We've seen few product introductions cause such seismic interest as the release of the Conti GP4000 clincher tire. Its billing was mind-boggling, but its performance backed it up: With the GP4000 you get the suppleness and grip of the vaunted GP3000, but with longer tread wear, greater puncture resistance, and an overall lighter weight thanks to the GP4000's use of Vectran. It earned such popularity, in fact, that Conti chose to release it as a tubular for those of us who can't get enough of the sweet ride of sew-ups.

The GP4000 tubular a whole lot more than just a stick-on version of the clincher: It offers Conti's brand new "Black Chili" rubber compound. Conti first developed this for the Moto GP crotch rocket circuit, and they've brought it over to their top-end bike tires. Super-tiny carbon black particles are incorporated into the rubber formula to provide benefits along three lines:

1. The tiny size of the "Black Chili" particles allows them to mold to the road surface more readily. It gives the tire greater ability to conform to imperfections in the road surface. Better contact with the road means better grip in demanding situations such as high speed cornering.

2. Since the "Black Chili" particles are so small, more particles fit into the contact patch of the tire -- reducing tire wear and increasing tire longevity.

3. The "Black Chili" particles are literally more flexible, which reduces the rolling resistance of the GP4000 tubular.

The GP4000 tubular has a 240tpi casing and a dynamic siped tread pattern, with the same Vectran layer sandwiched between the tube and the tread you get in the clincher version. Available in 700x22. Black only.

The actual weight of the Grand Prix 4000 Tubular Tire is 250g.