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New Continental Tires

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464K views 2.7K replies 245 participants last post by  snow snakes  
#1 ·
What do you guys think about the new tires?

The kryptotal and Xynotal look really good for my terrain. Anyone see any places selling them?

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B
#560 ·
I do feel kinda surprised, on the trail casing tires, the psi sweet spot seems very low and tight. 16/19psi fr/rr, a little high and grip is lost/gets a little squirrly, a little low and rim strikes. 35 internal rims.

I have been riding my Ripley with Kryp Fr/rr back to back with my Offering with WTB verdict (sg2 soft)/trailboss(sg2 fast) back to back.

Contis at best psi (for me) are no match for the wtb tires. I don’t hate the contis and I am sure a different compound would be a huge improvement, but there are a lot of caveats on the trail casings.

WTBs have equal if not better grip and traction and that trailboss rolls incredibly well.

JMO
 
#561 ·
billb0872 said:
I do feel kinda surprised, on the trail casing tires, the psi sweet spot seems very low and tight. 16/19psi fr/rr, a little high and grip is lost/gets a little squirrly, a little low and rim strikes. 35 internal rims.

I have been riding my Ripley with Kryp Fr/rr back to back with my Offering with WTB verdict (sg2 soft)/trailboss(sg2 fast) back to back.

Contis at best psi (for me) are no match for the wtb tires. I don’t hate the contis and I am sure a different compound would be a huge improvement, but there are a lot of caveats on the trail casings.

WTBs have equal if not better grip and traction and that trailboss rolls incredibly well.

JMO
Click to expand...
Trail casing tires are working extremely well for me within the range of 16-18 front and 18-21 rear. I am running cushcore xc on wao factions which are 27mm iw. I weight approx 165lbs
 
J
#565 · (Edited)
I have some time on my set of enduro casing tires now. 2.4 Kryptotal Re up front and a Xtnotal out back. My prior un-inspiring continental test was on the trail casings (Kryptotal Fr/Re). It was a night and day difference compared to the trail casing tires. I dropped 1psi front and rear which put me at 18 Front and 23 Rear. The front tire was incredibly grippy compared to my ride with the Kryptotal Fr tire with the trail casing. I'm guessing I prefer tires with more of an open channel between center and side knobs.

The bad...rolling resistance. It felt like I was riding through peanut butter. LOL Not sure if it was the pressures, the added weight, or the Xtnotal rear tire, but it was notably slower. I'll try bumping the pressure back up to see how it goes or may try the trail casing Kryptotal Re out back with an insert to see if it picks up roll speed. I'm riding a 150mm trail bike so I’d like to find a happy medium between roll speed and trail feel.

As for tire pressures, I'll always be shocked at how low of pressures you guys get away with. I weigh 140 lbs and cant dream of dropping as lower than that unless I run DH casing tires or inserts. Even today with 23psi rear and the enduro casing, I heard a rim ping on a rocky landing. Every trail and rider is different I guess.
 
B
#566 ·
I get it, I ride a Capra 29r, 170/170, push’d at the park, that bike has im29 wheels with wtb verdict/judge DH combo. For that speed and terrain (mostly Killington) I ride in the 20s front ad rear.

Lower travel trail speeds for daily set-up, lower pressure. I was hoping the endurance compound would be a fast roller, but it isn’t at the pressure needed for grip. I may wind up swapping it onto a im29 wheel per recommendation above.
 
J
#570 ·
Another update after a few rides on my set of enduro casing Kryptotal Re up front and a Xtnotal out back Re up front and a Xtnotal out back.

After my first ride with 18psi front and 23psi rear, I went back to my baseline 19/24 pressures. It was a slight bit better with roll speed and I’m betting the lower you drop pressures, the more the side knobs drag.

Up front, I am really liking the l Re with the soft tread enduro casing. Is it better than a DHF, maybe not but it’s drastically better than the Kryptotal Fr endurance tire I tried.

Out back, the Xyntotal tire wouldn’t be my pick over the Kryptotal Re. It’s not bad, but it does not feel as locked in cornering. If you want a long wearing tire that’s easy to initiate a drift, then this would be a perfect choice for the rear.

I’ve now tried the endurance Kryptotal Re tire with a rimpact original insert and was happiest with this setup. I think I’d be just as happy with the enduro casing tire out back (without an insert) but didn’t want to buy any more tires to test.

All in all, these are good tires if you want to save some coin compared to Maxxis. I’ve heard maxxis recently increased tire weights, so these don’t seem too heavy compared to their offerings.
 
#571 ·
I just received an Xynotal in DH casing that I'm going to throw on to compare to the Enduro Kryptotal Re I have on now.

I am running Cushcore with the Enduro casing right now and want to see if I can get away with ditching the Cushcore for the DH casing without. The feel of the DH Kryp up front has really sold me on DH casings for the feel alone so I am optimistic.

I am just debating if I should wait until the Kryp Re is toasted first before putting myself through the pain of swapping them. But the rear is wearing so well that I don't see it being worn for a long while and I get antsy when I have new stuff to try/compare, ha.
 
#576 ·
29x2.4 xynotal DH soft, came in at 1308g with the strap, so probably right at 1300g. It’s about the same weight as my previous trail casing tire + cushcore. We’ll see how it goes with a DH casing and no cushcore. If the front kryp F DH is any indication, I think I’ll like it

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J
#577 ·
I am an insert always guy now... Experimented with DD with no insert for a week, and blew up my rear wheel. Maybe DH casing is on another level, but I'd rather rely on insert material than air and stiffness of a sidewall to save me.

www.mtbr.com

EXO with insert or DD without?

I typically run trail casing tires with inserts but thinking about moving to a heavier duty casing without them. Who has had time running both setups?
www.mtbr.com www.mtbr.com
 
#578 ·
I feel you, I’ve ready just about every article and forum post out there about this topic. I must test it for the science! I blew up a rim with the old der kaiser and cushcore and ruined tires with cushcore and enduro casings, so this is the logical next step. If this doesn’t work the I guess I’ll have to be DH + cushcore!

That being said, these DH casings are definitely more stout than DD. I’ll be getting some riding in the next couple weeks and see how it goes!


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B
#581 ·
I used the KRF DH Supersoft on a fresh-cut loamy DH trail as well as several muddy laps including roots and rocks. Never let me down. There was a particular "turn" that was just a pile of loose loamy dirt. The tire hooked up and it had at least a week of DH riding on it.

I want to try the Enduro Soft front but I am reluctant since it is pedally terrain season. I didn't enjoy the weight of front/rear DD tires when I tried them and it isn't really necessary for me. If the weight isn't an issue I say go for it.
 
#583 ·
I’ve had a couple rides on the DH Xynotal now and I’m very impressed.

I like the feel of the DH Xynotal with no Cush Core better than the enduro casing Kryp Re with Cush Core.DH Kryp front with the DH Xynotal will be my new long term setup.

Couple observations:

1.The Xynotal seems to roll and pedal better than the Kryp rear. I’m not sure if it’s the 100gram weight savings from ditching the CC, or just the tread

2.Upped PSI to 28 with good results (ran 25-26 with the EnduroKryp w/ CC). DH Xynotal feels more damped than the Kryp w/ CC. 160LB in SoCal for context.

3.No negative difference in grip on the climbs or descents so far. I was worried I’d lose some brake bite over the Kryp but that hasn’t been the case.

Overall - On the dry/rocky trails that I ride, Xynotal feels like a faster rolling Kryp with no trade offs of grip or braking. DH casing front and back feels amazing and I can’t imagine going back at this point.
 
#586 ·
Ernn11 said:
Overall - On the dry/rocky trails that I ride, Xynotal feels like a faster rolling Kryp with no trade offs of grip or braking. DH casing front and back feels amazing and I can’t imagine going back at this point.
Click to expand...
Only difference I’ve noticed between the KR and XY is better pedaling traction and more RR in the KR. The KR also feels a bit more drifty under braking. Both excellent tires, but like you I prefer the XY for dry/blown-out SoCal..


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#587 ·
I also have a couple rides now on my xynotal DH soft in the rear. 245lbs, ride aggressively on black/double black enduro-esque trails. I ride quite a bit with ernnn11 and echo his thoughts.

Tire is very damped through rock gardens and such, it’s really crazy how much I notice this over a trail tire + cushcore. And it rolls really well for being a DH tire. For SoCal loose over hard I think it’s perfect, didn’t notice any issues braking in our San Diego steeps/chunk and corners just as well as the wild enduro I was running before it.

I used to run trail casing + cushcore at 30psi and didn’t have many rim problems with that, I’ve run this tire at 30psi and have had a fair share of rim dings so I will try out 32psi and see how that goes. Trail casing + cushcore might be needed for my weight to protect the rim. Other than that, I can say this is one of my favorite tires and pairs very well with the KRF DH supersoft up front

Funny, who was the guy in here saying a xynotal wouldn’t do well in SoCal? Seems that was bad advice [emoji16]

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#589 ·
The xynotal seems pretty good in the dry, but it has terrible climbing traction in the mud. Side traction in mud is the same. Excluding mud it's impressive though. I've just bought a second kryptotal to keep me through the winter.
 
#594 ·
Its the equivalent of the Maxxis Shorty/WTB Verdict. Its somewhat a specialty tire, for loose/wet conditions. Or, "loose wet" dirt up through "hero dirt". Where the Kryptotal Fr is more of a "loose over hard" through "a bit softer than hero dirt" sort of tire.

That said, I've got a DH/Supersoft Argotal in the garage (I live in the PNW), I've just been to lazy to pry the DH/Supersoft Kryptotal Fr that I've got on there right now off, and I've been sick, and its been unseasonably dry lately as well.

My hope/expectation is the Argotal is better for the winter, but the few times I've ridden in the slop this season, the Kryptotal Fr did ok, as the wet terrain around here is usually more "Fir needle soup" rather than "sticky peanut butter".
 
D
#595 ·
my first of the new contis was the 2.6 argotal soft up front, for dry blown out socal. not ideal, but not terrible, rolling speed was better than it had any right to be.Great in deep loose dirt but not great on hardpack or rocks. worked great at Snow Summit on aug 30th. the krypt re 2.6 i run up front now is far better overall for here but i cam put the Arg on for rare wet days or up in big bear
 
#596 ·
IMO, Argotal is comparable to the new Shorty, Magic Mary or Wild Enduro. Good all around, maybe gives up a bit on hardpack vs tires with closer knob spacing, but better in loose, mud and snow. Will probably switch to the Kr front for summer.

I don't think Argotal is much of a compromise though, it rolls surprisingly fast, sideknobs don't fold over on any surface, maintains traction over rocks and roots. I have DH Supersoft and ride mostly on the front range of CO. Our main winter riding spot has some real loose, crumbly terrain that can produce moon dust, and when wet can be slippery. And it's steep AF with some trails avg grade over 30%.
 
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