Its developers say it can do anything! Its riders say, “That's myTyre!” Super fast, but nevertheless with a good grip,The X-King was developed withTheTopeak Ergon mountain bike professionalTeam. Despite pronounced studs,The X-King rolls off smoothly and very quietly. No matter if you are on your own or in aTeam, with Race and Mountain King,The super-light X-King easily covers many uses, ranging from cross country/raceTo Alpcross.The X-King simply leaves its competitors behind. Its Black Chili Co
Strengths: Fast rolling
Great traction on first ride
Weaknesses: Not the best traction after first ride
Weak sidewalls
Short life spand
Easy to punture tubes
Bottom Line:
This tire came on my new bike. I loved them the first ride then it all went down hill from there. Not in the fun way either.
After five rides there is a noticable wear on the tires. The sidwalls are starting to crack and i got 3 puntured tubes. On my kendas last year i got 3 the entire season.
I've used mountain kings before and got rid of them after 3 rides cuz they sucked so much and the side walls ripped so thats the end of my Continental experiment. Never again. Total garbage.
Similar Products Used: Maxxis Hi Roller, Maxxis Miniion, Maxxis Crossmark.
Bike Setup: Mavic 721 on a Titus El Guapo and Stans Flow EX on Giant NRS.
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Submitted by
Jon
a Racer
Date Reviewed: February 19, 2013
Strengths: Grip, ride.
Weaknesses: Width is narrow than most of it's competitors. Sidewalls leak if used as tubeless.
Bottom Line:
These tires grip great over all kinds of terrain... they have extremely good braking grip.
When used with a tube this is probably the best tire out there for XC... however, let's face it. People ride tubeless now... it's better... and I'm just like everyone else in that respect. I use Stan's on all of my bikes... and that's where this tire fails. The sidewalls leak slowly, weeping Stan's out of numerous tiny little holes in the sidewall.
I've used dozens of tires throughout the years... different makes models (see below), this is the only tire that I've ever had to air up daily.
Strengths: These tires shed mud and grip in loose terrain very well. I went from GEAX AKA's to these because I live in a very moist area so the trails are mostly wet and sloppy so i needed something knobby to accommodate these conditions. Another very good thing about these tires is that they are fairly fast rolling and don't feel like you're pedaling big tractor tires, even at a low psi.
Weaknesses: A bit on the heavy side.
Bottom Line:
Overall a very good tire for the money. From what I can tell, they have worn well so far. I would buy these tires again
Weaknesses: Weak side walls, no grip on wet or muddy condition
Bottom Line:
On dry terrain I love it, on wet terrain hate it
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Submitted by
Bartek Kasprzyk
a Cross Country Rider
Date Reviewed: November 25, 2012
Strengths: Fast rollin great grip goes good through mud in comparison to other relative tyres like Schwalbe rocket ron
Weaknesses: durability when used in abrasive rocks beside no weknesses
Bottom Line:
I can recommand this tyre for anyone looking for fast good grip tyre with excellent possiblities in curves. My whole team uses mostly this tyre in Performance version weight real is about 515 grams, i used them for whole season no worries ill boy the same setup for my Specialized.You schould not buy this tyre when you are going for hard core All Mountain it wont last too long.
Strengths: New Revo (aka tubless ready)/Protection model leaks less than previous model
Weaknesses: Protection sidewalls are a joke.
Bottom Line:
Got the 2012/2013 X-King 2.4 Protection version. This is the new tubeless ready version. I set it up with Stans. The tire lost about 4 pounds a day for 4 days before finally sealing. Has held air since then. This was a presently surprise from the old version which would bleed slightly for ever. The protection sidewalls on these are a joke. I live in area where their are rocks on the trail. After only 50 miles the protection stuff is wearing off and I can see the tire cord. I guess the protection is good for preventing punctures. However, it is deleterious for scrapes. Tire would be much better off without the Protection coating because it just comes off to quick leaving the sidewall exposed. Tossing the tire after 2 weeks, because I hate sidewall blowouts and it will happen within another week or so.
For comparison to a Kenda Nevegal 2.35 DTC (non tubless ready version)
x-king is lighter
x-king rolls slightly better
x-king round profile vs Kenda flatter profile
Nevegal seals overnight
Nevegal slightly better traction
Nevegal lasts for 4 months, X-King lasted 2 weeks before sidewall was showing inner casing around 70% of tire on both sides.
If you ride in area with no rocks, would be a good tire.
Strengths: Low rolling resistance, good cornering grip, wears well
Weaknesses: Loose surfaces - mud and sand
Bottom Line:
I gave these great value because they were equiped on my 2012 Mamasita. These tires roll very well in my conditions, upland forest cross country. I run a fair amount of pressure in them 25-28 psi but they wear very well. I have probably 300 miles on them and the nips have just barely started to come off the center knobs. They also have really good grip in corners they have only worried me in loose corners but otherwise extremely stable. I would replace them with the same, predictable and good wear.
Strengths: Lightweight and fast in perfect conditions.
Weaknesses: Loose on turns. Awfule in wet conditions or real dry, loose dirt. Wearing out faster than any other tire I've owned.
Bottom Line:
Coming from riding the continental gravity, this isn't at all what I expected. I could hug every curve and turn, nearly laying the bike down with the gravity, never feeling insecure. Since I couldn't find the gravity any more I thought this might be a good alternative....WRONG! This has no traction in tight turns and caused me a pretty bad wreck when I caught a little loose dirt on a ledge. I've lost a lot of speed and confidence with these. The only good thing is they are wearing out super fast so I'll be replacing them soon.
Strengths: Decent weight for a reinforced sidewall, 680 grams for a 29x2.25 ProTection
Weaknesses: Wears fast, not great on loose over hardpack, takes a little longer to become air tight when setup tubeless.
Bottom Line:
I would not buy this tire for rear end use again, maybe front in 2.4. The tire performs decent enough and the sidewalls seem tough. Heads up, after mounting tubeless, ride the tire a few times to ensure it's air tight. It seemed to take a little longer than some other tires to seal up. I think I paid $45 for the 29x2.25 Black Chili ProTection model. I have put around 100 miles on and the tire is close to being smoked with the sand blasted wear look. The center knobs are almost gone and the side knobs are chunking. I think there are about three more rides on it before it goes into the unreliable pile. The tire wasn't overly expensive but it did not last long enough for any amount of money spent. I expect tires to last more than one week.
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Submitted by
J-Man
a All Mountain Rider
Date Reviewed: July 2, 2012
Strengths: Light, Fast Rolling, Great grip in dry and wet (even over roots)
Weaknesses: Doubles as a tire "hole punch" (I got a Tire Pinch almost every 3rd ride)
Thin side wall that started to wear heavily after less then a month!
Very temperamental tyre pressure (hard to find the right fit)
Bottom Line:
I should have know what I was in for when I got a tire pinch on my very first ride, I was useg lower pressure because of muddy conditions... when I fixed the puncture I increased the pressure and slipped and slid for the rest of the ride!
It took a while but I found the right pressure for my riding style (aggressive technical single trek), which meant I had good grip and tire pinches only every 3rd or 4th ride!
I gave these back to the store when I noticed the heavy wear on the side walls not even one month into riding them (approx 350 Km)
These would be worth using if Continental sponsored your rides and replaced the tire free of charge! or if they added a tougher side walls.
I've moved onto Schwalbe Big Betty now, their heavier and slower but offer piece of mid and a hassle free ride is worth it.
Strengths: rolls well, strong sidewall, good grip, So easy to set up tubeless.
Weaknesses: knobs are falling off after 2nd ride!! A little on the heavy side for such small knobs.
Bottom Line:
This is for the 2.4 x-king pro 26". Rolls great and has great sidewall protection but the freakin knobs are already coming off after the 2nd ride. I have these both as a front and rear...but the front has no problems. I have the MK 1, MK2, Vertical pro, Trail Kings, and have had no other issues with any of them, but for some reason, this one is falling apart.
Strengths: great traction, good cornering, climb well, medium rolling resistance for 2.4 tire
Weaknesses: wear quick, weak treads, especialy the middle ones
Bottom Line:
I came to this tires after Maxxis Aspen, they are much better for me, I mostly ride XC roads, so this tire fits perfectly my needs. I ride them with low pressure and result is great grip! :)
Strengths: The 2.4 is a large tire, rolls well, provides good grip in the corners, and is pretty light for its size.
Weaknesses: None for its intended purpose
Bottom Line:
I have the 2.4 race sports and have run them hard for a few months on dirt and pavement. The black chilli in the race sports grip and wear well. If you are looking for a fast all-rounder this is a pretty good choice. The past few years I have run Race Kings front and rear so it takes a little getting used to transition from the center to side knobs.
Weaknesses: Wears quickly, thin sidewalls, EXTREMELY prone to washing out
Bottom Line:
Decent tire for dry hardpack, roots, and large rocks. I say large rocks because if you ever get gravel pits or rocky corners/descents with loose rock, these tires absolutely suck. Of my last three rides, I have washed out three times. Twice on a loose(er) downhill sections, and once coming into rocky corner. These tires simply will not hold their ground on any type of gravel or sand. Living in Michigan this normally wouldn't be much of a problem except we have had an extremely warm and dry spring. Just today I was racing and a quarter of a mile from the finish my rear tire washed out, sending me head over heels, down a hill where I cracked my helmet, bent my derailleur hanger, lost my lead and podium finish. All in all I am extremely disappointed running this as a rear tire, dry weather performance has been poor and wet weather performance has been slightly more successful, but not by much. 2 flaming chilis because as a front tire the X-King has done its job, no washouts there but I will be replacing it as well.
