I'd skip the Conti Grand Prix 4000 in the colored flavor. Colored tires can have less grip, especially in the rain, than black tires. Instead you might want to look at the Conti Grand Prix 4000s. It has a gripper compound than the 4000 and has pretty excellent puncture resistance along with a nice ride quality. The downside is that it also has a relatively weak--compared to some other brands--sidewall. An excellent Conti to look at would be the Grand Prix 4 Season. It's as puncture resistant at as the GP4000s but has better durability and a nice ride quality. Conti Gatorskins (of any sort) are pretty puncture resistant but have a ride quality that's not quite as nice as the GP 4000s or 4 Season. Some would call the Gatorskin ride harsh. I'd also suggest that you look at other brands. You can still find some Michelin Krylion tires, and they're very nice. They're no longer in production but they can still be found online and in some LBS. They've got good puncture resistance, good grip, and a nice ride quality. They've also got a more durable sidewall than the Contis. If you can't find Krylions, you might consider Michelin Pro Race 4 Endurance tires. They're supposed to be an upgraded Krylion. I typically won't buy race rubber as the short life isn't worth the cost, but I happened to get a great price on Michelin Pro Race 3 tires, and I frankly love them. I have had only 2 flats in a couple thousand miles, and those miles include hot, trash littered roads in Tucson, Arizona and crappy roads in Ohio. If you're looking for the most bang for you buck, you might try Maxxis Re-Fuse tires. I went through a couple of sets of them and loved them. They were puncture resistant, grippy, and while they didn't roll as freely as the Michelin PR3s, they weren't slugs either. Their price is ever so nice. Lastly, at the high end of the spectrum are Scwhalbe Ultremo DD tires. They roll nice, have good puncture resistance, and have excellent grip. Their only downside is their price. No matter what you look at, I'd give serious consideration to buying 25mm wide tires. Because they have a larger air volume, you can run them at lower pressures and thus gain a more compliant ride along with more grip. Also given two tires of the same model, inflated to the same pressure, with the only difference being one is a 23mm tire and the other 25mm, the 25mm tire will have a bit less rolling resistance. I'm sure others will chime in with their opinions. How big are you, BTW?
