Continental's latest tires, including their "King" series, take into consideration a lot of what has changed in the last several years with mountain bike tires. As Brett Hahn, Continental's US brand manager, put it, "Everything about the sport has changed or improved with the exception of the tire." In redeveloping their King series, Continental set out to make that change for themselves.
Taking into account modern rim widths, riding conditions, speeds, braking forces, and the influence those factors have on a tire, Continental have re-worked the line from the ground up to create a product they think meets the needs of the modern rider.
Trail King Tire Details• Black Chili rubber compound
• Tubeless ready
• Cordura casing reinforcements
• Sizes: 29 x 2.2, 2.4"; 27.5 x 2.2, 2.4"; 26 x 2.2, 2.4"
• Weight: 945 grams (29 x 2.4")
• MSRP: $74.95 USD
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www.continental-tires.com The tread patterns aren't all that different visually but, they have been tweaked, and the sidewalls have been completely changed. That, along with other updates in the construction of the tire gives the tire better grip and increased trail feel - a positive departure from what many people would agree was a notoriously stiff and difficult to ride tire in years past.
ConstructionInstead of using a layer of kevlar for protection, Continental has chosen to go with a Cordura panel in the sidewall. The problem with a thicker kevlar sidewall that many of the older models of tires had, according to Hahn, was that while it offered ample protection from cuts, riders were under-inflating the tires in order to get the ride quality they wanted because the sidewalls were overly stiff, hence the poor ride quality riders were experiencing. The Cordura panel offers protection and helps with air retention - it's more air tight and that means less sealant, in theory. Continental also changed the way the casing material was laid up. With a straighter bias, the tires should roll better, and with the new casing compound, better able to handle stresses and loads.
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.
Continental have chosen to mold the ideal rim width for their tires onto the sidewalls - no more guessing whether the tire is actually designed for a 45mm or 22mm wide rim. As long as you're within the suggested rim widths, the tire should work without an issue.
All of the King series tires use Continental's proprietary Black Chili compound. The compound is apparently good enough that when Adidas bought 5.10, they tried to get Continental to sell them the formula. Continental wouldn't do that, but they did do a collaboration with Adidas and you can find a similar tread pattern to the Mountain King tire on some of Adidas' trail shoes.
PerformanceThe 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.
Riding the Trail King, I was able to quickly and safely let my guard down. I didn't have a lot of the initial "riding on eggshells" feeling I tend to get when I don't know how a tire is going to behave. Rather, I was happy to feel confident and in control with the tires providing consistent feel in a variety of conditions. If I were to compare it to another tire, I would say it behaves most similar to a Maxxis High Roller, with a casing that's a little more robust than EXO.
The open tread pattern helped in clearing out muck and not packing up, while the sharp side knobs offered plenty of bite when leaning the bike into corners without feeling like I was going to unexpectedly loose the back or front end of the bike. On more hard packed ground, the tires roll well and feel quick - there's not a lot of drag or slow feeling that some softer compound tires produce when pushing up longer climbs.
In wet rocks and roots, I was surprised at how well the tires provided ample grip. It's the true test here in Western North Carolina, and for a tire that rolls as well as the Trail King does, I was pleased with its equal prowess on slippery sections of trail. Running my air pressure in the low 20s, I had plenty of traction to get up and over technical bits and the tires still stood up without folding over when descending and pushing into turns.
The Trail King isn't the most aggressive tire in Continental's line up, but it sits well with me as a really solid all-around choice. I was pleased with the predictability it offered as well as the durability - I haven't had any issues with flatting, even when running lower pressures in rocky terrain.
I have also been running the combination of a Trail King in the front and a faster rolling Cross King in the back. It's been an excellent option for days when there's a little more hard-pack or road miles with sections of technical trail in-between. The faster rolling speed of the combo saves a little bit of effort on the ups, but still has a meaty tire up front to help get the bike where it needs to be headed back down. I did have one puncture on a Cross King but, to its defense, any tire would have flatted and it was more a poor line choice on my part than a flaw in the tire.
Pinkbike's Take | Continental's Trail King tires deliver an impressively predictable ride. They perform well in a wider variety of conditions than you may expect, and can withstand a good amount of abuse, making them a solid option for an all-round trail tire.— Daniel Sapp |
However in the Okanagan, the Pyrenees or on a volcanic island i would certainly go for something tougher than EXO.
The Kaiser Projekt however on the front had really good grip and very good impact resistance.
The big plus for me: They dont wear / tear like Schwalbe and little bit better durability than Maxxis.
I'd give them another shot if they improved the sidewalls and bead.
I heard they were coming out with a 2.6" width....I hope that's still in the works.
No Colonel Sanders, you're wrong.
What sealant works best with the Conti's for you guys?
I started using Conti's Revo sealant back in the day and now I just use it for everything because it beats the crap out of Stan's and Orange.
I suspect that a lot of the complaints about leaky Conti tires are pretty old tires, from well before the Apex generation. Ditto with the separated beads and bands...that's what Apex was developed to fix.
To each his/her own.
With so many good options there’s just no reason to give Conti another try from me. I also didn’t like the rolling resistance or durability but that was several years ago. I’m on e13 this year, SS rear, TRS+ front. Super stoked. And Maxxis is always there like and old friend who welcomes me back. Trustworthy, consistent, honest.
At any rate...I'll be trying them, should be a good tire around here(Kamloops)....now just need to make sure we're getting this NEW Conti and not old stock.
I removed it with only a few miles use...tried it again a little while later just to make sure and same thing. Awful tire!
Total waste of $75.
more than any other brand. They corner and handle amazingly well - I’m not being a brand basher but Max tires suck donkey balls. I’ve gone through more wet noodles of Max tires folding on jump lines and customers bringing me back broken beads...so through my actual testing Conti hold up ten times more than a maxis would. You honestly don’t have to be a genius - just take the two tires side by side as I’ve actually done and feel difference. Conti are durable and stronger and anyone would know that even from just handling the two tires...better production method and Maxxis has been on a string of warranties so have fun with that!
Size is close to Maxxis higher volume 2.35s like Ikon and Ardent Race (unlike puny Forekaster), they're very light at 740gr, easily inflate using just floor pump and hold air great.
They're also tougher and stiffer than EXO and Snakeskin from Schwalbe and after few months of riding still look new.
Grip is great, hardly any less than Minions I've had before and much better than Nobby Nics.
New MK is also quite fast so I run both front and rear, it climbs very well and isn't draggy at all.
It's the perfect trail tire right now because most people don't need Minions which only slow you down far more then help with grip especially if you actually pedal your bike up and down.
Example: With Conti I used to love the Kaiser Projekt. Currently I run Baron Projekts on my enduro. Great tire that one, holding up really well, super in the wet, just needs the right pressure to prevent the carcass rolling. Trail Kings (old version) on the other hand, not so good for serious riding, simply too light a tire.
All in all, Conti feels like any other tire brand to me.
That said, yeah I like this tire (or at least the one I got) quite a lot.
@Vinay: If you like your tire, I'm betting you have the new version I've been on.
But they are obviously nowhere near as grippy in the wet as dedicated trail tires.
Adidas is dropping the ball on 5.10. Stealth is one of the best rubbers ever developed. It’s arguably the best rock climbing shoe rubber. It just so happened to stick so damn well to pedals that it inadvertently put 5.10 at the top of mtb shoe world. Literally a lot of us stopped riding clipless when we discovered how well the 5.10 stealth sole on a platform pedal works! Then Adidas buys 5.10 and cheapens out on the materials (look at all the latest reviews of their popular climbing shoes), then they try to bury the one thing that made 5.10 so f-n successful because the stealth recognition is so strongly tied to 5.10.
Can't believe Adidas is trying to kill stealth. We should buy it from them.
Kaisers, to a lesser degree Barons, are utter weapons... the former are lightening quick on hard pack/dusty Aussie trails.
Barons may get used few times in June/July
When is someone going to look into the price fixing that seems to be happening right now with MTB tires? It seems like every tire is $74.99...
Fine Print - this is not to say that all other tires suck. I have a Kaiser/Baron projekt combo on my Enduro rig and Spec Ground Controls on my fatbike and my wife's trail bike...so yeah.
I'd love to be able to ride this tread pattern/rubber again-it offers a great balance of grip and rolling resistance. It'll take more than one reviewer to sell me on them though, especially when a lot of other brands have made tires that are burly and ride pretty well (Maxxis, Vittoria, and WTB come to mind).
Justice.
I've been running the redesigned tires since they launched last summer and Conti seems to have addressed all the quality issues... no more warping, easy to setup tubeless and they hold pressure/sealant, and they're consistently true to size now. Give the new ones a chance and you'll be pleasantly surprised.
By the sounds of a lot of these terrible comments about their products, I thin they owe some people refunds or replacements to try these "new and improved" tires.
Hopefully this new version is back to being good again! The tread looks better (bigger/more side knobs) and the technical blurb about the casing bodes well. I really rated the Rubber Queens as a rear tyre in all conditions and a front tyre when it wasn’t too muddy.
But I feel like their line-up is structured on old-school thinking: fast rolling, narrow and light; or grippy, wide, heavy and tough.
I'd like to see a 2.4-2.5, grippy and moderately tough tire for the front (i.e. ProTection, no Apex), and a 2.4, fast rolling, tough (Apex) rear tire. i.e. I'd like to see a 2.4 Trail King ProTection with this new construction that I'd run on the front, and a 2.4 Cross King ProTection Apex for the rear. That could potentially be a killer combo.
In Victoria - they are grippy, fast rolling, great sidewalls for all the jagged rocks etc. I’ve recommended them and friends have loved them.
Not too sure why everyone says they are the worst tires ever -
Now if we want to get into that - Kona’s Scratch and Sniff - great names terrible tires. (If many subscribers can remember them)
Was hoping this new version got stickier rubber, but doesn't sound like that was among the changes.
I bought a Trail King Apex 2.4 in 2015, and from your review I cant find any difference.
My experience with the TK Apex on front was great, good grip on wet roots, but still quite fast rolling. Good damping. Wear was ok. No flats ever - in contrary to the non-Apex versions I had, which would not go tubeless and flatted very often and they teared.
a) have mud
b) don't have trails made up entirely of sharp-ass rocks
than in the intermountain west (or similar climates).
That said, for those of us who do live here (Arizona, SoCal, NM, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, eastern WA and OR etc.) his experience just doesn't seem to jive.