Continental launches new ‘Gripology’ campaign

Continental has launched ‘Gripology’, a new campaign focusing on grip and the science behind it.

The campaign was inspired by Continental’s recent research, which revealed that 82% of mountain bikers consider grip the most important feature of a bike tyre.

“Grip is confidence. I suppose your trust in your tyres is the very essence of your riding style – the more you trust your tyres, the more you can push on,” said Dan Atherton, former National Downhill Champion and co-founder of Atherton Bikes.

The new campaign film, which was premiered to the public for the first time at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California, features Continental riders across various disciplines, including downhill, freeride and street trials. Andreu Lacondeguy, Danny MacAskill, Duncan Shaw, Fabio Schäfer, Fabio Wibmer, Kenny Belaey, Lukas Knopf, Marc Diekmann, Martin Söderström, Miss Peaches, Rachel Atherton, Richie Schley and Sam Pilgrim all featured in the Gripology film.

“Grip is essential,” said Söderström. “In a dangerous sport such as Freeride mountain biking, it’s the grip that can make all the difference.” The piece is a collection of individual films that were created by the mix of bikers themselves. Continental asked the riders what grip ‘means to them’, and in response, they took to the trails and the streets to shoot their interpretations.

Following the screening, 12 Continental riders – Dan Atherton, MacAskill, Shaw, Schäfer, Wibmer, Belaey, Knopf, Diekmann, Söderström, Miss Peaches, Schley and Pilgrim – took to the floor for an open Q&A, hosted by Global Mountain Bike Network presenter Neil Donoghue.