continental race king/x-king - protection. ??

geekydude01
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continental race king/x-king - protection. ??

Postby geekydude01 » Fri Nov 27, 2015 4:22 pm

looking for a nice set of XC tyres to replace my stock schwalbe rocket ron's and was looking for something a bit lower profile and a bit more puncture protection. after a bit of looking around i am drawn to the continental X-king and Race king (both "protection technology" ), anyone have experience with either of these tyres? they both have a nice profile, should give better protection (i would think, granted the name), look reasonably well rolling and are quite appealing to the eye with that "RaceFlag sidewall design" :D. have looked at schwalbe and maxxis range but none seem quite as appealing to me as these two.
was also thinking of combining the two with a X-king on the front and a Race King on the rear, any opinions on that?
links- X-king (protection):
http://www.continental-tires.com/bicycl ... protection
Race King (protection):
http://www.continental-tires.com/bicycl ... protection
Thanks for your time.

march83
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Re: continental race king/x-king - protection. ??

Postby march83 » Fri Nov 27, 2015 5:10 pm

I've have run race king non-protection F+R for a few years now on my SS and my race bikes and i've been really happy with them. they're not quite as grippy as a ralph but they're tougher than the non-snakeskin ralphs and a bit cheaper so iff they do get nuked on the first ride it's not quite so bad. as a F+R combo in 2.2 at ~30psi they're fast and predictably drifty in loose over hard but they don't exactly kill it in the wet. I've suffered far fewer sidewall tears with these than i had with the cheap ralps and the grip on the contis lasts pretty well overall.

I've recently moved to a combo of Mountain King front and X-King rear both in 2.4 size at about 25psi on my SS. This is a whole heap grippier but i'm paying a decent weight penalty. For me the best part of the big volume and low pressure is actually having a tyre that is super bitey on loose climbs - less slip, more drive and i'm clearing sections easily that were a challenge on the old rubber. I know it's conti's middle-of-the-road all rounder, but the mountain king is surprisingly good up front on the descents. Compared to the Maxxis Ardents i'm running on my race bike, these are actually grippier at low speed. The Ardents really need to get up to speed to come into their own, otherwise you seem to spend a lot of time trapped in the center <-> side knob transition area which is a bit vague. put simply, the contis are great for my local trails (tight blue mountains sandstone, yarramundi) but the ardents killed it at stromlo where it's dustier and faster.

FWIW, i'm 90kg and i'm pretty convinced that the grip that comes with the extra volume of a 2.4 is worth the weight penalty at my size. I'm quicker down the descents, the techy climbs are easier so i feel like i'm doing less work to get up them. for smaller guys it's probably not so critical.

jerrah
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Re: continental race king/x-king - protection. ??

Postby jerrah » Sat Nov 28, 2015 4:46 pm

I've used the 2.4 X-King (no protection) and 2.2 X-King (protection)

I liked the lighter weight of the 2.4 no protection and it was grippy, fast and fun to ride on tubeless. The front sidewall ripped wide open on the first night ride and I had to push/carry the bike a number of km out to a road where a friend brought my ute to collect me.

Since then I've been using the 2.2 protection (the 2.4's were just too heavy) I found them sketchy on wet rocks and roots initially but now they have a few hundred km on them they seem to grip well on any surface. They've been predictable, quick rolling, grippy. All the good things you want from a tyre including no punctures or sidewall damage!

I haven't tried any of the other Continental tyres but I didn't like the Maxxis Ardents, I was running Schwalbe Racing Ralphas and Nobby Nic's in the past. X-king is grippier than the RaRa's and quicker than the NoNi.

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trailgumby
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Re: continental race king/x-king - protection. ??

Postby trailgumby » Sat Nov 28, 2015 5:58 pm

I've heard good things about the combo you are considering.

In Schwalbe I've been using Rocket Ron front and Racing Ralph rear at 2.25x29 and snakeskin sidewalls. They seem to perform well. The RaRas weren't much chop on the front on loose-over-hard local sandstone trails.

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rangersac
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Re: continental race king/x-king - protection. ??

Postby rangersac » Sun Nov 29, 2015 7:44 pm

It's a good combo for the dry, but even a hint of moisture will see you spinning a Race King on the rear. Like @March83 I go for the Mountain King, X King pairing as it's far more confidence inspiring for loose and wet conditions.
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geekydude01
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Re: continental race king/x-king - protection. ??

Postby geekydude01 » Sun Nov 29, 2015 9:38 pm

trailgumby wrote:I've heard good things about the combo you are considering.

In Schwalbe I've been using Rocket Ron front and Racing Ralph rear at 2.25x29 and snakeskin sidewalls. They seem to perform well. The RaRas weren't much chop on the front on loose-over-hard local sandstone trails.
rangersac wrote:It's a good combo for the dry, but even a hint of moisture will see you spinning a Race King on the rear. Like @March83 I go for the Mountain King, X King pairing as it's far more confidence inspiring for loose and wet conditions.
march83 wrote: I've recently moved to a combo of Mountain King front and X-King rear both in 2.4 size at about 25psi on my SS. This is a whole heap grippier but i'm paying a decent weight penalty. For me the best part of the big volume and low pressure is actually having a tyre that is super bitey on loose climbs - less slip, more drive and i'm clearing sections easily that were a challenge on the old rubber. I know it's conti's middle-of-the-road all rounder, but the mountain king is surprisingly good up front on the descents.
I am from SA country where its mostly very dry and very flat so im not too concerned about wet conditions, i have considered the mountain king but i think id prefer the faster rolling tyres. a mate said not to combine the two different tyres and to just keep them the same front and rear but after reading this and a few reviews for the tyres i might get a set of both the X-king and Race king, run a x-king front and a race king rear then change to both X-king during winter.
I currently have a set of RR's and i (and prior mentioned mate) have found they crack and tear in the dry conditions where i am from and dont last as well as other places.

any opinions on how the continentals wear out over time compared to other brands?

also on a side note, the cheapest purcahse i have found is on bike discount to then import them in, still cheaper with shipping on top. any advice on dealing with them or know where i might find them cheaper? have looked at websites such as pushys and chain react.

jerrah
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Re: continental race king/x-king - protection. ??

Postby jerrah » Sun Nov 29, 2015 9:53 pm

geekydude01 wrote:any opinions on how the continentals wear out over time compared to other brands?
The guy I regularly ride with (and I ride more often than he does) wore both front and rear Racing Ralph Performance tyres practically to the casing. I've had my X-King's about the same amount of time and I still have the moulding knobs on the front and a bit of wear on the rears but nothing significant.
Last edited by jerrah on Mon Nov 30, 2015 7:17 am, edited 1 time in total.

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silentbutdeadly
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Re: continental race king/x-king - protection. ??

Postby silentbutdeadly » Sun Nov 29, 2015 10:11 pm

Given where the op rides...and I ride somewhere similar...look towards some moderately aggressive at the front like a Vittoria Saguaro at the front and a more micro knobby at the back like Vittoria AKA or Schwalbe Thunder Bart. This sort of combo works quite well for flat dry country.

Cheaper Schwalbe tyres also do crack up under drier conditions... Got a pair of Racing Ralph wire bead CX tyres doing this right now.
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trailgumby
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Re: continental race king/x-king - protection. ??

Postby trailgumby » Sun Nov 29, 2015 10:33 pm

geekydude01 wrote: a mate said not to combine the two different tyres and to just keep them the same front and rear but after reading this and a few reviews for the tyres i might get a set of both the X-king and Race king, run a x-king front and a race king rear then change to both X-king during winter.
I have never run the same tyre front and rear except on a review bike for an article for BNA, occasionally on my 26er hardtail, and for a period of foolishness when I persevered far too long with RaRas front and back on my Scalpel 29er.

Front and rear tyres do very different jobs off road. The front is the control tyre. If you lose grip on the front you are not in a good place, as my collarbone will testify, so you need tp prioritise cornering traction. The rear is the drive tyre and has most of your weight on it most of the time, so rolling resistance needs to be low. If it slips, unlike the front your momentum will usually pull it back under you.

I've seen elites race in slick conditions with micro-nobby and semi-click front tyres and it is not something I want to contemplate. Constant major corrections as the front slips, and that was on a straight descent. I simply don't have the mental energy to maintain that degree of concentration necessary to stay rubber side down for that length of time. I'll live with the (slight) rolling resistance penalty from a more aggressive front tyre for the peace of mind.

Most of my riding companions do the same.

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rangersac
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Re: continental race king/x-king - protection. ??

Postby rangersac » Mon Nov 30, 2015 11:53 am

trailgumby wrote:
geekydude01 wrote: a mate said not to combine the two different tyres and to just keep them the same front and rear but after reading this and a few reviews for the tyres i might get a set of both the X-king and Race king, run a x-king front and a race king rear then change to both X-king during winter.
I have never run the same tyre front and rear except on a review bike for an article for BNA, occasionally on my 26er hardtail, and for a period of foolishness when I persevered far too long with RaRas front and back on my Scalpel 29er.

Front and rear tyres do very different jobs off road. The front is the control tyre. If you lose grip on the front you are not in a good place, as my collarbone will testify, so you need tp prioritise cornering traction. The rear is the drive tyre and has most of your weight on it most of the time, so rolling resistance needs to be low. If it slips, unlike the front your momentum will usually pull it back under you.
+1. My 26" hardtail has a pair of Maxis Ignitors which are OK as they are a bit of an all rounder tyre, but if I was riding it more regularly I'd change the combo for something a bit grippier up front, as they aren't great in claggy conditions. Otherwise as trailgumby has said the front and rear tyres on a MTB do very different things, and need to be treated individually
geekydude01 wrote:any opinions on how the continentals wear out over time compared to other brands?
My experience is they wear very well, much more durable than Schwalbe's and the Bonty tyres I've used, and on a par with most of the Maxxis collection, but you cop a weight penalty. Realistically this is of no consequence unless you are racing.
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Mugglechops
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Re: continental race king/x-king - protection. ??

Postby Mugglechops » Thu Dec 10, 2015 7:04 pm

I used a 2.4 x-king non protection on the front for just over 6000kms. Never had a flat and it was a great tyre.

celeste boy
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Re: continental race king/x-king - protection. ??

Postby celeste boy » Thu Dec 10, 2015 8:40 pm

I swear by the X King and Race Kings. I'm not going to tempt fate and tell you what has not happened for 5+ years with them.

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trailgumby
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Re: continental race king/x-king - protection. ??

Postby trailgumby » Thu Dec 10, 2015 8:59 pm

celeste boy wrote:I swear by the X King and Race Kings. I'm not going to tempt fate and tell you what has not happened for 5+ years with them.

CB
No, I don't think I'd want that particular fairy to come visit either :lol:

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