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Home | Product Reviews | Tire | Continental Escape Pro | ||||
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Submitted by
Ryan
a Weekend Warrior
from Hamilton
Date Reviewed: 2/20/2007 5:59:01 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Strengths: | Light, good climbing traction |
| Weaknesses: | Not a 2.1. Quite skinny infact. That is fine, but the label is misleading. Not that durable. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Cheap Kendas, Hutchinson Mosquitos, Spyders. |
| Bike Setup: | NRS, winman zac 19 rims, with conti escape on rear, kenda bearclaw on front. |
| Bottom Line: | I got this tire lightly used. The tread still had quite a bit of life left. When i mounted it, i was shocked to see how small it was. I was ok with the size though, i figured it would offer less rolling resistance. It rolled ok for a knobie tire, but there are faster options available. The traction was average. It died prematurely when i noticed that it was tearing away from the rim. Over the span of about 15 rides, i got one pinch flat, from bombing down a rocky hill. |
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Submitted by
Jorgex
a Weekend Warrior
from Almada, Portugal
Date Reviewed: 1/27/2006 2:15:07 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Price Paid: | $25 |
| Purchased At: | LBS |
| Strengths: | -continental soft rubber -dry track -great traction (sand/road/uphill/cornering) -rear tire only |
| Weaknesses: | -bad roller -not comfortable at all -not 2.00, more 1.8 -avoid winter or any kind of water and mud |
| Similar Products Tried: | nokians, huchinsons, maxxis, michelins, ritchey zmaxs, continentals... |
| Bike Setup: | Giant escaper'92, Manitou Axel 100mm(om),Hayes disc brake, Mavic mx 321(f) and Mavic D521(r) |
| Bottom Line: | A good tire for dry conditions, specially on sand. Best used as rear tire. There are tires that do the same like michelin HOT S (much more comfortable, the same slow rolling abilities and it's red). Nothing special really. |
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Submitted by
Jonathan jonowee Wee
a Weekend Warrior
from Perth, WA, Australia
Date Reviewed: 4/22/2004 2:22:16 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $5 |
| Purchased At: | A$10 at Xtreme Cycles Perth (Tyre clearance) |
| Strengths: | Review for wire bead model 50-559 - All-round traction (Braking, cornering, etc..) - Cornering nice thanks to Endless Edge tread - Rolling resistance surprising low for this knobby tread, especially compared to my old sluggish Kenda Kenetics. |
| Weaknesses: | - Expensive if you bought them at normal price but then again they are Continentals and they create great tyres. - Sidewalls are thinner than the Kenda's, scary. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Off-road- Kenda Kenetics 26X2.1 On-road- Goodyear slicks 26X1.95 |
| Bike Setup: | Continental Traction Pro on the rear. |
| Bottom Line: | Another good product from Continental. Damn Germans are good. |
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Submitted by
emil lewis
a Cross Country Rider
from berkeley CA USA
Date Reviewed: 11/10/2003 10:23:30 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | pressure drop |
| Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only |
| Price Paid: | $40 |
| Purchased At: | REI |
| Strengths: | solidly built tire |
| Weaknesses: | contiental calls this tire a 2.1, but relative to 95% of the tires out there, it's a 1.95 at best. |
| Similar Products Tried: | in tubeless; hutchenson,panaracer,michelin, schwalbe and in tubed tires....well who remebers tubed tires. |
| Bike Setup: | blur,xtr,crossmax disc. |
| Bottom Line: | i bought this tire today, to set up with stan's, but it's more than 1/2 in. smaller, than a panaracer fire xt. (measured from bead to bead, unmounted, and pressed flat) it looks too narrow for my taste. i'm going to return it, and try the Vertical Pro. |
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Submitted by
Neil
a Weekend Warrior
from Modesto CA
Date Reviewed: 11/6/2003 10:46:41 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $35 |
| Strengths: | Excellent traction, light weight, seems to be wearing well. Quality made |
| Weaknesses: | Rolls slowly, noticibly slower that the explorer pro it replaced |
| Similar Products Tried: | every thing |
| Bike Setup: | Cannondale hardtail...... |
| Bottom Line: | Solid rear tire. Provides exceptional traction, I don't think I have tried another tire that hooked up better. But, it rolls very slowly. Very noticable. It replaced an explorer pro tire, which I think I may go back to. If you want light weight and great traction though, check this one out. |
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Submitted by
Clout
a Cross Country Rider
from Montréal
Date Reviewed: 9/19/2003 10:30:12 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Strengths: | Good traction. Solid with Stan's tubeless setup. Rolling resistance is just fine for such a tire. |
| Weaknesses: | None observed yet. It's made in Thailand, hopefully not by slave children. |
| Similar Products Tried: | SurvivalPro, Hutch Alligator, Ritchey Z-Max |
| Bike Setup: | ExplorerPro Front, Rear rim Mavic X618, Stan's tubeless kit, Steel hardtail. |
| Bottom Line: | I had a very good experience with this tires (installed in the rear). I swaped my Survival Pro because I wanted to reduce my rotating weight and I also felt that the Survival wasn't giving all the traction I required in the trails I do (basically technical forest singletracks (roots, leaves in the fall, rocky but not the the extreme, sometimes muddy). The knobs are too far appart (there is a new version though, might be better). The Escape ProTection combined with Stan's tubeless kit is an excellent tire for general trail riding. I also used it for 12h and endurance racing. Nooo problems. It felt solid and inspired confidence on technical uphills (rock, roots) as well as in downhills (gravel, trails, rock). I usually run 25-30psi but will go as high as 40 for gravel road (I'm 180lbs). I've passed LOTS of racer who were just loosing traction on wet rocks or harpack climbs. Felt quite nice! I'm extremely satisfied with this tire. |
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Submitted by
Someone
a Weekend Warrior
from Albuquerque, NM
Date Reviewed: 7/23/2003 12:02:35 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $41 |
| Purchased At: | LBS |
| Strengths: | Dry, Sand, Hardpack, Rocks, and Gravel |
| Weaknesses: | If it is wet or muddy, might as well walk I hear they wear fast |
| Bottom Line: | -A good tire for dry conditions. -Awesome in gravel and rocks. -Soft compound with small knobs give good traction in hardpack. -If it is wet or muddy these tires will quit on you. -Mud sticks to them like glue. -Slide all over the place on wet rocks and roots. -Small for 2.1's more like 1.9's. -Have been told that they wear extremely fast (the price for the sticky compound) -Expensive compared to other tires (kevlar) |
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Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from PA
Date Reviewed: 6/12/2003 5:46:29 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Similar Products Tried: | Many, many, many. |
| Bottom Line: | Use: Rear tire. Aggressive XC, and XC racing. Great all around tire. I'm using it on the rear with a Explorer on the front. Keep in mind that this tire is being compared with other XC tires in it's weight class. It's performed well in all the conditions I've put it through here in the N'East. Good traction, stopping power, cornering, rolling resistance, and, so far, durability. (Though I've put many miles on this tire I've only used it for about a month.) The tire has performed very well on the rocks, hardpack, mud and as well as any on the wet roots. It has not packed up with mud. Considering it's light weight its held up very well to some very hard trail riding. There may be condition specific tires that will out shine the Escape but for an all around rear tire its done a fine job. This tire is a bit pricy but you get what you pay for. It also seems a bit small for a 2.1. I'm 180# and would probably use a higher volume tire on a hardtail but on my FS bike this low volume tire has not given me any problems. I am using it with Stan's (great stuff). If I'm concerned with speed and weight the Escape/Explorer combination is my first choice. For pure trail riding I'd go with a Conti Vertical Pro on the front and depending on conditions a Vert or Survival Pro on the rear. This same review goes for the Explorer when used as a front tire. I'll repost if I change my mind at the end of the season. Mike |
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Submitted by
Stephen
a Racer
from Austin
Date Reviewed: 4/14/2003 2:36:23 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Depends on how far I want to drive, or ride. |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $40 |
| Purchased At: | Phattire |
| Strengths: | Great climbing tread, sweet traction, low rolling resistance, keep you upright when cornering hard in mud. |
| Weaknesses: | Traction wore down in 2 months and I've still got a lot of tread left. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Conti Survival & Explorer, Panaracer Fire XC Pro, WTB MotoRaptor |
| Bike Setup: | Access frame, disc brakes, XT setup and the works (Chris King, Thomson, Titec) |
| Bottom Line: | I thought I had found the superior setup with the escape/explorer combo. I mean, I was absolutely astounded by the performance of these wheels. They hooked up on everything, I was hauling around tight turns and leaning hard (in mud!), climbing wet rock and roots and a lot of other stuff that most tires would skid out on. These tires were like a blessing from God... ...And then something happened. After about 2 months I was sliding all over the place, skidding out on rather easy climbs, and losing considerable traction when braking. These tires threw me into rocks and thornbushes during a race (not once, but three times!) which put me out of commission for about 2 weeks after. I was hurting so bad that I was glad I flatted on the 2nd lap and couldn't finish. Now that I'm riding again, these tires feel skiddish just riding on the hike and bike trail which is mostly hardpack with some gravel. This is upsetting at $40 a tire. But, I'm going tubeless soon and can't wait to get off these tires. I loved these tires....absolutely loved them....but they broke my heart and almost broke me! These tires should last a hell of a lot longer than 2 months. They've got tons of tread left but it feels like I'm riding slicks. 1 jalapeno for value on these mofo's for being so expensive and crapping out so early and 2 jalapenos on overall because they were a godsend at first but lost me a race and cost me 2 weeks of recovery time. Oh, this was the ProTection version. |
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Submitted by
James
a Cross Country Rider
from Wales, UK
Date Reviewed: 1/4/2003 10:42:16 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $20 |
| Purchased At: | Elan cyclery, Rhayader |
| Strengths: | Very nice tyre at a bargain price; for a knobbly rolls well on firetrack forest roads and tarmac (used for commuting on/off road). |
| Weaknesses: | Haven`t found any yet |
| Similar Products Tried: | Conti Explorer/Cross Country/Twister. Michelin Wildgripper Sprint |
| Bike Setup: | Trek 8500 2001. Hope Discs/517s |
| Bottom Line: | Good tyre, works well under most conditions. Good grip in mud, peat and on soft grassy teerrian yet not that slow on roads or firm surfaces (used during UK Polaris events that include fair mix of terrain. Seems to be lasting well and not puncture prone. Price I paid was very good value. |
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Submitted by
Marc Nio
a Cross Country Rider
from Maastricht, the Netherlands
Date Reviewed: 12/25/2002 4:40:53 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $70 |
| Purchased At: | Jean Habets Cycles, Schin op Geul, Holland |
| Strengths: | Relatively leight weight, low rolling resistance for a tire with great traction and control in curves on all surfaces. Allround tire for all surfaces. I also use it on the front. |
| Weaknesses: | Maybe not a hard pack specialist, but a great allrounder, so, for when that hard pack becomes wetter and muddier when the seisons change... |
| Similar Products Tried: | Michelin Wildgripper comp. |
| Bike Setup: | Stumpjumper '03. |
| Bottom Line: | I changed the Specialiced Roll-X tires, because the Escape got very good reviews in a well known European (German)magazin (Bike). I was looking for an allround tire for all seizons on all surfaces, with a low rolling resistance, low weight, and great traction and control. My first impression: it felt very very secure on some wet and slippery rocky fast downhills! Wet roots and mud: no problem at all. Climbing: very fast. And I think things can only get better once the wetter in Holland improves in spring... Not the cheapest tires maybe, but worth its price! |
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Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from Dallas, TX
Date Reviewed: 10/23/2002 2:53:30 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Price Paid: | $40 |
| Purchased At: | Speedgoat |
| Strengths: | Relatively light weight, rolls fast |
| Weaknesses: | poor climbing performance, cost, wear |
| Similar Products Tried: | Python, Mosquito |
| Bike Setup: | Spec FSR XC: Mavic 221 rims w/Stan's NoTubes, Mosquito in rear, Explorer up front |
| Bottom Line: | Purchased as rear tire to go with the Explorer up front, was somewhat disappointing. Tire handles and rolls well, but got poor traction when climbing-which seems to me should be a strength of a tire marketed as a rear tire. Eventually took it off in favor the Mosquito I was running previously. Not a bad tire, but I want more than that for $40. |
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Submitted by
Brian
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder, CO
Date Reviewed: 10/17/2002 8:34:35 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $35 |
| Purchased At: | universal |
| Strengths: | Good traction in dry condition when I'm not on the side of the trail changing my tube |
| Weaknesses: | Poor quality. Unbelievable number of flats in short period. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Bontager Jones, WTB Velorap, |
| Bottom Line: | This tire has given me nothing but flats. On my last four rides (6-12 miles) I have gotten three flats. I have less than 100 miles on it and at least six flats. Perhaps the fact that it is made in Thailand and not Germany might explain this. I ride Explorer Pro in the front and have no flat problems. I would advise anyone considering this tire to check the sidewall for the "made in Thailand" warning. Don't buy from Universal Cycles because I'm sure that's all they stock and might explain their price difference relative to other shops. Consider your self warned. I will contact Conti for a warantee and follow-up with my results. |
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Submitted by
Sandbagger
a Racer
from Eagle, CO
Date Reviewed: 6/24/2002 1:17:02 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Price Paid: | $45 |
| Purchased At: | Mountain Pedaler |
| Strengths: | Great traction on looser dirt, and hardpack Good rolling resistance |
| Weaknesses: | Worked better with lower pressure on mud |
| Similar Products Tried: | Panaracer, IRC |
| Bike Setup: | Litespeed, Old Judy fork, new tubeless wheelset |
| Bottom Line: | great for the everyday rider, an exceptional all terrain tire and one great all-around traction and cornering tire. |
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Submitted by
per wilson
a Cross Country Rider
from W.Australia
Date Reviewed: 6/8/2002 3:53:17 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | railway reserve |
| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Price Paid: | $50 |
| Purchased At: | Bike Force |
| Strengths: | really good tyre handles great in most areas long lasting tread lets me get to good starts in races |
| Weaknesses: | none at the moment |
| Similar Products Tried: | just others |
| Bike Setup: | concord airflex 2100 |
| Bottom Line: | a really godd tyre for serios riders and others that just love to ride on a weekend in the hills or on the roads for planed trips |
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Submitted by
mel macgregor
a Cross Country Rider
from honolulu,hi usa
Date Reviewed: 5/21/2002 3:26:57 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | makakill |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Purchased At: | b-day gift |
| Strengths: | awesome front tire!traction is there when you need it.this tire is excels in all conditions.reminds of wcs ritchey tires in the infant mtb years.i ride the cont- twister in the back.never will go back to semi-slick type... |
| Weaknesses: | none |
| Similar Products Tried: | kenda semi-sucks.bontrager ss rejects |
| Bike Setup: | manitou hard tail,duke race fork, |
| Bottom Line: | if you want a front tire that does everything you want.this is it!!the perfect cross country tire..... |
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Submitted by
Jon
a Cross Country Rider
from UK
Date Reviewed: 5/14/2002 1:00:49 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Price Paid: | $43 |
| Strengths: | Lightweight and clears extremely well in muddy conditions |
| Weaknesses: | Surprisingly poor traction in wet mud - something like the Hutchinson Alligator is much better on the rear. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Hutchinson Alligator, Panaracer Trailblaster |
| Bottom Line: | Despite the poor traction in the gloopy stuff, this tyre is pretty good in other conditions and is lighter than the more grippy tyres. It is put together with that typical Continental build quality, but would probably not last very long as the rubber compound is quite soft. I'd recommend this tyre for spring/autumn use in typical UK conditions, but you'd probably be better off with something like a Hutchinson Python, once those tracks dry up, or soemthing like the Panaracer Fire Mud XC in the depths of a wet winter. |
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Submitted by
stamd
a Racer
from Golden, Colorado
Date Reviewed: 4/19/2002 6:23:28 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $35 |
| Purchased At: | Universal cycles |
| Strengths: | traction, weight |
| Weaknesses: | none |
| Similar Products Tried: | Ritchey Omega, Zmax, Speedmax, Michelin Lite S |
| Bike Setup: | Ibis Silk ti, Manitou Black Elite Air, CrossMax, SRAM XO, XTR crank, Thomson stem, Moots seatpost, Avid Ultimates |
| Bottom Line: | As good as my previous "gold standard" Omegas for rear traction but with a more supple ride and less weight. I use the Explorer in front. |
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Submitted by
RICHARD SORENSEN
a Racer
from LODI CALIFOIRNIA U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: 1/17/2002 8:05:36 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | AUBURN AND DOWNIEVILLE CA. |
| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Price Paid: | $39 |
| Purchased At: | WWW.HIBIKE.DE |
| Strengths: | LIGHT DURABLE AND INCREDIBLE TRACTION IN ALL CONDITION FRON DRY LOOSE TO MUDDY WET. I THINK THE BEST ALL AROUND TIRE ON THE MARKET |
| Weaknesses: | NONE |
| Similar Products Tried: | RITCHEY,WTB,MICHELIN,IRC |
| Bike Setup: | PRINCIPIA, MARZOOCHI,TUNE,SHIMANO XTR |
| Bottom Line: | GREAT THOUGHT AND QAULITY OF CONSTRUCTION (GERMAN) |
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Submitted by
pm2
from TX
Date Reviewed: 1/10/2002 8:21:44 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $40 |
| Purchased At: | speedgoat.com |
| Strengths: | low weight and rolling resistance |
| Weaknesses: | not a good mud or wet weather tire |
| Similar Products Tried: | Traction Pro, Velociraptor, Psycho's for the rear |
| Bottom Line: | Most everything I ride is dry sandy, hardpack, or rocky and this tire works great. It's better in these situations than the Traction Pro, but is not as good in the mud/wet. Since I don't see much of that it's an easy compromise to make for less resistance and weight. |
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Submitted by
Matthew
a Cross Country Rider
from Fairfield, CT 06430
Date Reviewed: 1/5/2002 7:18:01 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Any in Troutbrook |
| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Price Paid: | $45 |
| Purchased At: | Bike Shop |
| Strengths: | Rear tire specific,great traction when dry,long tread life,no flats yet. |
| Weaknesses: | Loss of traction when wet or muddy |
| Similar Products Tried: | Conti Explorer on front |
| Bike Setup: | Rocky Element T.O. |
| Bottom Line: | This rear specific tire has great traction in dry conditions and wears very well. Can become loose in wet and muddy conditions, but what tire doesn't. |
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