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I've had both but in different sizes so can't compare directly. I was a really big fan of the sport contacts (same tyre as contact speed, they've been renamed). They felt quite thin in the hand which made me think they'd be Puncture City, Utah but they just roll really nicely and I had maybe 1 or 2 punctures in a year. They rode quite a bit of dry gravel including a 200km off road ride down to and around the New Forest. On some rocky sections, I'd let them down to around 20PSI and they felt great still. Pumped up to around 70 for tarmac riding.
I had them without reflective strip, 42cI've got the 35c GP Urbans on now.
I do like them, they look cool, they have a reflective strip that is black in daylight so you can't see it's there. They roll good, more like a big road tyre than a commuter/urban tyre. I believe they have the same rubber compound as some of their faster road tyres. This also means though that I've had quite a few punctures. Of course it may just have been wrong place, wrong time, my poor choice of line etc. They do have quite a few cuts in now after maybe 6 months use, one was quite large and I had to glue it shut.So yeah, not a direct comparison. GP Urban are a faster road tyre with the increased comfort and control of a high volume tyre, contact speed are still fast rolling, grippy in the dry and on gravel, not as good in the wet but probably better with punctures.
PhilDAS-
Thanks, I think Contact Speeds it is for me then, with track ends and mudguards better avoid more punctures :) I have used 35c wire bead Contact Speeds for past year on my previous commuter bike, have been happy with them too, just one puncture from 5 cm nail.
Just not sure whether to go for wire bead reflective or pay slightly more for folding one without reflex.
Prz
After inspecting the clearances in my frame I have decided that 42 mm tyres are no go (with 45 mm mudguards it would be a too tight fit most likely, not sure if it wouldn't rub the chainstay anyway as AT Rides are about 40 mm wide and there is just a mm or 2 of clearance at chainstay).
So 35-38 mm tyres is what I want. Fast rolling, with good puncture resistance, for commuting and road riding (singlespeed or fixed), but also able to do some gravel. I am mostly thinking about Contact Speeds or GP Urbans, can anybody compare them how they fare? @PhilDAS I think you have ridden both?
Also, reflective stripe is go or no-go? I used to have it on my commuter tyres, but now wondering if it really helps (or I am visible for just a second before a car hits me anyway), especially that Contact Speeds are available folding only without it, while GP Urbans are even more expensive.