Continental Aero 111 Review 2026: Is the Aero Front Tyre Worth It for Triathletes?
The Continental Aero 111 is a road tyre built to cut drag as well as rolling resistance, and it is sold as a front tyre only. Continental developed it with DT Swiss and Swiss Side. Its tread carries 48 small cavities designed to reduce drag. For triathletes, who spend hours in a fixed position on a fast bike, it raises a fair question: do a few watts on the front wheel justify the price and the fitting effort? We have not tested the tyre ourselves, so this page compares Continental’s claims with two independent sets of results.
Price check: from £92.99 at Tredz against a £117.99 RRP at time of writing (28 September 2026). Check the size selector for 26mm and 29mm options.
Key specs
- Front tyre only. You choose a separate rear tyre.
- Tread and compound. 48 vortex-generating cavities and Continental’s Black Chili compound.
- Puncture protection. Vectran Breaker layer.
- Fitment. 700c clincher, tubeless ready, so it takes tubes or a tubeless setup.
Claims against test results
- Continental’s aero claim. Up to 4 watts saved at 30kph and 20 degrees of yaw against the GP5000 S TR, and nearly 20 watts at 45kph and 20 degrees. Cycling Weekly notes those yaw angles are unrealistic at high speed, and calls the real-world saving modest.
- Rolling resistance. Bicycle Rolling Resistance measured 10.5 watts for the 26mm tyre at 80 psi, tested at 29kph with a 42.5kg load on tubeless, on an 18mm inner-width rim. It rated the tyre 5 out of 5.
- Weight. Cycling Weekly measured 252g and Bicycle Rolling Resistance 249g for the 26mm tyre.
- Price at review. Cycling Weekly listed £89.
What reviewers liked and disliked
Cycling Weekly praised the grip from the Black Chili compound, the puncture protection and the value. Its two complaints were that the tyre is extremely difficult to fit and feels slightly twitchy in crosswinds. Read the full review on Cycling Weekly and the test data at Bicycle Rolling Resistance.
What it means for triathletes
These points are our reading of the published results, not test results.
- A race-day upgrade, not a training tyre. The saving is small, so it makes the most sense for the front wheel of your race setup.
- Crosswinds matter. If your race course is exposed, the twitchy feel Cycling Weekly reports is worth weighing against a small drag saving.
- Practise fitting it. A tyre that is hard to fit is a poor thing to meet for the first time at the roadside. Fit it at home with the levers you carry.
- Check your rim. Bicycle Rolling Resistance notes the tyre is designed for wider aero rims and measured slightly under its stated width on a narrow test rim.
For the rear tyre, see our Continental GP5000 S TR review and the Vittoria Corsa Pro versus GP5000 comparison. For the wheel it goes on, see our Zipp 404 Firecrest review.
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