As above I’ve just ordered some mountain king 2’s in a 650b / 2.4″ wide protection model with black chilli compound as they were on offer at chain reaction.

I’m currently riding with folding schwalbe nobby nic’s 2.25″ (old model as they came on a 2014 boardman pro fs). I’ve had them on a year and all the edges have rounded off and they’ve started getting slippy. I’ve always found them lacking in cornering grip on wet or damp hardback at trail centres. Aside from that I’ve never had a puncture with them (running inner tubes) and they’ve been OK.

Are the new tyres an upgrade on these for general trail riding?

I was considering schwalbe hans dampf but got put off by all the reports they don’t last well. Also looked at Maxxis High Roller 2’s / magic Marys / wtb vigilantes. Put off generally by high weight or high price – so cheaped out really.

Riding wise it’s mostly trail centres for me with the occasional natural trail ride which can be muddy / rooty etc. I love a bit of DH, but I’m not a downhiller per se. Places I go are: Cwmcarn, Flyup 417 in Cheltenham, Bike Park Wales, Afan, Swinley Forest, Ashton Court/Leighton Woods, Ashton Hill.

Great tires in protection casing.
Bigger volume than the NN with a similar weight. Old Generation schwalbe tires were a bit rubbish ime.
MK2s are great on most things, although a little under braked compared to rubber queens/trail kings but a much faster tire.
MK2 is my tire of choice unless I’m going somewhere I know is ‘gnarly’ and steep. But for trail center type riding, good choice!

Sounds good. Only slight concern is if the 2.4 is going to fit through my forks / frame. I thought I’d read somewhere that the mk2 2.2’s came up really narrow, so thought I’d go 2.4……

I run a 2.2 rear and 2.4 front.

Ah, I hadn’t considered trying different sizes at each end. Have just ordered a pair of 2.4’s as that was the only size on offer…..

Same as Steve1…i like them.

Going to buck the trend and say i disliked them. For trail centre you’d have been better off with 2.2 Trail kings.

MKII in 2.4 doesn’t have enough large flat blocks for grip on trail centre hardpack. Very much a tyre for soft natural terrain and light mud.

Also on rims at the narrower end of the spectrum the profile is far too round and the side knobs are half way down the sidewalls. Lowering the pressures enough to square them up makes them roll like a hog.

Tried them on my 650B bike when I first got it, the 2.2 was fine on the rear with plenty of grip in most conditions. The 2.4 on the front however was so wayward it was unreal! As fifeandy says the side blocks are halfway down the sidewall so it just doesn’t grip. This was on a 22mm internal rim for reference. Swapped the front for a 2.2 Trail King and it made a good combo.

I might need to check my rims and see how wide they are then – and hope for the best. CC isn’t an armoured trail centre type of place and neither is fly up. However Ashton Court / Leigh Woods / Swinley are either hard packed or shiny stone packed. Could be interesting.

I guess the question is whether the mk2 will be better than my current Nobby Nics? In damp conditions in Leigh Woods it’s difficult to stay up the right way on corners with them.

Not a fan here either. I got on much better with the Trail King.

Maybe I’ve gone for the wrong tyres then – hopefully they’ll arrive tomorrow and will get them mounted up ASAP and abused. My only comfort is they were only £24 each on offer…..

As above I’ve just ordered some mountain king 2’s in a 650b / 2.4″ wide protection model with black chilli compound as they were on offer at chain reaction.

Personally I like them, although I did run a 2.2 on the rear as a pair, or a 2.4 on the back and a Rubber Queen Trail King on the front for days in ‘proper’ mountains or places like BPW. Black Chilli is brilliant for both rolling resistance and grip (although the chunky tread pattern means they’re maybe a bit draggy on dry trails – as said above, better with a bit of mud) but as a most-of-the-year option there are far worse tyres out there. I found the sidewalls and bead a little fragile too, but that could just be my hamfisted mounting and some unlucky flint placement.

For trail centres it could be argued a low-profile tyre – like a X King – would be better, but then for more natural riding, bigger hills, rooty tech and more confidence something heavier like a Trail King would be the wiser choice. The MK2 sits in the middle.

For that money I’d buy them, even just to keep as a spare. However I wouldn’t go near the non-Black Chilli versions with yours.

Should add – mounted on 29mm rims. The 2.2 is pretty thin, whereas the 2.4 is pretty large.

I guess the question is whether the mk2 will be better than my current Nobby Nics? In damp conditions in Leigh Woods it’s difficult to stay up the right way on corners with them.

Probably a little harder to push around, but I’d wager they’ll also grip far better.

I hated them. A pair of vaseline coated eels would have gripped better. I hated Nobby Nics as well though. Trails Kings are, however, possibly the best tyres I’ve ever ridden, though a little draggy.

Looking forward to trying out my vaseline coated eel tyres then!

Sounds from general comments that they are in a similar category of tyre to the NN but have a better rubber compound than the ones I have on my bike. If they manage the same as the NN with punctures (none in a year of so) but grip a bit better them I’ll be happy I think. If I’m underwhelmed then next year I’ll invest in something like high roller 2’s perhaps.

Great tires in protection casing.

Not sure I’d agree with that. Katie’s Canyon came with 2.4 Protections (fitted to DT rims with a 30mm internal width).

She’s enjoyed riding them and they seem to have enough grip in the conditions we’ve been riding in.

However, Tread is very widely spaced and they’re not a UST tyre so even with sealant and after some months they lose a bit of air. The rim bead isn’t as good as a UST so they definitely weep around the rim. Tyrewalls are very thin for an AM tyre and used tubeless the sidewalls are showing a lot of threads while the main tread has a lot of life left.

I’ve got some UST and Non-UST Trail Kings to compare side by side and the sidewalls just aren’t tough enough on the protection version.

I’m going to swap them out before we head to the Pyrenees.

I was advised to get Trail Kings on mine so got the 2.2 Black Chilli Protection ones. I’ve been happy with them especially as 1500 miles in and i’ve not *gulp, tempting fate* had a puncture yet whereas all my mates who ride the same routes have. I’ve one eye on the Mountain Kings as replacements though as rides from home consist of maybe an even split of tarmac, gravel and woodland so fancied something ‘faster rolling’ but in reality is that actually the case or just a myth? I took my TK’s off the other day when I attacked a Strava segment and was slower with the other tyres on! The ‘spares’ which are now at the tip were Rapid Robs which I initially removed because they were crap on gravel and caused me to fall off on a very slight incline in front of a very amused woman with a dog one time…

The rim bead isn’t as good as a UST so they definitely weep around the rim.

I believe Protection tyres have UST beads now… Or certainly that’s what a mate (brother of a certain adventurous MTB journo) at Cambrian Tyres told me when they first landed a few years ago.

However, in my experience of all Conti Protections the sidewalls are very leaky and require a good dollop of sealant to properly seal. That – unfortunately – is the flipside of not running subtantially heavier ‘proper’ UST tyres.

I’m going to swap them out before we head to the Pyrenees.

Makes sense. Definitely a place for thicker sidewalls.

My post was a bit short due to being interrupted by the little dude…

I found the sidewalls to be very thin and porous, even on the protection versions and they were a pain to set up tubeless. I also found the bead very weak and easy to burp / pull of of place. The Trail Kings that replaced them were much, much better.

The Black Chilli compound is good and I found they lasted pretty well.

I also found the bead very weak and easy to burp / pull of of place

Yes – Katie’s actually torn hers at at bead so will no longer run tubeless. If they’ve improved the bead/sidewalls all well and good but I couldn’t recommend the old ones, especially not if you’re planning on running as Tubeless.

The Trail King protection 29 tyres I had on my hardtail were even worse – didn’t just ‘sweat’ sealant but leaked all over. When I put soapy water on them they foamed like you wouldn’t believe – gave up even trying to run them tubeless.

My main issue with MK2’s is the tubeless setup so if you’re running tubes probably not an issue. I had them on my 29er hardtail for general trail duties, not trail centres, as above Trail King is a better bet for armoured trails IMHO, thats what i have on full suss (26 UST). They’re pretty good all purpose tyres, but I’d have gone 2.2 unless running broad rims with loads of clearance.

Thanks for the feedback. I’m running with tubes so hopefully the leaky sidewalls aren’t a problem. Looking at my bike the clearance round 2.25″ Nobby Nics loos fairly substantial so think the 2.4’s will be OK. Haven’t got particularly wide rims though so will see how that looks when they arrive. Thought I’d read that conti 2.4’s came up quite narrow compared to other makes. Guess that’s the issue with buying online.

Thought I’d update this thread.

The Mountain Kings arrived – they went onto my fairly narrow rims ok (Mavic X319) despite technically being a bit big. Rim says it ok for upto 2.3″tyres and the MK2’s I have are a 2.4. However they are barely wider than the Nobby Nic 2.25’s that came off. Have plenty of clearance in both the frame and the forks.

Fitted them ok – running with inner tubes. Pumped them up to about 40 psi (I know, that’s probably a bit high to be optimum) and they look savage. Recently had the RS Revelations on my bike upgraded travel wise so they now have 150mm of travel instead of 130mm travel. Had a lower leg service at the same time and so plush now.

Did 2 laps of Cwm Carn today – one lap of Twych and one lap of Cafell. Weather was good – tracks were generally fairly dry with some muddy / rocky section in dips.

Compared to the bog standard MK2’s I’ve had before (in 26″) and the Nobby Nics (folding, but not a fancy compound) these tyres are amazing. So much more confidence in them already – uphill over roots (mostly dry admittedly) you get a lot more drive without spinning. Braking wise they seemed to go fairly straight with not a lot of squirm., Great round corners – tip in nicely with a gradual roll – not suddenly going from middle blocks to side blocks.

I think it must be the black chilli compound rubber that must make the grip so good over my old tyres. No punctures today, although there aren’t any thorns at this trail centre. No pinch punctures either – and down some drops I had enough impact to use about 130mm is of the available travel on the forks – so I wasn’t mucking about.

Couldn’t be happier at the moment (especially for £24 per tyre) – although the big test will be BPW next week – especially if it’s hammering down with rain.

@Joebristol, if you fancy giving your tyres a test of AC/Leigh woods there’s going to be a group of STW’ers meeting up later.

18:30 at the AC Gatehouse if you fancy coming along. my emails in my profile. you’re more than welcome to join us

4130

Thanks 4130 – I’d love to if I hadn’t already done about 30km today and approaching 1000metres of climbing! Broken now. But definitely want to get out on the bike this Friday and preferably Sunday as well. Get really used to the tyres on as many surfaces as possible before going to BPW for the day next Friday.

Did another couple of laps of Cwmcarn today – love the tyres. Drive so much better uphill over slippery / damp roots and rocks. Will never be going back to Nobby Nics. Going to take a very good tyre (or a decision to go tubeless in the future) to change from these ones.

Recommend them to any Nobby Nic users in particular. Needs to be the black chilli compound though.

Would say the only downside vs NNs is these drag a bit more on tarmac / certain trails.

There is another thread running where many people are commenting that they’ve had failures where the wheel rim touches the tyre by the bead!

Mk2 PT BC 2.4 is only on the rear for me and then a technical greasy rooty rocky climb will be a million times worse than any Schwalbe EVO TrailStar or Maxxis 3C on the same climb. Minutes different because you’re off the bike and pushing and falling over. Did back to back tests through my local wooded climb and they were a joke. Cleared it with the Schwalbe and Maxxis but not with the Conti.

Absolutely lethal on wet roots up front. MK2 for dry days only up front.

I’m back to Nics 2015/6 front and rear in TrailStar and all is well again.

I will say the ProTection never let me down puncture wise though. It’s good on the rear if you don’t do technical climbs much. For winter I need more grip though.

Maybe my Nobby Nics were just really bad then? The difference is huge for me – the mk’s are much better on wet roots and rocks – I’m clearing a lot more stuff at CC than I was before.

Maybe next time I replace tyres I’ll give some High Rollers in the 3c compound a go to see the difference.

It’s about the rubber compound not the Model Name. They still make terrible Nobby Nics today. TrailStar or VertStar (more DH end) is the sticky stuff that works from Schwalbe.

Apparently Conti’s Black Chili isn’t the same on each tyre model. It gets sticker as the DH’ness of the tyre model increases. X-King and MK2 on the rear on wet roots had me 5 minutes slower up the same tricky woods climb than a TrailStar tyre. Purely because the back end of the bike just slips out on the rocks and roots and you’re forced to push then re-mount whereas TrailStar rubber will hang on. On a climb I know. I did back to back tests same wet conditions.

If you buy a Schwalbe that has TrailStar rubber it will be the same rubber makeup and stickness no matter what tread pattern the tyre is. Same for Maxxis – 3C is 3C no matter what model (they have 3 versions of 3C but whichever one you pick it will be the same on a DH tyre or an XC tyre). But not for Continental (so I read on an STW post somewhere).

I’m not rich enough to try other tyre makes. I’ve a garage full of part warn tyres now just trying out different Schwalbe, Maxxis and Continental! Most of which I have a good reason not to want to ride again!! Doh. All 26 inch too… LOL

On the other hand, I love a mountain king tyre on the rear, the wider spaced knobs that the trail king help it shed mud quicker. No problem with grip at all on rocky Gisburn or lake district climbs. I prefer the 2.2 on the rear though, maybe the 2.4 is to fat to find grip.
Problem I have with them is that I’m on my 3rd now (replaced under warranty) as the bead keeps going wonky.

I believe Protection tyres have UST beads now… Or certainly that’s what a mate (brother of a certain adventurous MTB journo) at Cambrian Tyres told me when they first landed a few years ago.

My new 27.5 2.4 Trail King Protection Tubeless Ready just arrived. Compared to a 26″ UST TK 2.4 I’d say the sidewalls feels just as thick. Conti packaging claims

“Protection provids superior puncture resistance and sidewall durability – in comparison with the previous generation ProTection tyres: 30% more puncture resistant, 25% lighter”

Standard MTB rate of improvement then….

Yes, great tyres (black chilli is excellent).

Conti Protection tyres are fine tubeless. Obviously they will need sealant, and possibly rubber rim strips to seal. But in my experience they won’t leak.

I also own the UST version, which is super easy to run tubeless, but don’t come with black chilli compound.

Obviously they will need sealant, and possibly rubber rim strips to seal. But in my experience they won’t leak.
I also own the UST version, which is super easy to run tubeless, but don’t come with black chilli compound.

The point is that Conti have changed them. They no longer seem to sell UST and the Protection tyres have been upgraded (with a better bead and sidewalls?) and are now classed as Tubeless Ready (ie need sealant)