Trail or Enduro MTB products face the tough task of doing everything well. When it comes to tires, that means ensuring good traction, ample sidewall support and reasonable rolling resistance. Continental’s Kryptotal tires were designed to offer an ideal all-around tread, and I’d say they delivered on that claim while keeping their weight in check.
I received the Kryptotal tires during Crankworx Whistler, where Continental whisked us away for a heli drop to try them out! Alongside special guests Gee and Dan Atherton, the media crew got to enjoy a lengthy downhill run featuring rocky alpine terrain, forested areas with loose but grippy dirt, and looser, dustier lower sections. Since then I’ve been riding them on my home trails in various weather conditions, so read on to find out how they fared through my on-trail testing.
Continental Kryptotal Tires – Construction Features
The Kryptotal is an enduro tire with front and rear specific tread designs intended for mixed terrain. Continental says the tires are designed to offer a balance of grip, braking traction and rolling resistance.
The front tire features large side knobs, with alternating double and triple row center knobs. There are sipes on all the side knobs and most of the center knobs. The knobs have steep and shallow ramps, and there is a fair bit of empty space between them.
The rear Kryptotal tire offers large side knobs of a similar shape to the front tire, but they sit on slight inward angles. In between are alternating double rows of wide and triangular center knobs, and the triangular knobs also alternate between two slightly different shapes. This tread features sipes on every knob, and like the front, the tread leaves some room between the knobs.
I’m riding a Kryptotal Fr SuperSoft front tire and a Kryptotal Re Soft rear. Both are 29×2.4”, and both have Continental’s Enduro casing. The Enduro casing is a single-ply casing that features Apex protection to resist pinching. The SuperSoft compound is designed to maximize grip, braking traction and control, while the Soft compound aims to offer a mix of solid grip and improved rolling resistance.
Model Lineup
The Kryptotal Fr front 29” tire is available with Trail, Enduro or Downhill casings. DH or Enduro casings come in SuperSoft or Soft rubber compounds, and Trail casings come with Soft or Endurance compounds. Most variants come in 2.4” widths only, but the Enduro/Soft tire and the Trail/Endurance models also come in 2.6”.
The Kryptotal Re rear 29” tire is also sold with all three casing options, but DH casings are offered with SuperSoft or Soft compounds, Enduro models are available in Soft only, and Trail models come with the Endurance compound only. Rear DH models are 29×2.4” only, but the Enduro/Soft and Trail/Endurance models offer a 2.6” width too.
27.5” models are also available: Front tires come in DH/SuperSoft, Enduro/Soft, or Trail/Endurance, all 2.4” wide. Rears are available with the DH casing (SuperSoft or Soft compound), Enduro/Soft or Trail/Endurance. All are available in 2.4” or 2.6” widths except the DH/SuperSoft which only comes in 2.4”.
Continental Kryptotal Actual Weight
Continental lists the weight for the Kryptotal Fr (29×2.4”, Enduro/Supersoft) at 1205g, while my scale showed it at 1210g. The Kryptotal Re (29×2.4”, Enduro/Soft) is listed at 1165g, but it actually came up a bit below that at 1140g on my scale.
Ride Impressions
Both the front and rear Kryptotal’s beads were a tight fit on my rims, but not difficult to mount. It did take a good blast of air from my compressor to seat them. The sidewalls are fairly stiff considering their reinforced single ply construction.
I did notice some minor sweating of sealant through the sidewalls after the tires were installed for a couple weeks. I could see small wet spots evenly spread out on both tires, but nothing too concerning. After weeks on my bike and plenty of rides, the tires are both holding air normally and no excessive sweating or sealant leaks have surfaced.
Climbing
As an enduro tire you’d hope the Kryptotals would be decent tires to climb with, and I’d say they are. First off, they come in at reasonable weights, especially considering they are quite knobby and the sidewalls feel pretty robust.
It would be an exaggeration to call the Kryptotals a fast rolling tire, but given their large knobs they do roll along fairly easily. They’re no match for something like a Maxxis Dissector (which I was riding before the Kryptotals) but they roll pretty easily compared to other enduro tires.
Although they held pretty well on wet terrain, the Kryptotals didn’t amaze me with their grip over wet roots. My rear wheel slipped a few times while climbing rooty trails on damp days, but I rode another bike equipped with Maxxis Minions in similar conditions and the Minions were pretty comparable. The Kryptotals were hardly a problem on damp rides, but I’ve enjoyed better grip from tires that are specifically intended for wet conditions.
Descending – Dry Conditions
My first impression of the Kryptotals was that they find plenty of grip through rough rocky sections of trail. The front and rear are both pretty knobby treads, and those knobs grab onto whatever they can. I noticed the tires held traction very nicely in the rocky alpine terrain on our heli drop.
Furthering that, the Kryptotals also did great on packed dirt with loose gravelly rocks on top. Those knobs seem to act like little fingers, reaching out and finding traction on uneven or loose surfaces really well.
I ride in loose, dusty conditions in the summertime and the Kryptotals tracked through deep dust with ease. Braking also proved to be impressive in the dust: There’s a steep, loose chute I ride often and the Kryptotal combo made it no problem for me to keep my speed under control.
In addition to providing great grip on dry rock slabs, the Kryptotal tires track over hardpack dirt nicely. Riding one fast, hard-packed trail I did feel like the tires were grabbing the trail surface rather than skimming over it. Continental bills these tires as ideal all-around treads, and they don’t have any real weak spots in dry conditions.
Damp Conditions
Where I ride the dirt soaks up rain like a sponge, so despite my best efforts to get muddy I can’t really comment on the Krytotal’s mud shedding abilities. We just don’t get that sticky mud that packs up on tires in my area. That said, I did get several chances to ride in ideal damp conditions. On tacky dirt, the Kryptotals offered excellent grip, which only got better if the trail had a loose surface layer for the knobs to dig into. In these ‘hero dirt’ conditions, the tires railed berms with Velcro-like grip!
As for braking, the luggy Kryptotals dug into damp dirt really well, and the rear seems particularly eager to stop itself.
The Kryptotal tires did maintain good traction on wet rooty/rocky trails. They offered decent grip on damp slabs, and I only had one major rear end slip-out while speeding down a wet, rocky descent. I’ll gladly accept that was just rider error, as I felt perfectly planted on other rides down descents littered with slick rocks and roots. I would only expect better performance from wet weather specific treads.
Cornering
On anything from dry trails to damp dirt, the Kryptotal Fr’s SuperSoft side lugs locked into corners really well. Once leaned onto those lugs I felt very solid holding lines around berms or corners. The Kryptotal’s ability to find traction on looser surfaces ensured good grip in steep, dusty corners or when creeping down rocky turns covered with tiny ball-bearing rocks.
I didn’t find anything odd or inconsistent about how this tire combo leans you into turns – the front tire doesn’t feature the roundest profile but it does transition onto the side lugs smoothly. At that point the big lugs dig in and do their job well.
Sidewall Support
The Enduro casing’s Apex reinforced sidewalls won me over, as they feel pretty heavy duty considering the pedal-friendly weight of the tires. I never felt any lack of support railing through corners, and most impressively throughout all my test rides I only took one noteworthy hit to my rear rim. There are plenty of chunky rocks on my local trails, but the Kryptotals protected my rear wheel from nasty impacts (and without tire inserts – but bear in mind I’m a lightweight rider). Compared to Maxxis’ Exo+ casings, I found the Kryptotal’s Enduro sidewalls notably better at resisting impacts.
Wear and Tear
I have been riding the Kryptotal tires since late August, and there is nothing concerning to report about wear and tear. I don’t see any alarming rate of wear on the SuperSoft front tire, I’ve had no punctures or burps with either tire, and I haven’t damaged the sidewalls at all.
The Continental Kryptotal Fr Enduro/SuperSoft retails for $91.95, and the Kryptotal Re Enduro/Soft sells for $86.95. Prices vary between other models and sizes, ranging from $62.95-102.95.
