Continental

Product Information

Between these knobs and the side knobs lies a wide swath of nothingness. This rift between knobs creates a distinct channel that was often intimidating to cross. It took commitment. In dry, dusty conditions when we all end up feeling like we are terrible bike riders, we prefer a little more hand holding. This feeling will surely be too much for some riders to handle and as such, we would recommend the more predictable Maxxis Minion DHF or the WTB Vigilante. ProTection goes four-ply under the tread and three-ply on the sidewalls, with an added layer of Cordura to stop cuts and sharps rupturing the tire. It gets a ‘flag design’ on the sidewall for rub resistance and it’s now properly, easily tubeless-ready. The higher end versions are made in Germany, while the lower end ones are made in an unspecified location that I’m guessing is in Asia. As the name suggests, Apex tires get teardrop elastomer protection embedded in the sidewalls for low-pressure stability and impact damping. It’s built into a six-ply carcass with a super secure steel bead for surviving the most brutal DH and bike park use. That makes Apex tires about 30 percent heavier than a Protection Apex though. The lightest carcass in the Continental line-up wraps a 60tpi nylon weave so it’s triple under the tread and double on the sidewalls. According to Continental, that makes it 30 percent more puncture resistant than previous Supersonic tires, but it’s around 75g lighter than ProTection versions of the same tires. Race Sport Bernstein is a brown wall version for fashionable types. The rubber liner still isn’t tubeless compatible on either though.

The Trail King delivers decent pedal traction. We found this to be a fast-rolling tire on the front and the rear. Often, the fast-rolling tires tend to have less pedal traction since there is presumably a less aggressive center tread on the tire. The Trail King once again delivered better-than-expected performance. There's a different bead geometry and a smaller bead diameter as well. Continental's Apex insert goes from just above the bead to halfway up the sidewall. This stiffens the sidewall and creates a cushion to help prevent pinch flats. Specialized recently updated their ever-popular Butcher tire with an all-new T9 rubber compound. We tested the Butcher Grid Trail T9 in both 2.3" and 2.6" widths, and while the tread pattern hasn't substantially changed, this feels like an entirely new tire. The T9 rubber used by Specialized is their grippiest material. Although not super soft, it's designed to slowly rebound, reduce deflection, and enhance grip. This results in a well-dampened ride quality that feels connected to the trail surface. The tall center tread lugs offer excellent braking traction. At the same time, the substantial row of shoulder knobs provide great grip through corners. The Specialized Grid Trail casing feels supportive and supple while surprisingly resistant to punctures or tears. It's also one of the least expensive tires and offers excellent value.The newest 27.5 x 2.4″ TKs I got seem like they are narrower than the older 26er version. On the same width rim the older tires have a much rounder profile. The new 27.5 tires are more squared off. I prefer the feel of the rounder tire. The Trail King sits at the knobby end of Continental’s tire spectrum, with only a few DH treads being more aggressive.

Before the rubber hits the dirt, you'll be laying out some coin for said rubber — make the most of it. We're dealing with a product category here that is prone to specialization, so if you're looking for something other than an all-arounder, make sure to read up on our award winners for tires that do specific jobs well.On hard dirt, the Trail King was less compelling. The tires were very inclined to get caught in little ruts and dragged off line, and the balloon-ish casing felt pretty vague. Until this latest set of 27.5 tires that seem smaller I would have told you I’ll be riding TKs as long as they are built, but I’m not as stoked about the square profile. I’m not buying new rims to make ’em work so I’ll probably try a different tire on my 27.5 bike once these wear out. Specialized's classic aggressive trail riding tire with a new rubber compound, enhanced grip, and same great value On my DT Swiss E1700 Spline TWO wheels, which have a 25mm internal rim width, the Trail Kings are spot on, true to size at the widest point of the knobs. The casing actually bows out even wider than that, making the Trail Kings look like a really big tire. Most other brands seem to run a little on the small side, so compared to other tires that are marked as the same size, the Trail Kings are pretty big. I’d say they’re slightly larger than a Maxxis 2.5” tire. I’ve tried other 2.3″– 2.4″ tires that were all significantly smaller volume than my TKs and I didn’t enjoy the feel of the smaller tires.

A bit more tire pressure might have fixed the squirmy feeling, but I was running a similar pressure to what I run in most other tires. Also, my testing was cut a bit short (see below under “Durability”), so I didn’t get to experiment with different pressures as much as I would have liked. Even in softer dirt, that big, supple casing just felt strange at times. On a number of occasions, I’d pause and look down thinking I had a flat, but each time I was still at full pressure. (I experimented with pressures between the high 20’s and low 30’s). The Maxxis Assegai is a gravity-oriented tire from Maxxis that was designed in collaboration with World Cup DH racing legend Greg Minaar. It is available in numerous casings, including DH, EXO, and EXO+. It is one of the best cornering tires our testers have ever used. Despite its square profile, it rolls easily into corners and hooks up and grips in all conditions thanks to the tall row of burly side knobs. It also provides heaps of braking traction, providing some of the best control you could ask for. It was originally only available in the DH casing which was super heavy, but now its versatility has been expanded to the rest of the market with the lighter options. We've tested this tire on both the front and rear of the bike, and it performs outrageously well in both locations. Better tread and compound technology, plus trail centers to ride when it’s really minging, mean that super-specific sloppy trail tires are relatively rare now, but Continental’s Mud King is still available if you want one.

We’d advise against using Continental’s own Revo Sealant though, as it struggles to seal bigger holes unless you add some extra particulate to it, plus it’s expensive. The Continental Trail King II Performance tyres are suitable for all mountain, enduro and freeride. If your mountain bike has a suspension travel of 140 mm or more, these tyres are suitable. The Continental Trail King II Performance MTB tyres offer a lot of grip and stability on muddy surfaces. When the surface is wet, these tyres also come into their own. The Continental Trail King II Performance tyres have an open tread with high side buttons so you have sufficient grip when cornering. This means that they can handle curvy roads without losing grip. The tyres are also tubeless ready and can possibly be driven with liquid latex to prevent punctures. The Trail Kings are marked as being tubeless friendly for Continental’s Revo sealant, but I just used my normal home-brew sealant. Initially, it took a bit of work to get these to seal up; I definitely needed a compressor, and I ended up having to put substantially more sealant in than I use on some other tires (Schwalbe, Maxxis, and WTB, to be specific). Fair price (for trail casing), offered in multiple casings for different uses, good braking traction The side knobs are medium height with some pretty substantial gaps between the pairs. Coupled with the rounded profile of the tire we found decent cornering traction in most conditions.

The aggressive tread design of the Vigilante comes with a little bit of a penalty regarding rolling resistance. It is not the fastest-rolling tire, but that's a tradeoff that we expect most aggressive trail riders are willing to accept. It is moderately heavy, but that's the price you pay for the performance it offers. If you're an aggressive trail rider in the market for a tough and grippy tire, the Vigilante is a solid choice. The Trail King tires were simple and easy to set up tubeless without any trouble on a rim with an internal measurement of 27mm. (I used a floor pump at home, no air compressor required.) This fits within the ideal width of a 25-30mm rim that's printed on the tire. Measuring the actual tire width, I was right at the stated 2.4" dimensions. For pressure, I ran between 18 and 20 psi in the front and then 20 -23 psi in the rear, depending on conditions and what trails I would be riding.Incidentally, the Trail King is known as the “Rubber Queen” in Europe. Maybe the American market isn’t mature enough to ride the Rubber Queen?) The tread design of the Mazza offers a touch more rolling resistance than models with a less aggressive tread. It is also somewhat heavy compared to similarly aggressive tires of the same size. Aside from these issues, the Mazza is an outstanding tire that rivals the best. We highly recommend it as a front tire for aggressive trail riders who want to try something new. Since the Trail King is a fairly knobby tire, it should generally be compared to fully knobbed, “all mountain” type tires, like the Maxxis Minion, Schwalbe Hans Dampf, etc. Reasonable price (for trail casing), excellent cornering traction, offered in multiple casings for different uses