Anyone ridden the new Continental tyres?

I cut a terminal slash in my sidewall yesterday so I need a new rear tyre. I usually run a DHRII maxterra exo+ but have spotted a Continental Kryptotal rear for a decent price so I’m curious.

Has anyone tried it in trail casing, endurance compound? Would this be about equivalent to a exo+ maxterra minion or is it a bit more of a lightweight casing? The weight is lower so I think maybe Continental only have an exo (trail) or double down (enduro) equivalent.

Any real world experience would be appreciated!

In case anyone is wondering I found a thread here where folks suggest that the Trail casing may be a bit burlier than exo+ (even though it’s somehow lighter). I’m going to give it a try.

Their Enduro carcass option seems to be about 1,100g – lighter than a DD or SG carcass.

I’d go for that one on the rear. 29 x 2.4 is £50 at Wiggle.

Alternatively, I’ve found the Michelin Wild Enduro Rear to be very tough for its weight, and a good all-rounder.

Got chatting to a rider the other day who was running them in DH casings and loving them, but like you I’m more interested in the trail.

Currently have a Baron 29×2.4 (Apex casing) on the rear of my e-bike and while it’s wearing much better than 3C Maxxis, the sidewalls are weeping quite a bit now (matey’s DH casings were not at all, but again, that’s especially relevant)

Saw some in a shop at a bike park in Austria, the tread patterns looked great and the rubber seemed stickier to touch than other brands, they’ve got me interested.

They have done that thing where you can’t get a light tyre in a soft compound for the front and a harder compount, burlier tyre out back.

Sidewall weeping and generally crap tubeless performance has always been a feature of Conti tyres. They recommend brushing the inside of the tyre with sealant before use because they haven’t bothered making their tubeless sidewalls airtight.

Im running them, very happy with the performance and the trail compound ones seem to be lasting forever, while wear on the soft compound seems fine too if more ‘normal’.

I’ve got a Kryptotal Enduro rear being delivered some time later today, after a matching front still to try, seem to be like finding hen’s teeth at the moment!

I run dual Argotal Endurance (chinese made) and they are fantastic. Great in loose conditions and even in the dust as of late. Great control in wet or super dry steeps. Roll very well too. When I burn through these will try the enduro casing Argotal front and Kryptotal rear.

I’ve ordered a trail endurance rear. I was quiet tempted by the enduro/soft but every opinion I’ve seen says the trail is remarkably tough and grippy but also fast rolling so I’ll try that and see if I can save the grams.

I was running the exo+ with a tannus insert so I’m hoping for a noticeable difference in rolling speed and weight. It should be about 200-250g lighter overall assuming it’s okay without the insert. Also my maxterra has really taken a beating in terms of wear the past few months so hopefully this compound can be a bit more durable in the hot and dry.

If that setup doesn’t work out then maybe an insertless enduro might be the thing but let’s see.

Hoping for a sticky but light casing option for the front in the future though. Right now I can’t see the ideal combination for a front tyre to replace my Assegai exo+ maxgrip.

matey’s DH casings were not at all, but again, that’s especially relevant

Not really relevant, your leaky sidewalls are indicative of the state of your sealant.

I’ve been running the Kryptotal front and rear specific recently. DH casing, super soft up front, soft at the back. They’re wearing ok (the rear especially), and grip is very high. I’m super impressed.

Hoping for a sticky but light casing option for the front in the future though. Right now I can’t see the ideal combination for a front tyre to replace my Assegai exo+ maxgrip.

Given the nigh on identical weights (Aside from the fact the Conti is technically a 2.4/smaller tyre) I’d have thought the 2.4 Kryptotal Enduro f was the ideal replacement? The soft is pretty grippy. Its a shame they don’t do a super soft enduro tyre but the soft is just that.

I’ve a 2.6 Kryptotal rear and 2.6 Argotal on the front In soft Enduro casing.

Happy so far with the Kryptotal, but went with a Argotal on the front as I wanted a 2.6 and all the other options were 2.4 + unavailable when I got around to ordering the front. Argotal cirtainly isn’t an all year round tyre and is quite squirmy in the current dry conditions – but when in wetter and loamy conditions it was great, I’ll be swapping for a Kryptotal front when I find one….

Given the nigh on identical weights (Aside from the fact the Conti is technically a 2.4/smaller tyre) I’d have thought the 2.4 Kryptotal Enduro f was the ideal replacement? The soft is pretty grippy. Its a shame they don’t do a super soft enduro tyre but the soft is just that.

That’s a good point, I’ve got plenty of wear left in the Assegai for now (which is lucky because that soft front is hard to find) so I’ll wait it out and see if new combinations are available when I need one, otherwise go with the enduro/soft.

Rear has just been delivered, 1.16kg according to the luggage scale I’ve got in the garage. Tread is a little wider than the 2.4 big Betty, carcass definitely feels softer than a Schwalbe Supergravity, but also stiffer than an Exo Maxxis. I haven’t got a DD tyre to compare against

Liking the look of these.

£100 for a pair on CRC. Still seems crazy expensive for bike tires but still alot cheaper than mixxis or schwalbe _ I try and buy ones of pinkbike or eBay when they pop up

I don’t really mind what I have in the rear too much as I love a good drift but never found anything as good as the magic Mary on the front for scotland

@bearback

your leaky sidewalls are indicative of the state of your sealant.

Explain? Using Stans, topped up at the start of May (I think), without removing what was already in there.

Stans ages terribly. I often see it separate into a very thin liquid that just won’t remix with anything you add.
That’s what’s coming though your sidewalls. I see it more on maxxis but thats probably because they’re more common..
But it’s not specifically a conti thing.
Conti also haven’t had a leaky sidewall issue since the first generation baron. The only more current tire that I’ve had take longer to stay sealed than the others is the kaiser. No sealant bleed, just several cycles of reinflation between rides before it holds air properly over longer periods.

@bearback

Ok – that’s what I’m getting in drops (that don’t seem to dry up) on my bike store floor. maybe time to clean out and refill (though the last alternative I used – a 5L container of Hutchison – seemed to dry up in about a month, and nothing else I’ve tried over the years has been as successful as Stans)

I’ve had far less seepage from Exo and Exo+ Maxxis than I have from Conti.

Blood brilliant, tubeless piece of piss and did drop any air, decent tyres to boot!

Thanks to a heads up by @appltn my kryptotal enduro front arrived this evening (thank you wiggle plus!). 1219g on the kitchen scales, almost 100g over list weight. Tread is very DHR2ish (in a good way) but the transition between centre and edge knobs is closer, I’m hoping that this translates to a smooth transition on the trail.
Front is sat in the workshop waiting to be fitted in the morning, rear took some doing, I needed to use my big tyre lever to get the last few inches on to the rim (DT EX521) but it popped up easily, the tyres feel quite sloppy out of the box so no lube required, measured 59.5mm, will see if it stretches any overnight.

The first cm of sidewall has a decent level of pinch flat protection.

My Kryptotal rear trail/endurance showed up yesterday and it weighed in at 1059g.

The compound feels firmer than a maxterra and the casing feels a good bit stiffer than an exo+, in particular the sidewalls are stiffer and hopefully tougher as a result. The tread seems taller than a DHRII but I’m comparing against one with quite a lot of wear so it is hard to be too sure.

When I fitted it last night it went onto the rim very easily with no tyre lever required and aired up with a regular track pump but I did need to remove the valve core to get the beads to seat, no big deal.

I left it at 30psi overnight and there’s no sign of seepage or pressure loss this morning so I’m good to go.

I’m really curious to see how the casing stands up to punctures and especially pinch flats as it seems tougher than the exo+ (while also being lighter) but doesn’t have the bead protection that the enduro casing does. I’m running it with no insert initially to see how it goes, I guess if I start pinch flatting I’ll try it with the insert although at that point I might wish I’d gone for enduro casing and no insert which would be lighter overall.

I sort of can’t say how tough it is. I’ve been running trails on my hardtail for a while now. No issues at all. So either a) they’re tougher than exo or b) I’ve been luckier than normal

I sort of can’t say how tough it is. I’ve been running trails on my hardtail for a while now. No issues at all. So either a) they’re tougher than exo or b) I’ve been luckier than normal

Kind of impossible to know isn’t it? Funnily enough on the ride where I tore my previous tyre the other day I was thinking about how good exo+ must be because it had done 18 months without a single puncture, tear or anything. Then at the bottom of my last run (and furthest point from my house) pssshhhhhhhhhh 💨.

I just told a pal that the EXO+ casings had been pretty good for me.

Obviously I had a flat tyre when I got the bike out of the van earlier.

😀

For someone fluent in Maxxis – how do these compare model to model?

Kryptotal is a minion/assegai equivalent, the rear is very DHR2ish, but I think with more ramping on the leading edge of the centre knobs. Front doesn’t have the dead gap that a DHF has.

My front is fitted, needed a little tease on with a big lever again, but pumped up with a track pump with the valve core still in place (didn’t try this with the rear, defaulted to using the compressor with the core out) Both tyres sat at bang on 60mm with 23/25psi in them.
I’d already ordered a 2.6 argotal from Merlin before getting the message that the kryptotal fronts were available, that arrived yesterday, 1.34kg on the luggage scale, definitely not an all round tyre, the gaps between the centre blocks are about half again as big as the gaps on the shorty I had to compare against, similar difference to a magic Mary too. I’ll be hanging on to it as a winter front.

I haven’t been out properly yet, just a quick blast up and down the garden trying (and failing) to pull cutties. Will try to get out later for a bit of a gentle spin (put my back into spasm on Saturday, it’s pretty much back to it all this morning) so will have an idea of how draggy they feel. Bike park Wales next Sunday will be the first proper test though.

That’s what’s coming though your sidewalls. I see it more on maxxis but thats probably because they’re more common..

So just looking again at the tyres on mine and K’s e-bikes. Her Maxxis have been on there for since last May (very close to end of life tread wise). The Baron on the rear of mine is newer than the Maxxis on the front and of the 4 tyres the Baron is the only one thats pissing fluid out everywhere. I really like the way Conti’s ride and wear but would be nice to know if they’ve sorted the sidewalls after a couple of months use from the people on this thread

Just came back from a week in the alps and a couple mates were impressed with their Kryptotals. No punctures and they rated the grip highly even at Champery and the pleney steeps. Very little wear as well.

Saw a surprising amount of them on other people’s bikes as well.

I’m running trail kryptotal front and rear. Best tyres i’ve ever used as an all round tyre. Unbelievable grip in almost any conditions but find above 25psi grip drops off rapidly in dry dusty conditions.

Only one complaint. Both tyres are warped / have a folded tightly at new wobble I cant get rid of. Thought it was a buckled wheel at first but found both front and rear have a wobble and rims are straight as a die and both sets are seated properly at the bead so its definitely a casing issue.

If i dont look at the wheels i’d never notice when riding. But happen to glance at the wheels and its so noticeable.

Not sure I’ll bother trying warranty as the a) ride fine and b) it took me 5 attempts to get my rear valve to seat and seal properly i cant be bothered removing the tyre and disturbing anything!

I have fitted the Kryptotal Re Trail 2.6″ with the Argotal Enduro 2.6″ on the front of my new Nukeproof Scout build. Insert in the rear. Popped on Nukeproof Horizon wheels with a track pump first time (no pissing about with an inner tube to pop the bead on) and used Lifeline sealant that came with the wheels. No air loss, no mess, easiest tubeless set up I’ve ever done. Whether that was the tyres or wheels or the combination, I dunno.

As for riding, I have had a Scott Spark and Vitus Rapide previously with WTB Trail Boss and Vigilante and Maxxis Recons. The Continentals do feel a bit more sluggish uphill (as to be expected) but they more than make up for it on the downhill. I run the front at 18psi and rear at 20psi, I weigh about 145lbs.

Finally managed to get out and ride the new tyres properly yesterday at Bike Park Wales, set up 22F/24R. The best thing I can say is that the tyres are really unnoticeable, on trails like Groot they would slide on roots but it was always really predictable and very easy to catch. On the flow trails I had loads on confidence in the front end to be able to really push it in to the corners and let the back end slide a little.

As I thought, there isn’t a marked transition from centre tread to the edge grip.

Untitled by Matt Cotterill[/url], on Flickr

Thanks for the write up.

I’ve managed one ride on my rear trail/endurance now in very dry hardpack conditions and came to the similar conclusion that I just didn’t notice it much which I think is a good sign although conditions weren’t exactly slippery.

They seemed to go quite well in Snowshoe on Saturday.

Kerr and Kolb on the elite men podium riding Conti in what looked like the most consistently difficult WC track I’ve ever seen.

Kerr and Kolb on the elite men podium riding Conti in what looked like the most consistently difficult WC track I’ve ever seen.

And Bernard.

And Bernard.

Bernard Kerr?

You mean Ronan Dunne?

3/5 ain’t bad anyway.

I’m not sure what I meant, I’m propping up my desk at work with one eye closed.

Bernard and Kerr and Andreas and Kolb and Ronan and Dunne is 6 on the (5 man) podium using Conti tyres in Men’s DH at the weekend in Snowshoe!