Developed as a cross-country racing tire specifically to provide rear-tire drive in loose terrain, Continental's TractionPro provides superior grip on everything but the driest hard-pack. Large, sturdy tread blocks are placed to provide the traction needed for acceleration, still allowing soil and water to be evacuated to prevent mud build-up. Models include wire and Kevlar bead ASC® tread center and Tubeless versions.
Submitted by
NA1NSXR
a Cross Country Rider
from Tustin, CA
Date Reviewed: August 5, 2008
Strengths: Predictability, climbing traction
Weaknesses: Rolling resistance
Bottom Line:
I have had this same tire back when I livedin the northeast and I still have it on my bike now that I am in Southern California, so I have seen most possible riding conditions with this tire on, except for wet rock. The tire performs very well in all situations, but you pay for this performance as it is a very slow roller. Tread wear in the northeast was acceptable, but riding on rockfaces in the southwest has accelerated the wear greatly. I'm pretty sure this thing is long discontinued by now, but for people out there riding for fun and adventure this is a solid choice if you can find one. If you care about speed at all, this one is pretty hard to reccommend. I had it mounted backwards in the rear. I will probably look to try something else when this needs to be replaced.
Submitted by
Peter St-Amour
a Cross Country Rider
from London
Date Reviewed: February 1, 2006
Strengths: Grip, quality
Weaknesses: Drag on harder surfaces, not the most advanced design, do rumble strangely on tarmac.
Bottom Line:
An older design I picked up dusty and unloved from the corner of a bike shop. My benchmark for winter tyres are Trailrakers and IRC Mudmads, which are fantastic, although for the sake of experience I thought I'd try something different this year. They grip really well in the deep mud, and keep a line. No problems with wheelspin (I use on the rear only) and it's unreasonable to expect anything to grip over wet or exposed routes or rocks. That said, the hard compound Continental use doesn't help their cause. On balance not as free rolling, light or supple as a Trailraker, but if you need something different for the winter (and if Continental still make them, which I doubt) then give them a spoodle.
Similar Products Used: Panaracer Spike (remember those?), Panaracer Trailraker
Bike Setup: XC
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Submitted by
Ryan
a Cross Country Rider
from Bozeman, MT, USA
Date Reviewed: November 1, 2004
Strengths: Climbing and cornering traction in wet or soft conditions.
Weaknesses: Rolling resistance. Truly staggering amounts of rolling resistance.
Hardpack cornering is poor.
Sidewalls rot quickly.
Heavy (well over 600g for a narrow, foldable 2.0)
Bottom Line:
There is no situation in which these tires are superior to their competition.
The soft side-lugs fold and squirm on hardpack, so you'll get better handling and much lower rolling resistance with something meant for hardpack.
Traction on soft ground is outstanding and mud-shedding is above average, but even in such conditions, the rolling resistance is so high that I can't justify using this tire. You could find similar traction in a faster tire or you could run a mud/soft-specific downhill tire with a light casing and get more traction with similar rolling resistance.
You can find tires that are equally good in soft conditions, better on firm ground, and roll dramatically faster. If you do, for some reason, choose to use this tire, I think it's better on the rear.
Similar Products Used: I currently have 20 tires in my garage and all of them are still in service. There are plenty more that have come and gone.
Bike Setup: Titus QuasiMoto set up for long-travel cross-country (under 30 lbs., narrow rims).
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Submitted by
Ashwin Amanna
a Cross Country Rider
from Blacksburg, VA
Date Reviewed: July 8, 2004
Strengths: fairlt light, easy to mount, good in corners
Weaknesses: Slips out on wet roots, knobs too hard
Bottom Line:
I was hoping that the scoop profile of the knobs would make it a good overall tire. And it does do well in dry conditions and holds corners well. However I found it slipping out on any wet root. Even the slightest pedaling on a wet root and it would spin. I think the knobs are too hard and don't grip enough. I'm running it with Stans No tubes with pressures between 30 and 35. With all the rain we've been having these are a bust for me.
Submitted by
Keck Baker
a Cross Country Rider
from Virginia
Date Reviewed: September 7, 2003
Strengths: not many. corners nice in wet terrain
Weaknesses: After having this tire for less than a month it is completly destroyed. I ride a alot of different terrain. I went up to the mountains last week to ride up and then down about 20 miles on really narly rock. The tire is dead, knobs are poping off and exposing the brown-tan layer underneith. I have been riding since 1993 and have never had such junk.
Bottom Line:
buy this tire if you never blaze down rocky terrain
Strengths: Traction/grip in any condition except asphalt. Great Life on tread. Made in Germany.
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
I have not used this tire on the front, but it is the best rear tire I used. It may not be the best on the road but as the description says it is a cc tire. I bought two of the older Duro tires used. I have put over 200 miles on the one tire and it still looks the way it did when I bought it. Great Tire!!
Strengths: Traction. Reasonable wear. Traction. Very good self-cleaning tread. Traction.
Weaknesses: Vibrations on the road. Not the fastest tire out there. Continental has stopped making this tire as far as I can tell.
Bottom Line:
Traction. This tire out climbs and out corners any other tire I have tried. The last two WORS Cups have experienced near torrential down pours either the day of or day before the race. In both races I was able to climb every section of trail, often when other riders had to dismount and climb. Slipped some on wet roots and rocks, but anything is going to slip then. I usually save these tires for a rainy day, so they don't get many miles on them, since they aren't the fastest tire around. On brief road rides to the trails, you can certainly feel the knobs flex, but thats not a big deal since I am using them for the off road traction they provide in wet conditions. This tire got me up a climb that I had failed to be able to accomplish in even the driest conditions with other tires, and it was wet when I tried it with this tire. I use the Traction on both front and back. Not the best all around tire out there, but certainly one of the best when it comes to wet and muddy conditions.
Bike Setup: Airborne Lancaster, SID SL, XT Drivetrain w/SRAM PC-99 Hollowlink chain, Avid Single Digit Seven brakes and levers, Chris King headset, Chris King hubs w/DT Revolution Spokes and nipples w/Mavic x517 rims, Titec Ti seatpost, Titec Phat Head Ti stem, Titec PG Ti handle bars, WTB dual compound grips, Continental Traction(when wet and muddy) or Kenda Kharisma Crystal.
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Submitted by
Phil
a Cross Country Rider
from Guildford, UK
Date Reviewed: January 10, 2003
Strengths: Traction - it does what it says on the tin. This tyre - paired with an Explorer pro on the front - gets me up wet and dry climbs better than anything before it. It's great in gloop as well and we get a lot of that round here and it has great mud-shedding too. Also, it avoids punctures better than the Trailblaster it replaced. Fantastic combination. And light too in the kevlar version.
Weaknesses: Not had it long enough to see it it shows the same problems others have experienced. For the time being, I'm in love with it.
Similar Products Used: Specialized, Panaracer Trailblaster (overrated - puncture prone and slippy as hell)
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz Superlight, Mavic X618 rims on Hope ti XC hubs, Fox Float RL fork
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Submitted by
Robert
a Weekend Warrior
from Savannah, GA USA
Date Reviewed: December 17, 2002
Strengths: So far has good griping power on all types of terrain. Mud, loose rock, leaf covered trails, dry dirt, and over roots. Is directional for using it either on the front or rear rim.
Weaknesses: On the road has a weird vibration, I would guess from the heavy knobbies.
Bottom Line:
Savannah this time of year is nothing but mud. I am talking 4 to 5 inches deep. Standing water so deep your feet are in it when you pedal and it is loaded with roots.
These tires grip great. Going thru the mud and water, I was spending most of my time with my rear tire spinning, I have had little to no slippage. Spots where my old rear tire was spinning out on roots as you climbed, or on turns where the rear tire would slip out from under me in the mud are over.
So far they have gripped great, what small climbs we do have I have been able to climb over, I am not getting the spin out in the mud that I was getting, and when climbing over roots that are wet I am not spinning out either.
The only draw back has been on the road. They have a really heavy weird vibration.
Having saved 10 to 15$ buying on ebay as compaired to the bike shop I give it a 5, as for overall rating a 4 since I have not had a chance to ride any really good trails with it.
Similar Products Used: Cheng Sheng knobbies which were great for the last year and a half till they just plain wore out.
Bike Setup: Giant Rainer SE with upgraded rims, tires, rear derailer, and a new crank set.
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Submitted by
Giuliano
a Weekend Warrior
from Italy
Date Reviewed: August 26, 2002
Strengths: Good grip, does not bounce too much.
Weaknesses: Poor grip on wet surfaces. Wears fast.
Bottom Line:
I used it only on the rear wheel. It's a good tire in all conditions BUT when the ground is wet stay away from roots and rocks. I had 3 of these and I never had problems like rips and so.
Submitted by
Chainey
a Weekend Warrior
from Saratoga.NY
Date Reviewed: August 18, 2002
Strengths: This tire is lite for its size and will grip most anything in most conditions.
Weaknesses: Side walls collapses, tread wears fast and grip goes fast.
Bottom Line:
This tire gets off to a flying start with good grip hooking up in all conditions. Not so good on the front as it will squirm like crazy under hard braking. On the back it can do the job well until the edges go and then it performs badly.I got these as my previous cross country tire split on the sides and the tractions are replacements, but one of them has blown its side and I'm kind of worried about the other one. In short, a good tire with good grip and lite but watch out on the sidewall scene.
Submitted by
Chris Smalley
a Cross Country Rider
from Coral Gables, FL
Date Reviewed: August 16, 2002
Strengths: Great dry climbing. Rolls easily. Good rear tire.
Weaknesses: Wears a bit fast. Would not consider it for a front. Could not find one to replace the one I wore out.
Bottom Line:
Bought this in New Zealand (Wet conditions). It was pretty good in the wet. Slippery on roots ( is there a tire that isn't?). Moved to Pasadena, CA (Very dry, lots of climbing). Awsome dry climbing, even when pretty worn out.
Bike Setup: GT Avalanche / Rock Shox Psylo XC. WTB Velociraptor on front.
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Submitted by
Chuck
a Cross Country Rider
from Dallas
Date Reviewed: August 6, 2002
Strengths: Surefooted. rolls fast and holds the line. good F & B
Weaknesses: Kind of expensive and the sidewalls split
Bottom Line:
These tires were great at first but then PoP from no place the sides on both of them splits. Could not believe. Goes to my bike shack and the Guy replaces them both no problem and tells me ........Yeah it happens all the time. So I guess 3 chillis for real good service but its gotta be 1 for a real bad manufacture.
Submitted by
Superboy
a Cross Country Rider
from Massachusetts
Date Reviewed: August 1, 2002
Strengths: None
Weaknesses: Heavy and slow, holds mud and gravels, sidewalls prone to catastrophic failure, slips on any hard wet surface (roots and rocks in early spring are terrifying on this turkey of a tire!).
Bottom Line:
AS winter slowly faded into early spring I decided to give these tires a try in the early Massachusetts wet trail conditions. Worst tires I've ever used, First, the oversized lugs failed to shed mud, they slipped on every rock and root encountered,-everytime I rode on them this spring, I could barely control my bike. And finally my front and rear tires both splits from the sidewall through the tread area within the first month of use. Honestly, over the years I've found that straight-foward medium tread xc tires (Panaracer Fie xc pro, hutch python, michelin wild grippers) out perform the supposed bad-condition mud and muck ires (Velociraptors/ Traction Pros) in all conditions. The xc tires shed mud much more effectively, they roll fast, hook up better on hard (wet!!!) surfaces, and have proven more durable. The continentals blow big chunks..boo hiss!
Similar Products Used: Velociraptors, Hutchinson Alligators, Michelin Hot S
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Submitted by
LARBIKE
a Weekend Warrior
from San Antonio, TX USA
Date Reviewed: April 29, 2002
Strengths: The rear tire hooks up very well in dry conditions. Climbing and rear traction is excellent on dry dirt, gravel, and broken-up limestone. This tire is fairly skittish when used as a front tire, although I found I could reduce this tendency somewhat by reversing the front tire direction.
Weaknesses: The major weakness of this tire is on wet/muddy surfaces. They slip on wet rocks and roots, and I have had a couple of unexpected hard falls due to this. These tires also give a noticeably harsher ride than my old velociraptors.
Bottom Line:
I got these on clearance for $15/each. I think that, for the money, these were a good deal. I believe that the Conti's are superior in dry conditons to Velociraptors but fall short in wet/muddy conditions. Has anyone had similar experiences with silicium compound tires?
