Conti Kryptotal Front – flipping amazing

The Breakout looks good, shame that WTB don’t seem to have very effective distribution in the UK in recent years.

I love the Verdict for winter or mixed conditions, and the Vigilante has impressed me too. Bit more of an all-rounder.

Argotal DH supersoft front and soft rear, 29 2.4 flavour on an ebike. Half a dozen or so rides on the steep, loose and slippy trails round here and they are amazing. I was coming off a very good set of tyres (Mary Ultrasoft SG front and DHR2 DD Maxxterra rear but the grip from the Argotals is a level up

I set pressures to my usual 24/27  when they were cold

Edit – just to add on pressures I mostly run 23 psi both ends. Unless it’s muddy / steep tech and then I go down to about 20

Tried mine (Fr Enduro) on the front recently, I went for 20psi based on Schwalbe’s PressureProf recommendation for their similar Super Trail casing, and it felt fine. I’m 75kg, previously ran 20psi in EXO type front tyres with a Rimpact.

Conditions too different to have much confidence (and no insert as I failed to fit it), but they felt less conforming under loaded cornering than the Der Baron Projekts they replaced. Like they were remaining rounded, not deforming as much into a flat contact patch.

Can’t be long now.

Few weeks ago:

Sea Otter this week:

Used my Kryptotal front / Xynotal rear summer combo today. Woods were drier than they have been and the things were great. Bit into the loose stuff on off camber / rooty traverse bits and just generally awesome. That said the conditions were better than they have been in months and months. Really enjoyed my ride today and got a pb/ a few 2nds on Strava

Anyone else having problems ripping the sidewalls on the enduro casing Kryptotals? I’m generally been pretty easy with tyres but now killed 2 fairly new rears in 6 months running around 25psi +/- (I’m about 71kg).

I ripped an enduro soft Xynotal in Dyfi forest – 2-3cm slash in the sidewall. I think it wa as freak issue as down here in south wales /‘Fod / Mendips / Bristol I’m fine with a trail casing Kryptotal

Might the Enduro casing be in fact less tough than the Trail casing?

They’re both 3 ply cap and 2 ply sidewall, but the plys are 60tpi on the Trail but 110tpi on the Enduro. That should make the Enduro more supple but have less puncture resistance.

Not having thought about that, the supposedly (turns out perhaps not) tougher cap and sidewalls was the only pro I had for the Enduro Soft versus Trail Soft with an insert – that’s where I get my punctures. Bit moot given those aren’t available anyway. My Fr Enduro also arrived 90g overweight so 175g over a Trail, main reason I’ll be replacing when they become available. @momo halfway down this thread also had one similarly overweight.

Still waiting to have different compound options on each casing!

They’ve been seen on some OEM bikes since at least February https://mbaction.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Tirade-XX-Outdoor-2.24-2.webp

Just got a Kryptotal enduro / soft rear to try instead of the trail / endurance one this winter. Kryptotal front enduro / soft has been on my bike all summer and it’s been great. Will stay on until it’s hillbilly conditions.

The enduro doesn’t work for me on the front unfortunately, not supple enough at the pressure required to keep it from burping.

Wild Enduro up front at least while I’m waiting. It’s very square.

I fitted my argotal dh supersoft for an uplift trip, got 1 and a half runs in and had a massive crash, knocked myself out and broke my shoulder and both hands. Clearly the tyre’s fault :)

Did you get it on video this time?

…I mean so we can I inspect the tyre’s performance of course.

Tragically not, no friday fails this time.

Bugger. That must make it hurt even more. Hope you heal/healed quickly

Oooft, heal quick.

At the weekend I went back to a bike that had schwalbe magic mary on the front and big betty on the back. Couldnt discern much difference between the argotal DH super soft on my normal bike and the magic mary soft on this bike , but the difference between the kryptotal rear enduro soft and the big betty soft was significant. The kryptotal rear had loads more grip under braking compared to the big betty ie The big betty would lock up much easier than the kryptotal.

Really hope Conti either improve the enduro casing or bring out a halfway house between it and the Dh casing.

Love the Kryptotals, it’s a real shame they’re just not up to the job. I’m not usually hard on tyres (never flatted a Wild Enduro) but have so far ripped holes in 3 rears and 1 front. I’ve kept making excuses and trying again but that’s the best part of £300 worth of ties in the bin with very little use. I don’t really want to have to drag dh casing tyres around so back to the Michelins for now.

@jamesfts

Where are you riding? I sliced the sidewall of an enduro casing Xynotal in Dyfi Forest (on Tony the Tiger) – jumped off some rocks and landed on some rocks – looks like the sidewall compressed with the landing – right against a sharp rock.

No idea if the DH version would have survived / any other mid weight casing other brand tyres though. When I was buying a replacement tyre the following day for the bike park the guy at Dyfi said sometimes it’s just luck and even DH casing tyres around there get damaged.

I used to run Exo maxxis tyres on the rear but I holed one (with a rimpact in there) last year just in the local woods (which isn’t that rocky) so think I’m riding too hard for those on the rear wheel now. Suspect they’d be fine on the front though.

Northwind

Full Member

I fitted my argotal dh supersoft for an uplift trip, got 1 and a half runs in and had a massive crash, knocked myself out and broke my shoulder and both hands. Clearly the tyre’s fault

MATE.

Apropos the Conti-chat, I’ve been running the Kryptotals sor a few weeks now (DH supersoft front; Enduro soft rear). Love the front and not finding the drag prohibitive uphill, even on long rides. Rear can spit traction when climbing on wet rock, but no complaints otherwise.

jamesftsFree Member
Really hope Conti either improve the enduro casing or bring out a halfway house between it and the Dh casing.

There’s only 100g between the Enduro and DH casings, not sure you can put something in between

Went back to Maxxis, couldn’t get on with the feel of the DH casing (preference is to run a super soft up front), always felt harsh unless you were going warp speed, they did wear well and rolled well for the grip they gave.

Maybe the enduro casing in a supersoft would be a better option, but with no visibility of when there will be an argotal in enduro ss, then its back to maxxis for the forseable.

New high roller fitted and a DHR out back, bike is back to feeling comfy and predictable. Probably not the same mechanical grip as an argotal/kryto, but close enough.

I run the Super Soft on all bikes (on the front), i do have an Argotal in Endurace which i used a bit and then when i crashed multiple times at Dyfi i blamed the tyre and removed it LOL.

I love the Krypto DH SS on the fronts though, they’re epic. A bit draggy on the Status i’ll admit, so i sometimes run a soft Mary on there to help if a pedally day out.

There’s only 100g between the Enduro and DH casings, not sure you can put something in between.

Really? I jumped on a mates bike that had dh casing Kryptotals – was draggier than a draggy thing with flat tyres. Maybe the bike but certainly put me off them.

@joebristol

I’m West Midlands and do a big mix of riding/racing, always running sensible pressures for my weight. I did the front during practice at Ard Rock which I’d forgive but the rest have been big rips to the sidewalls on fairly mellow trails.

jamesftsFree Member

Really? I jumped on a mates bike that had dh casing Kryptotals – was draggier than a draggy thing with flat tyres. Maybe the bike but certainly put me off them.

Compound would have more to do with it than weight, I’d say. A supersoft on the back would be particularly draggy

I ran a Supersoft / DH Kryptotal front tyre on the back for a few rides. This was all I could get on the day at Dyfi with a DH casing (no rears in stock).

I can confirm it was ridiculously grippy but on a subsequent day riding a loop round the Shropshire Hills it dragged awfully. I sold the tyre whilst it was barely used as I don’t have much cause for anything as strong / heavy / draggy as that.

Really hope Conti either improve the enduro casing or bring out a halfway house between it and the Dh casing.

Love the Kryptotals, it’s a real shame they’re just not up to the job. I’m not usually hard on tyres (never flatted a Wild Enduro) but have so far ripped holes in 3 rears and 1 front. I’ve kept making excuses and trying again but that’s the best part of £300 worth of ties in the bin with very little use. I don’t really want to have to drag dh casing tyres around so back to the Michelins for now.

Did you actually bin them? Depending on where the holes are they may be quite easily repairable. I slashed one that had done less than 3 miles, I could put my thumb right through it.  I got some kevlar cord and stitched it up, and then patched the inside  and used shoe goo over the stitches on the outside. It has since done hundreds of miles on the back of my enduro bike,  mostly very rough & rocky alps chairlift runs. Including the Nauders 3länder race, which killed many tyres from what I saw.

I’ve repaired tyres with patches of old innertubes and shoe-goo. They’re far too expensive to just throw in the bin!

There’s a super soft enduro Kryptotal specced on the front of that new YT e-bike on the pink site.

Funny you should mention it but still have them all in the shed and just ordered some shoe-goo, chord and rubber boots and going to give fixing them a go. Will see how I get on!

I’ve just recently fitted Continental for the first time with Kryptotal Front on both front and rear in the Enduro casing. Seems like a really decent tyre so far, have only managed to have had two rides on them yet, one at DYFI and the other around the Peak District with absolutely no complaints so far.