The Mountain King is a great all-conditionsTire for wet or dryTerrain. Big, high air volume casingThat's a perfect match forToday's 5-6"Travel full suspension mountain bikes. claimed 620 grams (2.2")
I have tested the Protection version of the 2.4 Continental Mountain King tires over the last several months on my Ibis Mojo. I have been able to cross compare them against several other tires in all sorts of variable terrain, and I must say they are primo! Long Live the Mountain King. I have used the normal version of the Mountain King 2.4 on my 29er for almost a year, and I have been very satisfied with them, except for their weak sidewalls that on occasion can be prone to tears and punctures, so the Protection version had piqued my interest. Continue reading →
Submitted by
Baiden
a Cross Country Rider
from San Antonio
Date Reviewed: January 20, 2012
Strengths: Looks, light weight, low rolling resistance
Weaknesses: flats, price, weak side walls
Bottom Line:
Tires look great and are very light. I ride a lot of rocky trails and eat up any tire I use. The Mtn Kings lasted as long as the usual wear I get. This tire does flat easy (really easy) due to the thin side walls. Also these tires flex A llot, more than any other tire I have ridden. I thought for a while I had broken a spoke but it turned out to be the flexible side walls. The tires may be too thin. Overall, money was worth it but moving on to a different tire.
Submitted by
doublenines
a Cross Country Rider
from Westchester, NY
Date Reviewed: January 1, 2012
Strengths: Grips and corners on dry, loose trails
Weaknesses: Wet roots and rocks
Bottom Line:
This review is for the regular Mountain Kings (non-chili, non-folding bead).
Bought these tires (used but almost new) on Ebay for a their open tread design. Immediately loved them on the Autumn trails. They grip really well on dry, loose trails (leaf covered) and the cornering was excellent. They shed all the buildup as well. However, they are a nightmare on wet roots and rocks! They cannot grip anything wet, so be prepared to slide around a bit.
Similar Products Used: Kenda Navegals, Maxxis Crossmarks
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz Blur XC on stock Mavic rims (running tubes)
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
tyrebyter
a Weekend Warrior
from New Mexico
Date Reviewed: December 5, 2011
Strengths: Light, fast, decent traction
Weaknesses: Weak, wear rate
Bottom Line:
Good first impression, able to stay on line, efficient climbing, traction on rock and loose stuff which is most of what I ride. Rear tire was gone at 100 miles. Front tire did not want to hold air without tube; not the tire's fault since it wasn't made for that, but when I cleaned out the sealant and put a tube in, the tire was horribly misshapen and unusable. Put the worn out rear tire up front and it too was distorted beyond useability. Could blame it on the sealant I suppose, but that's never happened with any other tire I've used. In any case, the wear rate makes this tire a very expensive proposition at 50 cents a mile. Think I'll try some others, but probably not Contis.
Similar Products Used: Rocket Ron, Panaracer, Kenda Nevagal
Bike Setup: RMB Altitude 50 RSL
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
hoolie
a Cross Country Rider
from Oakland, CA
Date Reviewed: November 29, 2011
Strengths: Good volume in 2.4 size (actually are 2.5 inches at 30 psi). Casing is 2 3/16 inches. For Continental this is a strength. Nice void areas that hold up well to rocks. They roll better than you would think on smooth surfaces.
Weaknesses: You need to order larger size than you think w/ Conti. They are slippery when wet on smooth rocks/logs. They are fine in regular mud and wet dirt/sand. They are able to hold pounds of mud if sticky clay mud.
Bottom Line:
This is a really good tire. I would have waited to review it with more rides but just did a 4 hr Skyline Napa 90% singletrack ride in wet rocks/mud/fast flowy dry clay/leaf covered semi-epic. Really hard ride. I was nervous about sliding out but as I put in hours started to really like these tires at about 32psi. I will be riding these at 29 psi now. The rubber pyramids are supple, so at a point they flex and give way under braking-you really need to feather the brakes or they skid. I still like Nevegals for large volume but these are very light comparatively. I ALMOST gave this 3 chili's for rating. 3 for value(good).
Similar Products Used: Nevegal 2.3, Ignitor 2.1, Hutch Toro 2.15, Schwalbe Albert, Geax Mezcal 2.1(awesome in dry conditions). Oh, Farmer Johns in the 8o's
Bike Setup: GT Carbon Marathon Pro XTR level, UST XT Wheels.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
kona_hei_hei_100
a Cross Country Rider
from Bedford, England, UK
Date Reviewed: November 25, 2011
Strengths: Do well in just about any situation
Weaknesses: Got a puncture on first outing, but not happened since, and I was riding some rocky terrain that day
Bottom Line:
This review is for the new overhauled 2011 Mountain King 2.2 standard tyre.
I was running Maxxis Aspen tyres (summer tyres) and now its November and winter I wanted something more suitable for the UK winter months.
I got the new MK 2.2's from Halfords for £17 each, shop around and you can get a pair for £30, which makes these tyres incredible value. Just 1 Maxxis Aspen or other comparable tyre is £30+.
I can only presume previous bad reviews for this tyre are for the first version of the tyre. It has now been revamped for 2011 and has different tread pattern to the picture above.
Ive put 60 miles on these tyres now, all on local trails and 2 different red routes, in UK November conditions (cold and muddy and slippy!).
All I can say is these tyres rock! So far they've really impressed, they just do well in every situation and condition. On loose wet mud theyre controllable, on wet woodwork they still slide around, but nothing compared to the Aspens I was running. They perform well everywhere.
For me, Im not sure I will ever need a different tyre now, great performance and great value for money.
Submitted by
mmbrad
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Rosa, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2011
Strengths: Light weight, great tread pattern, can be run tubeless
Weaknesses: Knobs tear off the tires very easily. We have both 2.2 and 2.4 sizes and have lost large outer knobs on both sizes after 50 miles of riding.
Bottom Line:
Use caution if purchasing these tires. They are potentially dangerous and could fail while riding.
Similar Products Used: Continental Mountain King UST, Schwalbe
Bike Setup: Cannondale Prophet, Mavic Crossmax ST wheels
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
jumper780
a Cross Country Rider
from San Antonio, Texas
Date Reviewed: October 21, 2011
Strengths: -They look nice
Weaknesses: -Poor quality control at Conti
-Treads tore off within 50 miles
-Sidewall started to show wear within 50 miles
-Feels a bit clumsy compared to the trail kings
Bottom Line:
Tried purchasing a pair of these after being really happy with the Trail King 2.2s. Well, big mistake. After just 50 miles the knobs started tearing off on the rear tire. Yes, I said 50 miles. Even the rubber around the knob tore off with it to where the white threads were showing. Luckily I only had the tires a couple of weeks and biketires works with manufacturers on warranties. I went back to the Trail Kings and wont stray again. The tire feels a little clumsy compared to the Trail King also.
Bike Setup: '10 Santa Cruz Blur LT2 with all the bling
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
macroman
a Cross Country Rider
from Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 10, 2011
Strengths: Traction on semi-wet dirt
Weaknesses: Tire Integrity
Bottom Line:
Tire came stock on my 2011 Rocky Mountain Altitude. Less than 100km on the tire (rear) and the rubber actually pulled off the tire bead. It was as if some stiching or glue let go and the side wall peeled off the tire bead. I have never been a big fan of Continental tires. It seems I have had problems with tires falling apart from this manufacturer. I had an open mind with this new set of tires on my new bike. The riding I do is classified as trail riding and the terrain is not overly aggressive. Actually, any tire should be able to hold together on the trails I ride. Since they came stock on the bike I had to look up what a replacement cost would be and at $60 these tires are severely over priced and quality is suspect. At this point I will be taking the front tire off because I have no faith in this brand. I have given this rubber the lowest rating - I won't use it and I can't in good conscience recommend this tire to others.
Submitted by
MikeyGulch
a Weekend Warrior
from Evergreen, CO USA
Date Reviewed: September 30, 2011
Strengths: Great traction
Weaknesses: Treads are falling apart, knobs are cracking or in some cases, completely torn-off. Sidewalls are showing excessive wear, working on warranty situation.
Bottom Line:
Avoid buying these, as I'm learning that they're having a number of issues with these. May be better suited for softer trail conditions, but surely can't hang in CO.
Submitted by
preludedriven
a Cross Country Rider
from Fontana, Ca, USA
Date Reviewed: September 17, 2011
Strengths: Seems lightweight for the amount of traction you get. Pretty smooth rolling.
Weaknesses: Poor treadwear (Supersonic Version) on the rear. Price should be lower to compete with other tires on the market.
Bottom Line:
I purchased the Supersonic version to save some weight. Very good tire with lots of traction and low rolling resistance. My rear tire ended up wearing fast, and actually lost a couple knobs from hard braking.
I will try the protection w/ black chilli compound as I'm sure these will be more durable.
Similar Products Used: Panaracer Fire XC Pro, Nevegal
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
heckmanlloyd
a Weekend Warrior
from Boonville, MO
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2011
Strengths: Great traction, puncture resistant, lightweight, folding tire
Weaknesses: Wear rather quickly?!? money money money! When my wife found out what I paid for these...
Bottom Line:
My first time out on these tires I got a pinch flat. I'm not blaming the tire. I was trying something new with the new tires. I increased the psi to 28 lbs and have never had an issue since. I have had no problems with traction in or out of the saddle. They climb great on loose rocks and seem to do well in light mud. I did run off the trail into a thorn bush, pulled the prickers out of the tires and found no leaking air. Overall decent tire, the price is a bit more than I would have liked to have paid.
Similar Products Used: IRC MythosXC tires, Schwalbe Rocket Ron, some other unknown brand
Bike Setup: 2002 Gary Fisher Marlin: Mostly original
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
ANTHONY ATTWOOD
a Cross Country Rider
from north yorkshire
Date Reviewed: August 12, 2011
Strengths: Bombproof With great sidewall strength(protection version) Weight is brilliant and folding tyre sits very well on rim even when running very low pressures. A great looking tyre if you worry about things like that and a great all rounder and extremely quick and fast rolling.
Weaknesses: Nothing so far and certainly no pinch flats like some people on here have complained about????? Do people really ride the correct tyrp pressures for the conditions that they ride or just stick 25psi in back and fron and ride rocks expecting the tyre to hold up to this abuse? If this applys to you I would suggest you ride a 215,35,19 off a car and it may hold up for you. Only bad side is the price £50 pounds for a top of the range casing but they do last a long time and stay even wearing.
Bottom Line:
Bottom line is that these tyres are great for my typr of riding which is trail centers with lots of natural pack single track with plenty of mixed groung including loose rocks and lots of nasty tree roots to throw you over the bars lol. The continentals I use are race king with protection side wall 2.0 on the rear with 45psi and a 2.2 mountain king with supersonic protection side walls running slightly less on the front40psi ish and just enough pressure so that the tyre dont move about on the rim to much but not to much so that the tyre slides when the ground is damp early on a morning. Your have to mess with your pressures on any tyres until you get it right and with the continentals this was easy to achive by slightly over inflating and just letting a few psi out at a time to achive maximum performance and great stability. Im 6ft 7ins and 18 stone and the tyre set up that I have makes me feel safe and have great control at high speed downhill sections with a uneven surface and pretty well suicidal sections like the spooky wood downhill at Glentress riding center in Scotland! You need a good set of tyres for this mad downhill and without a good set of rubber your asking for bother and im sure there are many riders out there who can confirm this. Bottom line for me is that Im panaracer through and through and up until 6 months ago i would not ride anythin else but i looked at these tyres on a demo bike and had a play about with them and now i love the contis so much that i have 5 sets of panas just sitting about in the shed and i wont be using them becuase im hooked well and trully on the continental mountain king on the front and the awesomely fast and safe race kings on the back this is the prefect set up and i have changed my biking partners thoughts on tyres and he also uses the same set up and he is as picky as the queen. Dont get put off by a few people slating the tyres just get out and but a set and run the correct pressures in your tyres for the type of riding that your doing just dont expect any tyre to peform at the same pressures when its obvious that your going to need more or less depending on the conditions!!!!! Dont be afraid to try different pressures and as much as 20 psi.
Favorite Trail: GLENTRESS FOREST RED ROUTE/DALBY FOREST RED ROUTE
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At: WESTBROOK CYCLES STO
Similar Products Used: Schwalbe nobby nic/rocket ron I love panaracer xc pro but cant really say that they are the same sort of tyre they are heavy in comparison and made of a totaly different compound
Bike Setup: Scott mc ltd genius sram x0 running gear with truvativ noir carbon crank
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
pulpwoody
a Cross Country Rider
from austin, tx
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2011
Strengths: Light? Ummm....still thinking.....
Weaknesses: Not enough traction for me. Pinch flats. Not strong enough
Bottom Line:
Tires are a very personal thing, kinda like your favorite beer. Some people love IPA's, some people don't. Same with tires. So here's my personal take on these tires.
I don't like them. I purchased the Black Chili/Protection model, because I'm really tough on my tires. I need something that can grip the limestone here in Austin, and really be able to take a beating. This is not that tire. The grip is average. Where my Nevegals would grip the limestone ledges, these tires spin. Hell, these tires spun out on granite, which out in Texas, is the same as sandstone in Utah. If a tire can spin out on granite, it's worthless to me.
On one ride, six or seven knobs were shed and the sidewalls got really worked over to the point where you could see the ply underneath. Protection my foot.
For the price of these tires, to me, it'a terrible value.
Now, maybe you have different terrain, you ride differently then I do. I always encourage people to try lots of different tires, because I don't ride like you and vice versa, so trying is really the only way to know. I'm glad I did so I can cross the Mountain King off my list.
Submitted by
lebikerboy
a Weekend Warrior
from North Vancouver
Date Reviewed: July 16, 2011
Strengths: Works well in saturated loamy soil,tree roots,gravel etc.
Rolling resistance is quite low apparently due to the Black
Chili compound.
Weaknesses: A little harder to get on my Mavic rims than previous Contis
I've owned as the inside diameter is slightly less than the previous version in order to be tubeless ready and as a result doesn't require as much liquid latex to seal.
Bottom Line:
This review is for the 2011 Mountain King II 2.2 Race Sport version and has a totally different tread pattern than the picture above.
I haven't used these tires long enough to rate wear, durability etc. however, so far I really like them.
I bought these off ebay for 25% of the list price and have just purchased another pair...
Similar Products Used: Kenda Small Block 8's, Schwalbe Racing Ralph, Schwalbe Nobby Nic, etc. etc.
Bike Setup: Rocky Mountain Blizzard
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
pmanfred
a Cross Country Rider
from Salt Lake City, UT
Date Reviewed: June 28, 2011
Strengths: None, but product failed so horribly it must have been a bad production run - But will not buy Continental tires again just the same.
Weaknesses: Tire disintegrated literally on First Ride.
Bottom Line:
Bought tire to replace a Kenda Nevegal with over 500 miles that had one knob (starting) to pull away. Shop was out of Nevegal and Recommended Mountain King as Substitute.
Rode 18 miles on Park City's Flying Dog Trail. Loading bike to ride Following day and noticed 3 knobs were literally completely gone and many others damaged. Returned Product 2 days after purchase and shop refunded full purchase after seeing how badly tire had failed. Many Thanks to Revolution Cycles in Sandy, UT for standing behind their products.
Well it seems that these are the only 2 tires that have these similiar traits - so curious to hear what your thoughts are on these?
650 grams
german made
2.4 big volume
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I really like the original mountain king for wet and muddy riding but can't find them in the 29er size anymore. Does anyone have a direct comparison between the old and new mounta Read More »
These continental mountain king tires are on sale for $25 at jensonusa...... Are these worth replacing my extremely heavy (1300 gram each) Maxxis Minion DH tires that are on my bik Read More »
**Note: please no reply regarding any other tire manufacture or Continental models. This is very specific to Mountain II and Trail Kings. Thanks in advance**
Hey Folks - I moved Read More »
Hi All,
I'm riding the Kenda Slant 6 26x2.1 tires that came with my bike.
Looking to go to a 2.25 tire with a bit more traction.
I'm considering Racing Ralphs, Rocket Ro Read More »
