Durable 23c or 25c Road Tires - Recommendations?

Steve Sr. wrote:

So, what has Continental done with their new run of tires that now
have a black sidewall instead of the older brown sidewall?

Increased the price.


Was there a
reason behind this change?

As MP reports, fashion and fashion only. If two tires of the same model
are offered in black and brownwall, the black outsells the brown by
something like 6:1, as I'm sure the shop owners here will attest, more
or less.

The blackwalls are or at least should be more resistant to UV
degradation, while the transparent/brown allow you to better see the
condition of the cords. Neither really matters, except for those
leaving their bikes outside under an ozone hole.

Continental had some sidewall or at least chafing strip problems
previously and the change allows an easy marker to the new production
which corrected the problem (changing the chafing strip from cotton to
synthetic).

Finally: the black are ugly and nothing beats the traditional look of
tan or brown sidewalls.