Continental Race King Mountain Bike Tire - Tubeless, Folding, Black, BlackChili, ProTection, E25, Black or Black/Bernstein, 26", 27.5" or 29" sizes

I use tubeless systems on most of my mountain bikes but the problem is finding an acceptable manufacturer that can consistently put out a lightweight tire that holds air incredibly well while being able to take the abuse of hits on the trail and still have decent sidewall integrity. Many tubeless tires for 29 inch wheels weigh over 600 grams for one tire alone (and over 570 grams for 26 inch tires). For most of my needs, ... at least in the XC and Trail riding arenas, ... that is too much weight. (I'm okay with 600 to 700 gram tires when it comes to all-mountain (AM) riding though).)The answer to this optimization problem is Continental's Race King utilizing their "Black Chili" compound. First they nailed the weight correctly, .... 527 grams average for my 26 inch x 2.20 tires (see images of an old Cannondale Raven I slowly restored) and 552 grams for my 29 x 2.20 inch bikes. Many other tire companies, like Schwalbe try to get their weight down slightly lower, ... as with their 480 gram 27.5 x 2.1 inch Rocket Rons but the problem is amount of sealant needed. Race Kings are so good at sealing to the rim (especially modern carbon rims built in the last seven years or so) that you can often run them with 10 or 20 grams of Stan's sealant. Yes, ... you read that correctly, ... 10 grams of sealant. With Schwalbe's Rocket Rons, you need roughly 70 to 100 grams of Stan's sealant to fully seal them. The point is that a 530 gram Race King with 10 grams of sealant weighs only = 540 grams while a 485 gram Rocket Ron with 90 grams of sealant weighs = 575 grams! After several years of experience, I have found the Rocket Rons to actually be heavier when the amount of sealant is accounted for. They also leak air faster. Come back six months later to a Rocket Ron tire originally inflated to 40 PSI and you will have a flat tire versus a Race King under the same conditions will still be holding 25 PSI. This long experience leads me to suspect that the 525 to 555 gram range is the perfect intersection point of light weight, durability, and air retention. Secondly, the Race Kings made from their Black Chili compound, although lacking their 2nd and heavier level of "Protection" sidewalls are still very tough. I have two seasons on my 29 inch Race King Black Chili's with zero problems. I've also repeatedly used these for everything up to four foot drops and run offs with zero flats, rim damage, or problems. Provided you are mating these with a modern rim built for tubeless, you will have zero problems.And now a few caveats, ... to get these benefits, you need the high-end and very specific Race King Black Chili tires. Continental makes about a zillion different Race King versions and it is very easy to purchase a pair and believe you have the Black Chili version when in fact you do not. The easy validation method is to weigh them, ... if they come in at 518 to 540 grams for a 26 x 2.20 inch tire or about 535 to 560 grams for a 29 x 2.20 inch tire, ... you have the Black Chili compound (which will also be noted on the sidewalls of the tires). If you come in at 570 grams or above, you have the heavier "Protection" or another version.The Race King (and Cross King and Mountain King) are all excellent but the downside is that all the Black Chili versions are their high-end models. This means they are all partially hand made at their main mountain bike production facility in Korbach, Germany and will have 240 TPI (thread per inch) under the tread and 180 TPI for the sidewalls. Some other lines of Race Kings are made in Hefel, China but the Race King Black Chilis are made in Germany (and will say so on the sidewalls). The downside to this is obviously cost, .... one Race King Black Chili tire is roughly $70 to $80 at any reputable seller.The winning combination of light weight, good grip, air retention, and durability means that the Race King (and for a few bikes, the Cross King) are my go to XC/Trail tubeless tires. Five stars with their worst aspect being their $70 price tag because they are partially hand made.

Seems in genuine packaging. Tire mounted fine w/inner tube. Runs well. Purchased for grip, puncture resistance and low rolling resistance. So far (only 8 miles total) no problems. Seems a bit wider than the same size tire it replaced FWIW.

I’m not a hardcore biker, but I put enough miles on my bike riding to the gym and other places around town. After two flats in about 3 months, including one from a rose thorn, I looked into tires that would be more impervious to flats.My bike shop recommended Continental Tires to me and even said they were the preferred tire of the Tour Divide (runs from Banff, AB to Antelope Wells, NM). I bought the tires and took them to the shop to be installed and I got a better price than I would have gotten from the shop. These tires have been great for city riding without having to worry about flats on my mountain bike.Update - A full two years later and these tires still roll well and I have not had a flat tire since buying these tires. Lots of praise for the Continental Black Chili compound, as whatever extra I paid for these more than paid for themselves in not having to buy new inner tubes and the inconveniences of having a flat tire on a bike. I would highly recommend these over any other tire for durability and flat protection.

I've run these tires a lot over the years. On the plus side, they roll fast and are light-weight. Performance is good if conditions are mild. On the down side, in-line traction (braking and steep loose climbs) is a little lacking. The other oddity with these tires is that they feel tall and narrow and seem to want to 'roll-over' a bit in hard cornering. Can be un-nerving!

These tires have great rolling feel with flexible but tough German quality rubber. I rode them for a year until I got a flat on a sharp stone. I switched to tubeless with lower air pressure and they now have a fantastic grippy but solid feel. I’m very happy riding technical single track on my old Giant Trance 1.

I wanted a higher volume tire for my adventure/gravel bike. I wanted something that had lower rolling resistance and all the reviews I found pointed to the Race King. The price was good so I tried them. I was not disappointed.The tubeless install was a little tougher than normal but eventually got them to "pop" with some soapy water.After riding them a few hundred miles, I really like the ride. On singletrack they have plenty of traction but on gravel they don't feel like they drag you down. I run them about 30-34 psi and they provided a nice amount of cushion on my single speed.They also seem very tough and resilient. Some tires I have tried are soft and comfy but don't have any puncture or tear resistance whatsoever. These are the Black Chili Protection version and I am very satisfied.I wish they made a tanwall :) But those probably wouldn't be a tough

Super light and fast but still grippy enough XC MTB race tire. The sidewalls hold up well against trail hazards but it is a light weight race tire and knobs rip off after a few hundred miles. Optimized for speed, not for long life.

I run tubeless, but I always like to mount/inflate and then submerge the tire to see how my rim tape and valve seal is doing before my first ride. When I submerged these I found 2 holes in one tire and 5 holes in the other one in both the sidewall and the tread that you can see once you look closely. I assume that sealant will take care of these small holes, but the day my sealant gets a little old I'm on a low or flat tire with a manufacturing defect. Surprised that a tubeless ready tire would have holes out of the factory. Continental must know about this.Update: I actually found 5 holes in one tire and 6 in the other. All very small, but leaking. Most in the center of the tread, but 3 in the sidewall next to the rim. And for some reason neither Stans nor Muc-Off wants to seal these slow oozing leaks.