Apparently, some of the info about Continental Tires’ “new” RTR (Revolution Tubeless Ready) mountain bike tires floating around Sea Otter and on the web afterward, including our own post, was ill-informed. Turns out RTR isn’t actually new, it’s just a new moniker for the ProTection lineup to better convey that it’s tubeless ready.
Primary XC/Trail treads are the RaceKing, X-King, MountainKing and TrailKing. All four have the following versions, as described by Brett Hahn at Conti’s U.S. distributor:
- UST – traditional UST – has nothing to do with ProTection, utilizes a butyl liner and UST bead, is unchanged and still offered across all patterns. 26″ ONLY, traditional UST and 29″ don’t mix – too heavy.
- ProTection RTR – Conti’s tubeless-ready offering – combines the additional bead-to-bead casing ply of ProTection (heavy duty nylon; 4 plies under the tread / 3 in the sidewall) with a UST-style bead for RTR – Revolution Tubeless Ready compatibility. All ProTection RTR models are German-made and feature Black Chili Compound. 26″ and 29″.
- RaceSport – effectively replaces SuperSonic as a more robust, but lightweight tube-type offering, also German-made and featuring Black Chili Compound. Although experienced users are able to run them tubeless, in order to avoid inconsistency, RaceSport is not officially marketed as tubeless-ready. 26″ and 29″.
What is new is the Revo Sealant, which we have some fresh info on, too…
It uses a synthetic latex rather than natural, which means it can’t be mixed with Stan’s sealant because it would immediately gel. Hahn says the synthetic latex more stable in their formula with the elastic copolymer…but it does correct the misinformation about it being latex free. If you want to use a pair or wheels and tires with Revo after using Stan’s, you’ll want to scrub the tire and rim with warm soapy water and a citrus degreaser to completely clean out the system and start fresh.
The big thing is that the formula is ammonia free, meaning it won’t harm butyl rubber or anodized aluminum. Hahn says you can use it in any tubeless tire, it just needs to be shaken thoroughly and poured into the tire immediately to ensure the particulate is evenly dispersed. There are four different sizes of particulate, and Hahn says the smallest ones are the most dense and tend to settle to the bottom the fastest.
