Continental Race King 2.2″ 29″er Tire: On Test
April 8th, 2009 by Guitar TedTwenty Nine Inches has recieved a set of fresh 29″er tires from Continental. The Race King model, which actually showed up as OEM spec on some 2009 Cannondale 29″er models, was found to be woefully undersized. More like a 1.8-1.9 inch tire, from what I can gather. The tire was pulled by Continental before any were sold aftermarket, and the mold was redone to spec. This is the result. The first tires from the new mold to hit U.S. shores.
Look for an “Out Of The Box Post” soon with weights, widths, and then we’ll pop these on the FSA XC-290 wheels and have a go with them. Stay tuned!
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GT, funny thing is….. just two days ago received an email from a Conti rep stating the tires should be in stock later this month with the new mold.
Great to see you have your hands on a set. Cant wait to hear how they setup tubeless and the weights and all the info you will give!
I wish they’d make a 29er Vertical.
Interesting looking sidewalls and tread. Hmm… could be just the rear tire I’ve been looking for. Can’t wait to hear more details… hurry up already.
Is that the rattlesnake sidewall version!
No, these are the sidewalls you normally see on Conti’s cheaper tires
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Too bad there is no lighter ’supersonic’ version for racers yet.
Rode my “Prototypes” this morning. I think this is going to be a great tire. I too wish there was “Supersonic” version.
It’s not a “cheap” sidewall. It is patterned in a way to be more resilient to scuffing or tearing from rocks, branches and old people. Other companies use similar techniques on there sidewalls. It was something brought over from off road vehicles.
Ooops. Last post was from Oderus to Anonymous. It wasn’t written by him. It was written by me, Oderus Urungus!
I did not say it is a cheap sidewall. I (anonymously…) said you see it on cheaper tires than the supersonic versions
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There is nothing wrong with it, I did not mean to imply that. It just means this tire does not have some of the ’supersonic’ quality, that makes the other tires very suitable for racing (very light, very supple casing, soft compound). I guess you get some puncture resistance in return and still quite a light and supple tire, but that’s for Ted to find out.
I definitely want a set to czech out… They look fast and rippable. And the pattern on the sidewall looks like I could use it to get traction at xxx-treme angles. That’s what I’d use it for. Heck, doesn’t that cost extra?!!
… and if gnat likes ‘em, they must be good.
Do you think they will do a 29″ Speed King as well? I run Speed King Supersonics and the combination of open tread and big knobs works very well in Portland in the winter.
I hope we get the voluminous big brother of the 26″ version.
I’m certain that until the 29″er market becomes a bigger piece of the pie, special casing treatments, rubber compounds, and the like will remain in the realm of 26″ers since that market still dwarfs the 29″er market. Why open another version of a tire model when it only cannibalizes sales of the current model? That’s the feeling I get when I ask tire people about “fancy” 29″er tires.
Hint: Next Conti 29″er tire? Rubber Queen!
saw one the other day – it makes the width grade (just) for a 2.2 but still a tiny tiny tyre compared to racing ralph 2.25, karma 2.2 and xdx 2,1.
looking forward to hearing how she rolls, grips and stays together – the 26″ version seems to be popular with femaler racers…
I am looking foward to see how the side walls fair in rocky terrian. I know this “Race King” is a “race” tire but with the actual weight reported being about 100g heavier then my 2.25 Ralphs actual weight, one may hope it will have a little more “beef” to the sidewalls. I love the Ralphs but with my 215+ self and the very rocky- rooty race loops we do here I am always a bit nervous with the Ralphs.