First announced at Eurobike last year, Continental is rolling out some big improvements for their mountain bike tires. Using the same names as the previous range, the tires see a number of improvements from the tread patterns to the labeling. But perhaps most importantly, the tires stand to get a big increase in ride quality thanks to more supple, and more durable, sidewalls.
To get there, Continental changed material to a Cordura Nylon that is not only 20-30g less per tire, but also results in a more air tight tire since the material is more tightly wound. You’ll also find less of a 3D pattern to the sidewalls for more consistent rubber coverage and weights. This is all combined with their Revolution Tubeless Ready system which promises tires that are easier to mount tubeless with more consistency.
One other change that more tire manufacturers should get on board with, is the recommended rim widths printed right on the tire. In this case, the 27.5 x 2.4″ Trail king is meant for 25-30mm rims.
Most of the tread patterns are very similar to the previous versions, but have small tweaks to improve them.
The Mountain King is a 2.3″ tire meant for 23-27mm rims.
Same for the 2.3″ Cross King.
While the 2.2″ Race King is meant for more racy 21-25mm rims.
And Continental’s sole “plus” tire, the 27.5 x 2.6″ Der Baron Projekt is recommended for 29 – 35mm rims.
All of the mountain tires except the Der Baron Projekt are available in 26, 27.5, and 29″ versions for $69 each, while the DBP is only available in a 27.5″ for $84.
