Continental Trail King
(discontinued)
Where To Buy | |||
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Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. |
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. $52.95
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||
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. |
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. $52.95
|
||
4 member reviews
I really wanted to like this tire, especially based on some of the other reviews online. My first impression was that it looked like a great rear tire tread, but the shoulder blocks looked a bit underbuilt. It is a massive tire at 2.4 - the volume is absolutely huge, even on a 23mm internal width rim. I found that I had to run surprisingly low pressures to get it to hook up, but the low pressures never resulted in any issues with burping.
Tires are hugely subjective depending on riding style, but this tire really didn't work for me. While it had excellent traction on wet roots and rocks (thanks to the Black Chili compound, which has eerily long life), it was never confidence inspiring while cornering. The combination of the high volume and uninspiring side knobs made the tire feel extremely drifty, especially in rough conditions. Cornering in loose terrain was often quite terrifying, with the front tire pushing out of corners even with my full weight on the front wheel struggling to keep it on line.
I honestly think this tire has some of the handling traits of the new "plus" size bikes. The tire has such a wide contact patch that it really struggles to bite into the trail, and prefers to drift around on of the trail rather than digging in. While the surfy, floaty feel may appear to particular riders on particular terrain, I don't think this tire is a great option for the hard-cornering types - which is a bummer, because the rubber compound really is fantastic.
The wear well I guess?
You can find them online with massive discount
Grip is terrible. The Black Chilli compound is harsh and plastic-y. The sidewall isn't particularly thick, but it manages to be really stiff, so you have to run abnormally low pressures to get them to deform over the ground - otherwise they're plain dangerous and hurt your hands.
The carcass is also enormous on the 2.4 version and tiny on the 2.2, so they're either vague and draggy or harsh and puncture prone.
Overall? Just avoid Conti's for mountain biking. Of all the mtb tyres that Conti make, I've tried quite a few, including the Kaiser DH versions and they're pretty much all terrible. Their biggest crime is the basic lack of grip, but there aren't even any side-effect positives like being fast rolling - which you would normally expect from a tyre this slippy. The drag is also terrible.
Puncture resistance is acceptable from the big carcass variants, but nothing special and the thinner ones are so harsh at the pressures required to avoid punctures that they're just unrideable on anything more than canal tow paths.
This is such a shame, because Conti' road tyres are awesome and among the best, plus I don't think Conti's mtb tyres are bad due to lack of caring. They've clearly made a decent attempt at the design and construction, but sadly they've just got is all wrong
0 comments
Post a reply to: Conti Trail King II - a bit rubbish
Don't get me wrong, I loved this tire for the rear. Great uphill traction on anything and really good braking . Hooks up well in the corners and all that great stuff. The problem with this tire (for me) was I was always tearing the sidewall and putting holes in the tread. Before I decided to part ways with this tire, I had 7 patches on the inside of the tire, 7. I can't remember the last time I flatted that many times in a season with tubes and I ran this guy tubeless the whole time. The final straw was whenI warped the tire on a ride and I created this weird hopping feeling and hump in the casing. Apparently, this is a common thing with Continental tires from what I've read on various forums. With all that being said, I switched to a German tire company that begins with S and probably won't be on top of another Continental tire again. Depressing, as I really like the traction of this tire. I used the 26x2.2 black chili with protection casing for those curious souls.
0 comments
Post a reply to: Great traction for you rear
I am loving this tire right now. A bit on the heavy side but what 2.4" 29er tire with a descent sidewall isn't? The grip is always there, it leans very nicely, and works well in every condition I have tried it in (basically everything but deep mud). Continental's "black chili" rubber compound is great too! Sticky and durable. Can't ask for more than that. All this in a tire that costs $30-40!!! I will be hard pressed to buy another $80 dollar tire again after riding Trail Kings. Did I mention, the conventional tire sets up tubeless easily? Win win win for Conti and the new Trail King
0 comments
Post a reply to: Awesome Grip, Awesome Price (29x2.4)
Specifications
Where To Buy | |||
---|---|---|---|
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. |
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. $52.95
|
||
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. |
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. $52.95
|
||
0 comments
Post a reply to: Conti TK ProTection 2.4 - massive volume and good rubber, but to