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The folding bead Mountain King II MTB Tyre is the perfect companion for sporting trips. The biting centre lugs and side studs offer plenty of grip on any terrain, and grippy tread geometry makes it ideal as a front tyre.
Continental Mountain King Ii Review:
The Continental Mountain King II has a tread pattern that’s designed for gravel racing. They’re quick rolling tyres with high levels of grip, but are resistant to punctures albeit at the cost of a lot of rolling resistance. Continental say they’re ideal for mountain biking and will roll smoothly over gravel and concrete, but not as well as a race tyre.
I reviewed these on my road bike, which hasn’t been out of the garage since I received a puncture removing the original 700×23 tyres. It’s a definite upgrade from my old racing tyres, but it’s not as fast as I’d hoped. On a long flat stretch at 20mph the wheels spun a bit and the bike bobbed. It seemed to roll quite well, although I couldn’t specifically differentiate between the rolling resistance of my old tyres for comparison. On a climb it held speed better, sneaking along at 20mph.
The sidewalls are quite flexible, although I didn’t notice much of a difference with the spikes. The tread pattern has a lot of texture which provides reasonable grip on the road, and the patter accommodates the larger 650×23 tyre size. It feels very stable at speed for a MTB tyre. With a speed of 22mph in a slight tailwind it felt as fast as my 23km/h speed, although I’m sure many road riders can only dream of riding at that speed.
They aren’t that much heavier than my old racing tyres, and I do like the speed of the new tyres. However, I would have liked a bit more grip on the climbs. I’ve reviewed the Continental’s Performance Race Sport, and they are a lot faster than the Mountain King II. If you’re not expecting the grip of a race tyre, they are a bit of fun and a good alternative for road replacement tyres.
The Continental Mountain King II is their best mountain biking tyre, a true all-rounder for regular mountain biking. It performs well in most conditions and has been designed with an overall balance of performance and durability in mind.
Continental Mountain King II Review: Conclusion
The tyre is a step up from the original MTB King. The King II’s have a softer carcass and a different protective layer, which increases their durability. The weight has also increased by nearly nine grams, and the original grip is quite lacking in comparison. It’s grippier than non-leather mountain bike tyres and faster than the original King, but they still don’t deliver as much traction as named MTB race tyres.
Continental Mountain King Performance Description
The Continental Mountain King II MTB Tyre has been built to last as long as possible. The Continental has been designed to handle any kind of surface and terrain, combined with a high speed balancing to keep you in control of your ride. The 700 x 35c (ISO 35-622) is ideal for hard packed dirt, smooth trails and regular roads. With a folding bead, this tyre can be easily fitted and removed in the event of punctures, and the Mountain King II is also equipped with sloping side lugs for extra traction.
Continental Mountain King Ii Review:
I chose to try the Continental Mountain King II because I’m looking for a tire for my new cross country mountain bike, and I like the Continental brand. It’s a folding bead, and with the cost of these tires right now, I’m okay with that. It has an aggressive tread and side lugs, and the design claims it’s ideal for all mountain and racing riders. The casing is reinforced and the sidewall lets you easily run these at low pressures without worry for pinch flats. These easy-to-install tyres are highly durable with their polyester tread and multi ply casing. The ripple effect helps to reduce noise while riding so you can enjoy the sounds around you.
I’m looking forward to testing these on my new bike. These tires are some of the fastest I’ve tried, so it’s only fair to compare them to some of my favourite and popular brands. I’m not going to use these as my only mountain bike tire, but I think for my needs, they will be great.
Performance
When I received my package, I found that the tyres are tightly packed into the box. I couldn’t even squeeze my fingers inside. Removing the Continental Mountain King II from the plastic package was easy, but I noticed the tire folded in half inside the package. That may be a result in transporting or shipping, but it’s not a good sign. The casing seemed pliable, and the carcass is firm. The tread is a lot thicker than the goodyear mountain bike tires I have been using, but they just don’t seem as tough as I’d like. The side lugs are textured loops, and you can see the bumps under impact and when riding. The side lugs don’t feel as defined as the reputation of the Continental Mountain King II indicates. We’ll see how they hold up through testing.
I put these on my bike and took it for a ride. The ride felt similar to my normal bike, but I couldn’t see how the ride was different with these than any other tyre. I suppose you’re supposed to let the air out, but these are so tight on my inner tubes that I couldn’t get enough air out. It’s going to be hard to test for water tightness with my short test period. I found that these don’t grip that well either. I raced up a song in the woods on my local trails and I kept skidding in the sand, and a few times, I lost my footing. These tyres are, however, very fast, and I found myself going faster than I had before with my current tyres. I had a little trouble with traction, but I’m hoping I had a bad set.
Design and Material
The side wall has a very thick fabric inner tube. It’s obvious that the material is thicker than anything I’ve seen, and I’m confident that it will prevent punctures. The casing has a very strong high tensile carcass. The tread and sidewalls are built for excellent puncture resistance. From what I’ve seen, I expect these tyres to last a long time. The tread is clearly textured, and the pattern is defined, but I’d like it to be a little deeper. I also noticed one chunk of the side tread piece which was broken. I’m not sure if it’s been like that when I got it or if it’s a result of removing it from the box. Either way, I’m not happy about it.
