Continental has launched the Terra Competition, a new flagship gravel tyre engineered for speed and aerodynamic efficiency on mixed surfaces.
The tyre features a near-continuous centre strip designed to reduce drag on hardpack and tarmac, paired with pronounced shoulder knobs for cornering grip on loose terrain. Continental said the 35mm Race casing weighs 345g, a 16% reduction over the outgoing Terra Speed, and delivers a 17% improvement in rolling resistance.
Both the Race and Trail variants use Continental's BlackChilli compound – specifically the Rapid compound for the race casing and the Grip compound for the trail casing. The tyres are tubeless-ready and hookless compatible, aligning with current gravel wheelset standards. Prices start from €68.95 / £59.30 / $76.26.
While the Race casing targets low weight and outright speed, the Trail version is positioned around durability for more technical terrain. The tyres will be available in 700 x 35, 40 and 45mm variants.
Prototypes of the Terra Competition were spotted in competition during the 2025 season. At the UCI Gravel World Championships in October, Canyon SRAM rider Rosa Kloser was photographed using a tyre with its branding obscured by permanent marker. Subsequent analysis of the sidewall markings confirmed the Terra Competition name.
The launch follows Continental's broader push into aerodynamic tyre design. In 2024, the company released the Aero 111 road tyre, which used 48 patented tread cavities to act as vortex generators, reducing aerodynamic drag in crosswinds. The Terra Competition appears to extend that philosophy into gravel, though Continental has not published specific drag figures for the new tyre.
How it compares
The Terra Speed, Continental's previous top-end gravel speed tyre, recorded a rolling resistance of 17.0 watts in independent lab testing from Bicycle Rolling Resistance, at 40 psi, with a measured weight of approximately 378g. The claimed 16% weight saving and 17% rolling resistance improvement on the Terra Competition represent an improvement, though Continental has not disclosed the test conditions behind its figures.
The Race-versus-Trail split reflects a wider trend in gravel racing toward course-specific tyre selection rather than all-purpose compromise.
Cover image credit: Guillem Casanova Bosch
