Continental Mountain King II - My Review
benpinnick
Posts: 4,148
Being a big fan of ze German tyres, I decided to import some of the new Mountain King II's from Germany, rather than wait. As it turned out this also allowed me to beat the RRP by some margin, go figure. Incase you're interested, here's my opinion:
The Mountain King II is a more conventional profile than some recent offerings from Continental, with an aggressive side lug and alternating central pattern. When riding, as the rubber blurs its easy to think you're riding a classic design such as the Maxxis High Roller, or even a Panaracer Smoke (that takes me back). What makes the real difference here though is the compound, Black Chilli to be precise, which has always impressed me, and I guess made Conti tyres for me. The version I bought was the (only one available) RaceSport, a new addition to the Continental categorisation, which allegedly blends a higher strength carcass than supersonic with a lower weight than the protection range.
As with all Black Chilli tyres, the prime benefit it brings is the ability to run the tyre at high pressure without feeling like you're on an ice rink. Recommended pressure is a whopping 50PSI, although I chose a more relaxed 45PSI for my test. I guess benefit of such a high PSI is two fold; rolling resistance and pinch protection. When running at this pressure the tyre is able to roll fast and efficiently, and you'll really need to hit the tyre hard on something square to reach the rim. The deeper and closer tread pattern than the Speed King could eradicate the annoying between-lug wear rate that is seen on the skimpier Conti tyres when running high pressures.
The MKII, with its Black Chilli tread, while grippy, never really slows you down too much, and from what I rode seems to offer a good blend of speed and traction. The tread is reasonably spaced, allowing decent mud clearance, but not so far apart you feel like you're bumping over them all the time. I didn't find any conditions in which I'd say the tyre excelled, but on the flip side it coped with everything I rode. Like its predecessor, this is definitely a jack of all trades. The conditions I was able to test it in were ranging from virtually dry through to hub depth mud. Throughout the ride they suffered only a couple of grip loss incidents when the mud just got too gloopy, while on the damp hard packed trails they certainly alive, carrying speed without feeling out of their depth, but then so would most tyres.
As is common with Conti tyres, the 'special' ruler has been used when deciding the sizing. The widest part of the apparently 2.2 inch tyre only just sneaked 2 inches, and likewise the special scales have also been employed, with nearly 69g of additional weight finding their way onto the tyre by my scales. It might not sound a lot, but thats over 10% more than the manufacturers listed weight, which does make a difference. The carcass feels fairly burly, and exhibits Continental's usual quality and manufacturing excellence. It fits the my rims (DT 4.2) snuggly without being too hard to install and remove.
So the ACTUALFacts and Figures for a 2.2" RaceSport: Actual Weight 619g & Actual Width 2.01"
My overall opinion:
The Mountain King 1 has long been a staple of the UK riding scene, with its all round do-anything-without-too-much-fuss approach winning many fans. The Mk II seems to give better mud clearance, and deeper tread for better damp conditions use, and the usual Continental quality of build, without sacrificing that much by way of rolling speed or versatility.
Unfortunately the lack of Supersonic version means you suffer a weight penalty, although many would argue the extra weight will be offset by the additional puncture protection. im not 100% decided on whether I like Conti offering RaceSport instead of Supersonic yet, but it is nice to be able to get the Black Chilli compound without going silly light or OTT protection, so thats got to be a step in the right direction. At the RRP of £43(!!) per tyre, this would be just too expensive though. Its got to be lighter or cheaper to make sense. If you can find one around the £35 mark thats probably OK, even better around £32.
The Mountain King II is a more conventional profile than some recent offerings from Continental, with an aggressive side lug and alternating central pattern. When riding, as the rubber blurs its easy to think you're riding a classic design such as the Maxxis High Roller, or even a Panaracer Smoke (that takes me back). What makes the real difference here though is the compound, Black Chilli to be precise, which has always impressed me, and I guess made Conti tyres for me. The version I bought was the (only one available) RaceSport, a new addition to the Continental categorisation, which allegedly blends a higher strength carcass than supersonic with a lower weight than the protection range.
As with all Black Chilli tyres, the prime benefit it brings is the ability to run the tyre at high pressure without feeling like you're on an ice rink. Recommended pressure is a whopping 50PSI, although I chose a more relaxed 45PSI for my test. I guess benefit of such a high PSI is two fold; rolling resistance and pinch protection. When running at this pressure the tyre is able to roll fast and efficiently, and you'll really need to hit the tyre hard on something square to reach the rim. The deeper and closer tread pattern than the Speed King could eradicate the annoying between-lug wear rate that is seen on the skimpier Conti tyres when running high pressures.
The MKII, with its Black Chilli tread, while grippy, never really slows you down too much, and from what I rode seems to offer a good blend of speed and traction. The tread is reasonably spaced, allowing decent mud clearance, but not so far apart you feel like you're bumping over them all the time. I didn't find any conditions in which I'd say the tyre excelled, but on the flip side it coped with everything I rode. Like its predecessor, this is definitely a jack of all trades. The conditions I was able to test it in were ranging from virtually dry through to hub depth mud. Throughout the ride they suffered only a couple of grip loss incidents when the mud just got too gloopy, while on the damp hard packed trails they certainly alive, carrying speed without feeling out of their depth, but then so would most tyres.
As is common with Conti tyres, the 'special' ruler has been used when deciding the sizing. The widest part of the apparently 2.2 inch tyre only just sneaked 2 inches, and likewise the special scales have also been employed, with nearly 69g of additional weight finding their way onto the tyre by my scales. It might not sound a lot, but thats over 10% more than the manufacturers listed weight, which does make a difference. The carcass feels fairly burly, and exhibits Continental's usual quality and manufacturing excellence. It fits the my rims (DT 4.2) snuggly without being too hard to install and remove.
So the ACTUALFacts and Figures for a 2.2" RaceSport: Actual Weight 619g & Actual Width 2.01"
My overall opinion:
The Mountain King 1 has long been a staple of the UK riding scene, with its all round do-anything-without-too-much-fuss approach winning many fans. The Mk II seems to give better mud clearance, and deeper tread for better damp conditions use, and the usual Continental quality of build, without sacrificing that much by way of rolling speed or versatility.
Unfortunately the lack of Supersonic version means you suffer a weight penalty, although many would argue the extra weight will be offset by the additional puncture protection. im not 100% decided on whether I like Conti offering RaceSport instead of Supersonic yet, but it is nice to be able to get the Black Chilli compound without going silly light or OTT protection, so thats got to be a step in the right direction. At the RRP of £43(!!) per tyre, this would be just too expensive though. Its got to be lighter or cheaper to make sense. If you can find one around the £35 mark thats probably OK, even better around £32.
A Flock of Birds
+ some other bikes.
+ some other bikes.
0
Comments
-
Why is it that Conti are still recommending daft tyre pressures even with the new MK II, 50-60psi.
Schwalbe are recommending with the new 2011 Nobby Nic 28psi, a normal pressure for best grip and rolling resistance.Now where's that "Get Out of Crash Free Card"0 -
Because every tyre has an optimal operating pressure. The notion that 'less is better' is pure crap to be honest!0
-
robertpb wrote:Why is it that Conti are still recommending daft tyre pressures even with the new MK II, 50-60psi.
Schwalbe are recommending with the new 2011 Nobby Nic 28psi, a normal pressure for best grip and rolling resistance.
Schwalbe are recommending a range of 26PSI to 59PSI for 2011 Nobby Nics. As Supersonic says, the concept that less is best is garbage. Right pressure for the right tyre on the right day. Personally, I prefer hard as it rolls better - I'm willing to trade that for outright grip.A Flock of Birds
+ some other bikes.0 -
Great review Ben. Before this I haven't heard much about the new tyre really. Tread pattern wise it looks alot like the Rubber Queen but clearly from your review its a very different tyre (I usually need the Rubber Queens for my 'normal' riding because I ride like a spanner) - looks like they slip in nicely between the rubber queen and fast marathon/race options?
And its always worth shopping around for conti tyres - I got new UST RQs from wiggle for 31 quid each - much cheaper than the rrp of 45 odd!!Lapierre Spicy 516 XTR custom (2013) -http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=129323320 -
supersonic wrote:Because every tyre has an optimal operating pressure. The notion that 'less is better' is pure crap to be honest!
To be fair though Conti recommend 40+ for all their tyres as far as I can see including the dh tyres... I had Rubber Queens, a pretty OK tyre but mince at their recommended 50psi.Uncompromising extremist0 -
robertpb wrote:Why is it that Conti are still recommending daft tyre pressures even with the new MK II, 50-60psi.
Schwalbe are recommending with the new 2011 Nobby Nic 28psi, a normal pressure for best grip and rolling resistance.
it's all down to preference imo, i ride with my tyres around 40psi, my mate rides with them around 25psi0 -
That's a really good review mate - logical and well put together showing a degree of impartiality even though you claim to be a lover of kraut tyres!
0 -
This shows the tread a little better than the trade shots
A Flock of Birds
+ some other bikes.0 -
Well that seems like a good review - thanks for sharing.
Re PSI - obviously (only a newbie) it depends on the tyre. I read a year ago where a lot were saying the pro's use 23 to 25 and that is what they used BUT my Specialized Fast Trax certainly work better at 50-80 psi !0 -
I'm guessing with 50-80 PSI in a tyre that you're only riding on the road and smooth paths as if you used that pressure off-road you'd be pinging off rocks, instead of rolling over themTowerRider wrote:Well that seems like a good review - thanks for sharing.
Re PSI - obviously (only a newbie) it depends on the tyre. I read a year ago where a lot were saying the pro's use 23 to 25 and that is what they used BUT my Specialized Fast Trax certainly work better at 50-80 psi !0 -
If I I had checked the recomended pressure for my mountain kings maybe I wouldn't have had so many pinch flats with them. At 40psi I was getting 2-4 pinch flats every ride.Transition Patrol - viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=130702350
-
Tom Barton wrote:Great review Ben. Before this I haven't heard much about the new tyre really. Tread pattern wise it looks alot like the Rubber Queen but clearly from your review its a very different tyre (I usually need the Rubber Queens for my 'normal' riding because I ride like a spanner) - looks like they slip in nicely between the rubber queen and fast marathon/race options?
And its always worth shopping around for conti tyres - I got new UST RQs from wiggle for 31 quid each - much cheaper than the rrp of 45 odd!!
I think thats probably the intention, they seem to have found a better balance of weight and strength with the Racesport now that probably fits the gap better. Having to get either protection or Supersonic never really made sense for a Mountain King... why have such specialist versions of a generalist tyre?A Flock of Birds
+ some other bikes.0 -
Conti tyres are a rip off, and in my experience have never been worth the £45 asking price. It's a tyre ffs!0
-
I'd agree with that too tbh... People got very excited about the Rubber Queen just because it was a conti trail tyre that didn't suck, as far as I can tell, now I got on with it OK and it was a decent competitor for other companies £25 offerings but the RRP was £45 or so. I think the black chili genuinely is expensive but it doesn't give that sort of performance IMO, it's not drastically better than kenda stick-e, grips less but rolls faster.Uncompromising extremist0
-
I agree with the comments on RRP. I ended up paying £36.50 per tyre, and I think thats still too much. I reckon they need to be £32 or so to make sense.A Flock of Birds
+ some other bikes.0 -
This is a great thread - thanks benpinnick!
Wobbly Cyclist0 -
This thread is over a year old!
I run MK II 2.2's, the standard wire bead £16 ones, and I must say they impress. Ive ridden them all through winter and theyve done me proud. I dont see any reason to change to any other tyres when these do so well and are relatively cheap.0 -
My Boardman came with Mk1`s fitted, now this was my first bike for around 14 or so years, but i always found it really slidey and crap, the rear tyre exploded after around 300 miles, i simply dropped off a kerb and the sidewall split around bead :?
Anyway i replaced the rear for a MK2 version, ohh that seamed MUCH better, i went from having a slidey bike, to one that seamed a lot more grippy at the rear, i was really surprised to be honest, i put up with the mk1 version on the front for a further 1000 or so miles, cursing every time the front end slid away from me, no matter what technique or pressure i tried, until it washed out one too many times for me and i ended up in a mega-crash :twisted:
I still had a bit of tread left to be fair, but the center was looking worn, so i replaced front and rear with some new MK2`s, the difference is VAST.
I am a heavy chap, and i run my rear at 35psi (tubeless) and the front at 25psi while offroad, last sunday i did both the red+black routes at Hamsterly forest and i was sooooo impressed with the grip available, even up the horrible rooty climbs.
A few others commented on how well they seamed to stick, my mate had a mk1 on the front of his bike and it looked pretty slippy.1999 Specialized FSR Elite MAX Backbone.
1998 Specialized FSR Ground Control - stripped for parts.
2011 Boardman Pro HT - SOLD! (low quality, expensive garbage)0 -
if anybody's interested bike-store.de have the 2.2 RS MK2s for 29 euros each. 70 for a pair with tubes.Visit Clacton during the School holidays - it's like a never ending freak show.
Who are you calling inbred?0 -
bennett_346 wrote:Conti tyres are a rip off, and in my experience have never been worth the £45 asking price. It's a tyre ffs!
Order from ze motherland ya?0 -
YA!
sie sind billiger von den Deutschen!Visit Clacton during the School holidays - it's like a never ending freak show.
Who are you calling inbred?0 -
too much effort for a simpleton like meEH_Rob wrote:bennett_346 wrote:Conti tyres are a rip off, and in my experience have never been worth the £45 asking price. It's a tyre ffs!
Order from ze motherland ya? 0
