Continental Aero 111

[pk0r]

Despite of being OT I still consider the AS TR the better/"best" winter tire:
At least with the black version you gain the reflex sidewall which is very handy for the typical night rides on weekdays over winter (dictated by one's job).
Also its thicker tread and at least as high puncture protection is handy when some obstacles cannot be seen that well at night-time. The wet weather grip I'd rate best amongst the Conti tires in low temps as well (though not by a big shot).

[BigBoyND]

Would be cool to see BRR also test grip around 0-5 C. Some grippy tires seem to be much more temperature sensitive than others.

[gloscherrybomb]

I've listed a brand new aero 111 29mm on ebay for significantly less than face value in the UK, where it is not even available. Didn't sell. I would say demand for this tyre is currently practically non-existent.

[cyclespeed]

I've listed a brand new aero 111 29mm on ebay for significantly less than face value in the UK, where it is not even available. Didn't sell. I would say demand for this tyre is currently practically non-existent.

At these prices (120 euros) it's a very niche product and it will not penetrate the mainstream until the price comes down.

Most cyclists I know already baulk at paying 80 euros for a GP5000 STR or TT.....another 40E for a tyre with worse rolling resistance is a hard sell.

I predict that once the ultra niche 1% have bought their 111's the price will stall and fall, to be in line with the TT and S TR. They can then sell them as the all rounder (STR), light, fast rolling (TT), aero ? (111)

[maxim809]

The price isn't helping but I also think it's just general lack of awareness that this product even exists.

Recently, I showed up to gigantic get-together with hundreds of cyclists. Racers, influencers, serious and casual cyclists. Nobody knew what these tires even were or what they do, except 1 guy who cares about aero, and a couple guys who loosely follow tech had heard about these.

I can't tell if it's...

1. The Price
2. A Lack of Marketing
3. People just don't care about optimizing performance

But my read is that it's more (2) and (3). Can't balk at the price if you don't even know. That said, I do believe most would stop at the price once lack of awareness is addressed, just based on reading this thread alone.

Anyway, regarding (2) & (3), I'm looking at how many views all the Aero 111 videos have on YouTube, and SwissSide's release video barely has 7k views. The Competitive Cyclist video just broke 10k. The best coverage was actually David Arthur's 2024 Eurobike show (very good interview between David and Hannah btw).

[CustomMetal]

I've listed a brand new aero 111 29mm on ebay for significantly less than face value in the UK, where it is not even available. Didn't sell. I would say demand for this tyre is currently practically non-existent.

Still got it? I'll have it if so

[gloscherrybomb]

I've listed a brand new aero 111 29mm on ebay for significantly less than face value in the UK, where it is not even available. Didn't sell. I would say demand for this tyre is currently practically non-existent.

Still got it? I'll have it if so

It auto relisted: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/286209514565

[CustomMetal]

I've listed a brand new aero 111 29mm on ebay for significantly less than face value in the UK, where it is not even available. Didn't sell. I would say demand for this tyre is currently practically non-existent.

Still got it? I'll have it if so

It auto relisted: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/286209514565

Ah that's why it hasn't sold. You're only asking £4.60 less that shipped straight from Swiss side and I can get them for £90 delivered in the UK. Unfortunately usually for eBay you need to be less to get rid

[gloscherrybomb]

I also had (expensive) customs charges from DT Swiss.

They're €120 off the shelf in the EU, which is £100.

[justinfoxphotos]

It's all gone a bit quiet here since the Aerocoach testing......

How so? 2 more pages of posts since?

Correct me if I'm wrong but I've yet to read any negative posts from anyone who has bought the tyre (unsurprisingly most if not all of the negative posts are being made by people with no experience with the tyre? ).

Personally I'm still blown away with just how much difference this tyre makes to cross winds. Crosswinds and the negative effect they have on stability on deep-section wheels has to be one of the greatest concerns for most people when considering deeper wheelsets.

For the record I weigh 63kg's and run a 65 deep front wheel (IE: I'm most likely considered a light weight rider, thus crosswinds affect me a lot more than heavier riders).

All that said I wouldn't even consider putting this tyre on a 45 deep front wheel. My SL8 with Roval Rapide CLX II's arrives this week. Will be interesting to see how the front 50 deep CLX II wheel goes in crosswinds (from all I've read they've specifically designed the front wheel to deal with crosswinds and many reviews have suggested that whatever they did works).

[CustomMetal]

I also had (expensive) customs charges from DT Swiss.

They're €120 off the shelf in the EU, which is £100.

Just emailed you

[ourayimage]

Just installed the 29mm Continental Aero 111 tire on my Farsports 50mm depth 24 internal width, 30 external width. Tire measured 29.70 mm wide at 62 PSI. Tire shape is more oblong and less round than the Conti 5000S TR 28mm. Ride comfort between the two tires is about the same on the Tarmac SL8. Handles better in crosswinds, which is why I purchased the tire (on sale for $100).

[JWTS]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I've yet to read any negative posts from anyone who has bought the tyre (unsurprisingly most if not all of the negative posts are being made by people with no experience with the tyre? ).

Personally I'm still blown away with just how much difference this tyre makes to cross winds. Crosswinds and the negative effect they have on stability on deep-section wheels has to be one of the greatest concerns for most people when considering deeper wheelsets.

For the record I weigh 63kg's and run a 65 deep front wheel (IE: I'm most likely considered a light weight rider, thus crosswinds affect me a lot more than heavier riders).

All that said I wouldn't even consider putting this tyre on a 45 deep front wheel. My SL8 with Roval Rapide CLX II's arrives this week. Will be interesting to see how the front 50 deep CLX II wheel goes in crosswinds (from all I've read they've specifically designed the front wheel to deal with crosswinds and many reviews have suggested that whatever they did works).

Not really sure I've seen any "negative posts" about it, except for the price. That said, my own thoughts are that from an absolute performance standpoint it's only going to be the fastest option in a very narrow set of circumstances. I don't need to try it to know it rolls slower than the fastest tires. I've been through multiple "aero" tires over the years, and the one thing I've seen is that it's really hard to make a tire with excellent aero properties that rolls as fast as the fastest tires. And, the Conti TT comes really close (nearly identical out to 15 degrees on some at least one wheel, worse on some others). So, the tire has a big hill to climb.

I'm lighter than you and I'm not bothered by deep wheels at all, but I also spent over a decade racing on 808 and Stinger 9's almost exlusively, including some super-windy races. That's not for everyone though, and if the handling benefits help someone run a deeper wheel, then I'd say it very well may be worth the Crr trade-off. Horses for coures and all that, the tire may be great for some folks. But honestly, there's enough info out in the public domain that I don't need to try it (though I plan to) to determine if it's going to be the best option.

As far as the pricing...I mean, it's a front tire. Yeah, bike tires are expensive, but when you think about it, it's cheaper than most rear tires! It should last 3 times as long, at least. That said, I'd be curous to see the aero performace after 2,000 km's on it?

[gloscherrybomb]

I can't imagine that would change much. you're not going to wear down the trips.

[cyclespeed]

It's all gone a bit quiet here since the Aerocoach testing......

How so? 2 more pages of posts since?

Correct me if I'm wrong but I've yet to read any negative posts from anyone who has bought the tyre (unsurprisingly most if not all of the negative posts are being made by people with no experience with the tyre? ).

Personally I'm still blown away with just how much difference this tyre makes to cross winds. Crosswinds and the negative effect they have on stability on deep-section wheels has to be one of the greatest concerns for most people when considering deeper wheelsets.

For the record I weigh 63kg's and run a 65 deep front wheel (IE: I'm most likely considered a light weight rider, thus crosswinds affect me a lot more than heavier riders).

All that said I wouldn't even consider putting this tyre on a 45 deep front wheel. My SL8 with Roval Rapide CLX II's arrives this week. Will be interesting to see how the front 50 deep CLX II wheel goes in crosswinds (from all I've read they've specifically designed the front wheel to deal with crosswinds and many reviews have suggested that whatever they did works).

My comments are based purely on the testing results that we've seen.

It seems that no tyre can have it 'all' ; light, low Crr, aero, grippy, puncture resistant, and cheap.

By all accounts, the 111 is optimised for aero, grips well, but is not especially light or good on Crr. And it certainly is not cheap. So that pigeon holes it somewhat for those looking for 'aero stability'.

So, the 111 is 'amazing' on a 65mm deep wheel, but not worth putting on a 45mm? Doesn't that pigeon hole it even more?