[KKMC]

I could not find much information from users of the new Continental Mountain King tires, so I am planning to post an update as soon as I have some initial impressions.
I installed them last night. I have never installed tubeless tires, but it wasn't too difficult. It may have been easier if I had unfolded the tires a day or two before I installed them. They have held air well over night.
I am replacing a Maxxis Tomahawk up front and a Maxxis Crossmark II at the back.
The Maxxis Crossmark II is okay. But, I found it would lose traction on anything damp or loose when climbing, which was frustrating. I am hoping the mountain king is better in this regard.
I chose these tires due to the reasonable weight and semi-aggressive tread pattern, along with the small number of generally positive reviews.
I hope my experience with these tires will help others.

 

[Schulze]

did you find this thread? https://forums.mtbr.com/wheels-tires/new-2018-conti-mountain-king-1051803.html

 

[KKMC]

did you find this thread? https://forums.mtbr.com/wheels-tires/new-2018-conti-mountain-king-1051803.html

Yes I did, thank you. Is is the only substantial thread I could find, and I really appreciated the information.

 

[Rolltide386]

I could not find much information from users of the new Continental Mountain King tires, so I am planning to post an update as soon as I have some initial impressions.
I installed them last night. I have never installed tubeless tires, but it wasn't too difficult. It may have been easier if I had unfolded the tires a day or two before I installed them. They have held air well over night.
I am replacing a Maxxis Tomahawk up front and a Maxxis Crossmark II at the back.
The Maxxis Crossmark II is okay. But, I found it would lose traction on anything damp or loose when climbing, which was frustrating. I am hoping the mountain king is better in this regard.
I chose these tires due to the reasonable weight and semi-aggressive tread pattern, along with the small number of generally positive reviews.
I hope my experience with these tires will help others.

I had a set put on my HT a couple months back and had them set up tubeless. They are a great all around tire from what I've found. They roll great on pavement with little resistance, then I'll drop about 10 psi out of them and ride what you see in the pic.

 

[KKMC]

I finally rode the trails with these tires. There has been a lot of rain, so the trails have been a no-go.
I made it up two climbs that I had not achieved before. If these tires begin to lose traction, it is more progressive, and recoverable compared to the Crossmark II that came on my bike. The Crossmark II would just let go, at the cost of all momentum.
The rocky areas of the trails did not seem to cause any damage to the tires.
So far, so good!

 

[KKMC]

A trip to Colorado gave me more confidence in these tires. We didn't ride any bike parks, but we did ride a lot trail varieties; rocky (lots of rocky), hardpack, some wooden features, lots of berms, some loose, etc. These tires worked very well as all-around tires. I had no side wall damage or punctures. I could not have done some of the trails in the same way with the tires that came on my bike. The crossmark II would have been the limiting factor.
I am very pleased with these tires so far.

 

[Schulze]

Well the cross mark is an xc tire. MK is trail and quite a bit heavier.

 

[KKMC]

Well the cross mark is an xc tire. MK is trail and quite a bit heavier.

Actually, the Crossmark II I took off (29x2.25, EXO style) is heavier than the new Mountain King in 29x2.3, according to the manufacturer. It is a small difference, though.
I agree, though, that the crossmark is more suited to XC.