The revolutionary innovation: the first Continental-downhill-tire with tubeless technology has a completely new tread design with superior performance. Specially designed shoulder blocks offer excellent handling in turns at high speed. The "Endless Edge" tread block design features five-cornered-blocks in variable orientation for grip and effortless, precise steering in all conditions and for all kinds of soils. The VerticalPro provides smooth rolling on hard pack and stable handling on gravel with extremely high limits. The tire is suitable for front and rear use. VerticalPro is also available in wire and Kevlar bead.
Vertical Pro 26 x 2.30 660 grams (wire) 590 grams (Kevlar)
Vertical Pro TL(tubeless) 26 x 2.30 960 grams (wire)
Strengths: Good side wall protection, I could stab these tyres and they would still roll. Fast for a chunky tyre
Looks the part
Weaknesses: holds well on concrete and asphalt. But hang on, i purchased a MTB tyre???
Bottom Line:
Crap really, I feel really unsafe on these donuts. like people before me have stated one minute all seems OK but then WAMMM they just seem to go out on you with no real warning.
For the rest of you that think they are great so did I. They seem to offer a good package, but once you have hit the trail like a piece of cheese to a grader, you think what the!! after a few more time it's like get F@ck i'm not that incompetent
Submitted by
elguapo
a Cross Country Rider
from Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2011
Strengths: It rolls
Weaknesses: Lets loose like no other!
Bottom Line:
Will come out from under you when you least expect it and it feels like you just hit a patch of ice. I now have a BROKEN LEG to prove it. Using tire on rear only. It had come out from under me a few times before, but this last time when I broke my leg I thought I would check to see what others say and sure enough there are reports of it letting lose! Appears to hook up most of the time but when it goes, it goes fast and hard...like no other tire I have experienced. Avoid this one at all costs! I love Continental tires and will buy more in the future but obviously not this one and wanted to make sure I got the warning out there.
Similar Products Used: Specialized, Continental, WTB
Bike Setup: Specialized S-Works Stumpjumper
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Submitted by
Chainy
a Weekend Warrior
from Germany
Date Reviewed: January 4, 2011
Strengths: Pretty light weigtht, nice volume, reasonable rolling resistance, quite pinch-resistant for that weight.
Weaknesses: Wears rather quickly, thorns love them, loud on tarmac (is that bad? yet rolls rather well)
Handling on gravel and in foul weather rather iffy.
Bottom Line:
Grip levels are quite high, but you won't feel the transition from grip to drift. Most tires start drifting slowly, this one will just let go and down you go. Makes for some iffy handling.
Conti's Mountain King transitions ways smoother, grips even better and still rolls as good. (Yet it wears ways quicker)
Schwalbe's Nobby Nic are quite comparable.
Similar Products Used: Schwalbe Nobby N. & King Jim, Conti Mountain King
Bike Setup: 130/130mm AM fully
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Submitted by
DesertRiderAZ
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Monica, CA
Date Reviewed: October 26, 2009
Strengths: Point and shoot. It goes where you point it, climbs incredibly well, sticks to hardpack dirt, rocks, and roots, glides through sand and gravel. There's a reason this tire has the highest rating out of any with 100+ MTBR reviews. This tire is extremely durable (lasting through years of hard weekend riding). Recently re-released with Black Chili rubber, which is supposed to provide even greater traction. Buy it while you can! And send Continental a message that you love it! Your local bike shop will probably have to order the tire in, as Continental's recent production run was so small it didn't make the catalog. SERIOUSLY, BUY IT.
Weaknesses: The only time this tire ever loses traction is on wet rocks or roots. Hardly a failing, as virtually no tire provides good traction in that situation.
Bottom Line:
The best tire I've ridden. The best tire my riding partners have ridden. Best for traction. Best for durability. Best for navigability.
Special order it from your LBS. You won't look back.
Similar Products Used: Panaracers, Specialized S-Works, IRC Mythos XC
Bike Setup: XT Scandium Dual Suspension Kona
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Submitted by
schlim
a Cross Country Rider
from Hayden, ID US
Date Reviewed: October 5, 2008
Strengths: Amazing grip and cornering traction, decent air volume, only 580g (non-protection sidewall), excels in all conditions but mud. Accelerates nicely due to its low weight.
Weaknesses: Packs up in mud, no biggie. Closer to a 2.2, but has decent air volume.
Bottom Line:
These are quite simply the best tires I have ever run on my bike. My local trail conditions include loose over hardpack, loose babyhead rocks, hardpack dirt, and northwest roots. The Verticals have all the grip, traction, and cornering ability of a Panaracer Fire FR 2.4, but in a 2.3 and 300g lighter per tire. I have had no problems with sidewall cuts, even over sharp rocks at speed. The best thing about them is that I can lean the bike way over without feeling like they are going to break loose. I have only slid out once, and it was at low speed without weight over the front wheel. The Verticals are predictable, comfortable, and bite nicely when climbing.
Strengths: eats uk mud does not clog and up hill grip better than high rollers this is not just a down hill tyer but a trail masterpiece offering lots of grip and brill corner traction
Weaknesses: dont last long but who cares when there cheep and a little hevey for xc and trail but makes up for it wth grip
Bottom Line:
brill value for money i love mine and for the price well worth a try very very good in extreem wet ang trail turning
Submitted by
Chris Lupton
a Weekend Warrior
from Suffolk, UK
Date Reviewed: March 31, 2008
Strengths: Amazing grip. Decent rolling resistance & weight.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
In the slippery, muddy conditions I ride in over winter, these tyres have no equal. I have seen others slide all over the place where these tyres have helped me hold a line. I haven't tried them in summer conditions yet, but on the few dry hardpack rides I have done this winter, thet have rolled well & gripped just as well as in mud. They aren't overly heavy either.
Submitted by
David Bill
a Cross Country Rider
from Jacksonville, NC
Date Reviewed: February 1, 2008
Strengths: Great Grip,low rolling resistance, durable
Weaknesses: none so far
Bottom Line:
This tire has saved me on a lot of corners where the Mesquitoes would have dumped me on my head. Most popular tire on the local trails of Eastern North Carolina. This tire will warn you before it slips and then find traction anyway. Only complaint is I would like a larger size to use up front.
Similar Products Used: Hutchison Mosquito, Specialized Pro
Bike Setup: 07 Stumpjumper FSR Expert
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Submitted by
John Thompson
a Cross Country Rider
from Plymouth, UK
Date Reviewed: January 20, 2008
Strengths: Useful all round fast trail tyre that combines good grip with low weight and rolling resistance. Excellent in the dry. Sheds mud well. Grips very well at low pressures. Ok on tarmac. Seems to last well. Good for Dartmoor.
Weaknesses: Doesn't seem to grip on slick wet rock at all (slate at coed-y-brenin has casused me some pain because of this) - can range from scary to dangerous in these conditions. Also slippery over wet roots (but what tyre isnt?). Carcass not high enough volume to resist pinch flats at low pressures (I am using tubes so maybe this could be avoided by going tubeless). Too small to inspire confidence on rocky descents. Not really 2.3 - more like 2.1 imho.
Bottom Line:
Seems like a good all round XC / trail tyre for non-hardcore riders. I am always trying others but I keep coming back to these because they offer a realy good compromise between speed and grip. Other tyres offer better grip or volume, but these are really fast for what you get from them.
Submitted by
Paul
a Cross Country Rider
from Nelson, BC Canada
Date Reviewed: November 3, 2007
Strengths: Good for loose dirt.
Weaknesses: Bad for Rocks, trees especially wet ones.
Bottom Line:
I was using Panaracer Cinders(best tire I have used) prior to using the Conti's. First thing I noticed was the tall knobs on the sides wouldn't grab on rocks and trees (wet or dry) causing me to slide off of them due to the knobs bending. The salesman told me that they are a do all tire which I would say isn't correct. I just checked the conti site and they say the same thing. I would say they are more of a loose dirt tire.
Similar Products Used: WTB Mutano and Moto. Panaracer Cinder. Kenda Nevegal. Maxxis Igniter.
Bike Setup: 07 Prophet 3Z.
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Submitted by
Greg Katz
a Cross Country Rider
from Dunstable, MA
Date Reviewed: October 21, 2007
Strengths: Low Rolling Resistence
Weaknesses: Miserable wet performance
Bottom Line:
I'm a Conti fan and that's all I've ridden for years but these tires are treacherous on anything wet other than regular dirt. Wet rocks and roots will put you on the ground pretty quickly. My group usually rides in the early morning so it's usually wet when we start out. It's a combination of the small knows and the hard compound I suppose. Size wise they are more of a 2.2, but I knew that before I got them and they're actually the perfect width for me. Don't know what else to say other than I'm disappointed.
Similar Products Used: Conti Explorer/Traction Pro
Bike Setup: Ellsworth Truth, Fox F100, XTR, etc
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Submitted by
Don Duende
a Cross Country Rider
from Eastern Sierra
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2007
Strengths: Light,wide, fast rolling front tire. Put these on for winter XC riding with Stans tubeless setup. The first week we had snow, then warm weather and cold nights. So, I have been through mud, sand, loose, frozen snow and ice. I love this tire.
Weaknesses: Doesn't look very wide. Looks more like a 2.2 but about as wide as a WTB Mutanoraptor 2.4 and much narrower than the Panaracer Fire FR 2.4 it replaced.
Bottom Line:
Took my bike to the LBS to remove my FR/AM tires and air up a lighter set of tires for winter XC riding. The bike mechanic mounted it up in the wrong direction and I went out and rode. It went up, down and through without complaint. After the ride, while hosing down the bike, I noticed the tire was mounted the wrong way. I took it back and had him remount the tire to rotate in the proper direction. The tire was even better. Handles well in the corners, sand, rocks, a little mud, ice and snow.
