Good traction, looks good, low rolling resistance, good balance of speed to cushion, good price

Quality used to be good, seems to be going down or I'm really abusing these things, sidewall shreds kinda easy

I used to swear by these things. Friends wanted a winter commuter, city commuter, or a good way to energize an old mountain bike, I'd point them to these. Built up a really nice single speed city commuter on a mountain bike frame with these tires that screamed. I commuted through grad school on them. Commuted to work through the winter of 2011/12 on them. Then the rear one blew. I thought, no problem, I'll just get another one. They've lasted me 6 years; a new one should last another 6. Well, I put the new one on May 2012, road it 10 months, took it off for the summer, slapped it back on last week and the sidewall is shredded. 2000 miles on the tire and it's dead. That might seem like a lot, but I'll tell ya, the old one, the one I didn't have to replace last year, it's still on the bike and working fine. Maybe I'm a fat b@st@rd (215 lbs) that bears too hard on his rear wheels, but I wasn't riding these things hard. I wasn't accelerating them hard. Just a shame. I'm going back to a pair of Schwalbe Big Apples. If they fail me too I'm gonna have to spring for the Armadillos.

Durability, grip and practicality over different terrain and different uses.

No reflective sidewall or fatter sizes like 2.7 or 3.

I bought one of these as a rear tire about two months ago from a local REI when I started using my bike for a bike taxi (pedicab) in Austin.

I haven't had a flat yet and the tire shows almost no sign of wear and I ride a lot. The bike taxi trailer weighs 80 lbs (roughly) and can hold three adults. The trailer has no brakes so I rely on the bike's discs to stop, which is sometimes a problem since Austin is very hilly. Many of the streets are poorly maintained, cracked and filled with pointy debris. In addition, the ground in many areas is like concrete, but with deep ruts. In these parts, durability is much more important since grip is not a problem.

The tire is flawless so far with the pedicabbing. My front tire, a real knobby tire, had two flats so far from road debris, while it carries much less weight than the rear (none with big climbs with a full cab, which is an interesting slow-speed balancing act). The T&C is average for installation (although I haven't had to do it again since installing the first time) difficulty on a Sun Rhyno-Lite rim. The sidewalls seem durable, at least on par with knobby off-road tires. I'd love to ride this tire elsewhere (like if I can return to Moab, Utah or Black Rock City) to see what it can do.

The Town and Country is also put to work for real mountain biking in addition to the urban utility riding. I live next to Walnut Creek park in north Austin (really, it's right there) which is very technical, very hilly and full of jagged limestone and pointy things. On some descents, it slips a little, especially when I have the tire inflated for the road. It's just a little and I can control it. On ascents, it can slip a little if the ground is soft. The park also has more gentle and fast areas, but I can ride these on my brakeless track bike with the big gear (I have).

Keep in mind, I have a 1x9 set up (38t x 11-34) with no granny ring to gently coax the bike up hills so that can exaggerate wear and performance reduction. Maybe I'm crazy and that has nothing to do with it, but I want to create an accurate image of the conditions where the tire is used.

I rode the T & C in San Antonio on the Leon Creek Greenway (a concrete and asphalt bikeway) and related trails with the same performance, including riding through flooded areas during heavy rain. The water was over the wheels. The trails are a mix of natural surfaces from smooth hard pack to loose rocks, twisty, hilly ... a descent mix.

This tire hasn't the rooted and muddy trails of the northeast (I miss it a lot and I'm heading back soon), so maybe it won't perform as well there. I haven't ridden in snow with it either. When I return to NYC I can add to this review if I remember, adding snow, trips all over NYC, maybe messenger work, and riding in Connecticut.

Reading the other reviews, like reviews for other products, I can't understand the difficulty other users of these tires had. Maybe I had one from a good batch, or it's a German-made tire. I didn't see anywhere on the tire where it says the country.

I didn't know Continental moved some production to India. I use their bombproof and grippy tires on my other bike with none of the catastrophic failures I experienced with Specialized or Bontrager tires. I plan to replace the front with a Continental Mountain King 2.4 (and maybe the rear if I can get away from pedicabbing). I'm a big fan of Continental for their design and durability.

With the tire's combination of durability, off-road performance, on-road performance, dry and wet grip and overall quality, this is the tire for someone who rides a little of everything. Buy these if you live car-free and commute by bike and also ride for fun. Buy these tires for your weighted touring bike, cargo bike, pedicab. The Town and Country is the choice for many police departments and the choice for my pedicab shop when they replace the aging and worn Maxxis Hookworm tires on the trikes.

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Maxxis Hookworm

Continental Town and Country Bicycle tires rolls more smoothly with far less road to tire friction than the mountain bicycle tire that were replaced. Traction is much better than many other simi-slick bicycle tires.

Cosmetically, the Continental Town and Country, tire look much cheaper and lower in quality than many other simi-slick, road or hybrid tires. Sidewall is flimsy and has no form.

I purchased these tires for the primary rider of the bicycle whom is my wife. My wife has owned this bicycle for several years and we were locking for a tire which rolled more smoothy and required less effort to ride, especially from a stopped position. I have ridden the bike on occasion, but mainly test ride it after lubricating the bicycle, maintenance or repairs. When I opened the box, as they were purchased on the internet, I noticed they were very cheap looking and very flimsy. When I installed the tires on rim, I encountered much difficulty in getting the bead to seat on rim. I have fixed and changed a lot of bicycle tires the the last 50 years and these were by far the hardest to mount. As I filled the tubes with air the tire kept pushing the tire away from the rim. On the rear after much work, I thought the tire was finally mounted but rode the bike one half block the tire separated from the tube and the tube came bulging out, even though the rim spec. matched the tire application specs.

I did notice that the tire are manufactured in India. I have seen same tire (make and model) on other bicycles where the tires were not manufactured in India. I would not have purchased the tires if they had looked like this cheap or if the owner of the other bicycle gave them a less than favorable review.

I may have been expecting too much as I expected the tires to comparable to the Michelin City tires I mounted on my favorite bicycle but was expecting this tire to have a bit more traction that the Michelin City tires.

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Michelin City tires

quiet ad smooth

5 fire trail rides 3 flats THEY SUCK Been ridiing all my life DONT BUY THESE UNLESS YOU RIDE SMOOTH ROADS ONLY

Nice street tire but it has NO resitinace to anthing on the ground.

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only more agressive

Brilliant tyre when they were orginally made in Germany

Now they are made in India the quality has gone

Don't buy them. Lobby Continental to make them again in Germany where quality really does count.

This tyre is quiet, has low rolling resistance, good volume and is well priced. It is ideal for hardpack, dry singletrack and asphalt. It has good grip on wet asphalt and concrete.

Havent found any yet.

These tyres are great for what they are designed for, asphalt, hardpack and a bit of dry single track. When I go offroad I am running Conti Gravity 2.3, but for everyday use I think you would have to go a long way to beat these for perfomance and value. They are also a true 54mm (2.1") width as stated unlike some other manufacturers claims about their tyre widths!

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Schwalbe Marathon Cross.

Very Poor

poor ride

Recommended by owner of shop as a good road tire that can with-stand road glass,etc. Took bike out for a long ride, and the next thing you know, pop, a flat tire from a piece of glass. Also, not built for a comfortable street ride at all. I would NOT recommend these to tires to a friend.

This is a tire that is perfect for Downtown, Urban and tough and rough places you might have to veer into or choose to go off the beaten path for a bit. It is quiet and lets the bike and cyclist ride with a silent ease.

I know of know weakness other than if you were a rider who likes the off road deep into the forest riding you might do better with a pure mountain bike tire

if you are seeking a tire that is 1. durable 2. quiet 3. on and off road capable 4. that rolls very easy with great traction 5. just feels good on the road

6. THERE IS NO CHOICE THIS IS YOUR TIRE

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different other types but not for the last 10 years as when i purchase a bike i always allow with in the cost a new set of these tires. Rhe police bikes in Orlando all use these tire , that is all i needed to know.

Low rolling resistance
Longevity
Smooth
Shock absorbing

Prone to flats

I've used Continental's Town & Country on both my bikes. They are a great tire for commuting on pavement only. However, because they are a very flexible tire, they are prone to flats. If you decide to get these tires, I would strongly recommend a thicker thorn resistant tire AND tire liners.

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None