Rocket Ron Snakeskin vs X-King ProTection 29er (Pics)

iLukeKendall

So I'm still on the hunt for the best new tyres - really want to make sure I get the right ones as £80 is a lot to spend on rubber!

I've now narrowed it down to the following;

Schwalbe Rocket Ron Evo SnakeSkin Pacestar 29 x 2.25" vs. Continental X-King ProTection 29 x 2.2"

Which would you suggest is the best - ideally the longest lasting, with the least rolling resistance and best grip?

My riding conditions are mainly on Dartmoor and are as follows (wet and dry):



If anyone has any better suggestions please let me know. I can't go any larger than 2.25" due to my frame size.

.blitz

Have used 26" Rons as a rear tyre around Cannock for a few summers and although they are fast and grip surprisingly well they have a lifetime measured in hours.

They're a fairly specific kind of tyre with a few strategically-placed soft compound tread blocks on a paper-thin carcass which makes them very light and fast and grippy until the strategically-placed soft compound tread blocks wear out. Around a dry Cannock last summer they were visibly frazzled after every ride and the tread blocks started to tear after about 250 miles. The paper thin carcass also had quite a few cuts the rubber in between the tread is no more than 1 mm thick and it's easy to go through to the fabric. The snakeskin option may make the tyre more durable but it adds a disproportionate amount of weight.

So to answer your question least rolling resistance 5 stars best grip 4 stars longest lasting no stars

Expensive too

njee20

The Rocket Ron is a race tyre, and as above, is not durable. The Snakeskin is a tougher carcass, so it'll be more resistant to cuts, but you'll still shred the tread in no time.

Not used X-Kings. I personally really like Rons, just accept they won't last all that long. Buy from Germany and they're a lot cheaper <£30.

iLukeKendall

Thanks for the advice guys, looks like the Schwalbe's are best avoided if I'd like something longer lasting then!

My bike came with Bontrager 29-2 tyres, which have served me reasonably well over the past year. They're still rideable to be honest, but the centre tread is beginning to wear on the rear tyre and struggles to grip when climbing moderately steep hard-pack trail. They have done close to 2000 miles however, and lasted through summer and winter, so ideally I'd like a replacement that would last as long and be all-weather too!

poah

iLukeKendall wrote:

Which would you suggest is the best - ideally the longest lasting, with the least rolling resistance and best grip?

you don't get all three - the conti's are the ones I would get out of those two

Cqc

The places you ride seem to contradict however. On all but the top right one, you don't even need a mtb with knobbly tires,sub 2" semi slicks would suit you fine, but the top right is on a different level of difficulty- it seems to warrant less xc focused tires -nobby nics or rubber queen equivalents from those brands

iLukeKendall

Cqc wrote:

The places you ride seem to contradict however. On all but the top right one, you don't even need a mtb with knobbly tires,sub 2" semi slicks would suit you fine, but the top right is on a different level of difficulty- it seems to warrant less xc focused tires -nobby nics or rubber queen equivalents from those brands

Thanks Cqc. The pictures were the best I could find from my library and quick google search, however the terrain does require MTB tyres rather than slicks. The trail in the top left does become much more rooty in places, and bottom middle is a local blue grade trail which features several tight switchbacks and berms. Bottom right continues for several miles across open moorland with gravel/rocky patches. I'm certainly not riding All Mountain terrain but definitely need something that can withstand the rocky section in the top right - however in order to get there, I have to ride along the terrain in all the other images, so I don't want something that'll slow me down! I only really ride the really rocky stuff in the dry though, and the Bonty 29-2's seemed to cope reasonably well, not that I'm hurtling down it at any considerable speed on a hardtail!

supersonic

Do the Contis have the black chilli compound?

iLukeKendall

supersonic wrote:

Do the Contis have the black chilli compound?

Yep, can be found here: http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/a120779/x-king-protection-29-x-22-foldable.html?baid=14370493

Appears to be Black Chilli and ProTection, which is why I'm considering them - I've heard bad things about non BC or PT Conti's.

poah

should do if they are the protection model

iLukeKendall

Are the BlackChilli/ProTection's likely to be longer lasting and puncture resistant?

adamfo

My Canyon 29er Nerve came OE with a 2.2 Ron Evo Pacestar front tyre. It's a good lightweight fast rolling summer tyre.

I'm currently running the Continental Mountain King II chilli protection. According to the use chart on the Continental website it has the widest operational range of any tyre they make.
It was the grouptest winner in a recent all season trail tyre test in MBR magazine. It blows up true to size therefore a 2.4 on the front and 2.2 on the back works well in UK conditions. A 2.2 would be to narrow on a 29er front IMHO.

I noticed Canyon are putting the X-king 2.4 on the back and Mountain king 2.4 on the front of the new Spectral 29er. Probably a sound choice as Canyon almost always fit the premium rubber compound variants.

http://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbikes ... tml?b=3261

adamfo

iLukeKendall wrote:

Are the BlackChilli/ProTection's likely to be longer lasting and puncture resistant?

Yes. The German factory chilli compound rubber has more carbon and lasts longer and grips better than the cheaper far eastern made Continentals. The protection band beefs up the side walls.

iLukeKendall

Thanks adamfo. The Mountain King looks like it has a bit too much tread for the riding I do. It seems it's more suited to wet XC, however during the wetter months I usually stay away from the extremely soggy stuff, sticking to tarmac and hardpack trails. An XC tyre would suit my needs, hence I'm looking at the X King... I want something as fast rolling as possible but still grippy enough when I need it to be!

Unfortunately I can't fit anything wider than a 2.2 (maybe 2.25 at a push) on my 29er, as the current 2.2's I have seems to rub the fork occasionally when turning sharply, and the rear is very tight (see image below - sorry for the muddyness!).

So far it's looking like the X King's are my best bet.

iLukeKendall

Just looked further into the Trail King actually as well... better than X King or not?

http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/k2018/ ... lding.html

poah

trail king is more aggressive than the mountain king

adamfo

Here's the chart I mentioned.

http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle ... B_2013.jpg

Trail King replaces the Kinky Rubber Queen name 8)

adamfo

iLukeKendall wrote:

Just looked further into the Trail King actually as well... better than X King or not?

http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/k2018/ ... lding.html

Not for you. It's a high volume tyre with higher rolling resistance and weight.
The 2.4 Apex version is similar to the enormous Hans Dampf.

Trail King 29" x 2.2 ProTection 870g

Mountain King 29" x 2.2 ProTection 740g

X-King 29" x 2.2 ProTection 670g

iLukeKendall

Thanks for linking that chart adamfo. It looks like the X King 2.2 is the most versatile and suited to my riding conditions. My concerns with Mountain Kings are the rolling resistance when on tarmac sections.

Just got back from a ride, and I've split my rear tyre now, so need to order some new ones soon. X Kings look the most tempting right now... :P

EDIT: Bugger, bike-discount out of stock on the X Kings now Do you think it's safe to ride a tyre with an approx. 2cm split in the tread in the meantime?

RevellRider

I don't find the rolling resistance on my Mountain King II to be all that bad. It is a 26x2.2 Protection set up tubeless running 26psi. I have the X King on the back right now and they're not that fantastic in the gloopy mud but they have been good everywhere else

iLukeKendall

Just to close up this thread in case anyone searches for the same in the future...

I decided on the Continental X King ProTection 2.2's in the end, and managed to get Wiggle to price match Bike-Discount.de, bringing them to around £31 per tyre.

I fitted them the day I received them, and initially struggled to get the bead to seat on the rim (with tubes), although I think this was likely due to them trying to retain their folded up shape from the packaging - hopefully now they've moulded to the rim a bit they'll be easier to get on and off. In terms of width, whilst they're advertised as 2.2's, they come up closer to 2.0" wide in my case. This isn't a bad thing, as it's less likely to rub on my fork (an issue I had with my previous 2.2's) and are supposedly faster rolling.

I went for my first ride with them this evening, and first impressions are good. They seem much faster and quieter on tarmac than the Bontrager's, and feel a bit more nimble (likely due to the narrower width). It seems to cope reasonably well in shallow mud when going straight, although if attacking at an angle or a larger section of boggy grass it can lose control a bit, which is understandable for a tyre with this tread pattern. On a loose over hardpack trail, they seemed to grip very well when climbing, and cornering, much more so then I felt with the Bontrager's.

So overall initially I'm pleased with them. Hoping to get out for a few more rides over the weekend and next week, so let's hope the good performance continues!