Conti claims puncture-resistant bicycle tire advance

Hanover, Germany - Continental has introduced a lightweight bicycle tire for urban and occasional off-road riding, which is claimed to offer an “unprecedented level of puncture protection.”

The Pure Contact “surpassed the highest safety benchmark in Continental’s Urban range, requiring the addition of ‘level eight’ to Continental’s Safety Level scale,” said its 3 July announcement.

Puncture resistance stems from ‘multi-layer breaker’ technologies: combining bicycle racing tire technology with a ‘Poly X breaker’ used across Continental’s automotive tire range.

The tire is suitable for use with conventional and electric bikes and is designed for both dry and wet conditions with a tread pattern offering enhanced grip and rolling resistance. 

Pure Contact contains rice husk ash silica, which helps to optimise grip, rolling resistance and durability, as well as “responsibly sourced” natural rubber, noted Continental.

When testing the tire “the results were so impressive that we had to create a new level (level eight) in our puncture protection scale,” reported Oliver Vauth, urban product manager, Continental Tires.