Continental

Mountain King Tire - 26in

This is not the 2010 Mountain King ProTection. Nor is it the rockin' Mountain King UST, or Mountain King Race Sport. Head spinning yet? Don't sweat it. The reason for the similar naming convention is that Mountain King indicates a tread pattern, and each additional feature that comes with that pattern is tagged on. Think of it like the displacement of a motor added to the name of a car and you have the gist.

So first, Mountain King indicates Conti's extraordinary, open-spaced Mountain King tread pattern, which is great at mud shedding, but it's now revised with stiffer side knobs for better cornering on hard pack. And in the case of the ProTection, it's a lower volume, and therefore lighter (by 230g) package than its big-volume, Mountain King UST, brother.

That makes the ProTection a little faster rolling as well, but as the name would indicate, also better armored against punctures because it's a four-ply tire, not a three-ply, and that extra ProTection tech comes in the form of a continuous, high-strength rubberized nylon wrap that encompasses the entire casing. That puts three plies of rubber at the sidewall and four beneath the tread.

Note as well that this is not the same knob pattern as the first generation Mountain King ProTection. This second generation tire trades that race-specific, low-knob pattern for far more aggressive knobs.

The Mountain King ProTection will also corner better in wet mud, too, because its side knobs are taller than on the older tire design. The Black Chili compound (tiny fragments of embedded carbon) improves grip by allowing faster rubber deformation, so you get a sensation of the tire clinging through corners rather than suddenly breaking loose.

The Continental Mountain King Protection tire comes in both 2.2in and 2.4in widths in a 26in diameter. The tread is made from Black Chili compound rubber. The casing features 4 plies totaling 240 TPI under the tread and 3 plies totaling 180 TPI beneath the sidewalls. The Continental Mountain King Protection tire is foldable and comes in black on black. Claimed weights: 2.2" is 590g, 2.4" is 650g.

Application: XC/Trail/Marathon

Ground: All Conditions