Vectran isn’t a sci-fi character and Eric Zabel’s not joking when he says, ‘hot tires!’ in reference to Continental’s Competition Tubular Road Bike Tires. Sewn by little old ladies in Korbach, Germany, the Competition uses Vectran Technology—a liquid crystal polymer that prevents punctures--so you don’t have a day like Cadel Evans in the ’09 Veulta. The tires contain silica compound in the rubber, so when it’s raining cats and dogs your wheels remain stuck to the pavement.

• 3-Ply construction / total 180 tpi
  
• 170 max psi for super-fast rolling resistance