earlier than, however the Aero 111 was a brand new degree of problem to suit and required extra forearm and grip energy than must be anticipated of any street bicycle owner. After a lot frustration and the donning of particular rubber grip gloves, I used to be capable of get the tyre on. Seating it was simply carried out with a observe pump by eradicating the valve core, and it held strain nicely all through the day with not an enormous quantity of sealant.
Fitted to the DTSwiss entrance wheel, the tyre sits properly flush with the rim, each of that are 26mm claimed and measured. The thought is that the tyre works with the rim profile to increase the efficient rim depth whereas additionally creating turbulent vortexes to maintain airflow higher connected. By way of claims, Continental says the tyre performs fractionally higher than the GP5000 S TR on the identical wheel at 30kph and 0-10 levels yaw. When this will increase to 10-20 levels the Aero 111 saves 6 watts, and when the pace will increase to 45kph and yaws 15-20 levels the saving is a large 18 watts. Taking a important view of this although, as pace will increase the efficient yaw angle drops, so 15-20 levels yaw at 45kph wants one hell of a crosswind. The 30kph figures nonetheless are way more reasonable. One other declare is that the tyre is extra steady in crosswinds with much less of a stall, the place air strain modifications all of the sudden and creates a jolt of motion.
The Aero 111 was developed with the assistance of DT Swiss and Swiss Aspect
(Picture credit score: Future/Andy Turner)
Taking all this check information into consideration and making use of it to using on the street, it’s exhausting to get any actual quantifiable information because the situations and circumstances aren’t controllable. The very best I can present is subjective suggestions, however having spent a decade coaching and using practically 200,000km, I’ve develop into good at being very in tune with the tools I exploit. It was fascinating utilizing the tyres on the DT Swiss wheels, as testing with Pirelli tyres revealed that these wheels weren’t the quickest in crosswinds and have been topic to stalls, though they didn’t choose up the wind a lot because of being shallower. With the Aero 111 tyre on, the entrance felt like a deeper part wheel in crosswinds. This interprets to feeling a tad sooner, but in addition in gusty situations it felt like they received caught by the wind extra, though they remained steady. Once more, subjective information just isn’t a really correct measure, and a few pace beneficial properties could possibly be as a result of these tyres additionally carry out nicely in terms of rolling resistance. Nonetheless, testing with the identical tools, bar the tyre, and accounting for a change in rolling resistance, common CdA on MyWindSock is a bit decrease with the Aero 111 than with the Pirelli. However that is nonetheless going to be liable to margin of error, particularly with such small variations and so many uncontrollable components of using exterior.
A tyre, nonetheless, additionally must be good at cornering and never be fragile. The Aero 111 performs exceptionally nicely throughout each of those areas. The Black Chili compound is as gripper as ever and the wheel sticks to the tarmac even when banking into corners at excessive speeds. The addition of the Vectran Breaker appears to work nicely as over the course of practically 1000km it hasn’t had a single puncture or a nick within the tread, even with using by persistent hedge trimmings. As a race day tyre arrange mixed with a GP5000 S TR rear tyre, the Aero 111 performs in addition to any excessive finish race tyre in terms of grip, rolling resistance and puncture safety. The promise of a small however probably tangible aero achieve throughout a spread of situations simply sweetens the deal.
Worth
Even with out the very apparent votex turbines, the Aero 111 would nonetheless be a really aggressive tyre, each in efficiency and value
(Picture credit score: Future/Andy Turner)
At £89 the Aero 111 just isn’t an inexpensive tyre. However when you think about {that a} Pirelli PZero RS Race is £85, a Vittoria Corsa Professional Pace is £90 and a Continental GP5000 S TR is £80, then the Aero 111 just isn’t dangerous worth. Add to that it’s a entrance tyre so will final 2-3 occasions longer than a rear tyre and it’s pretty good.
In the end, the efficiency is on par with these equally priced tyres, however the Aero 111 guarantees so as to add one thing that little bit extra, marginal achieve or not, you get a bit extra efficiency on your cash.
Conclusion
The Continental Aero 111 tyre is one thing pretty distinctive within the present market of efficiency bike tyres. Different tyres provide an aero achieve however to not such an extent, particularly in crosswinds. It performs exceptionally nicely in terms of grip, rolling resistance and puncture safety when in comparison with different equally priced efficiency tyres.
The place the Aero 111 presents one thing completely different although is promising to extend the aero efficiency of your wheel. It’s exhausting to quantify if it actually does, however a couple of behavioural cues of the wheels in crosswinds recommend that it does enhance aerodynamic efficiency in larger yaw angles.
This comes at a slight expense of a shallower wheel catching the wind like a deeper wheel, however the hope is that the improved aero efficiency for the load of a shallower wheel will assist total efficiency properly.
