Review - Continental X-King 29x2.2 ProTection RTR

Product Review - Continental X-King 29x2.2 ProTection Tires


I've been a fan of Conti tires for years given their long durability and awesome grip.  I've ridden nothing but Conti GrandPrix 4000 clinchers (and their prior iterations) and Sprinter tubulars (and the newer GatorHardshell for winter and rough road training - these tires are indestructible!) on my road bike and I've used Conti mtb tires since the mid-1990s in various models as they have been the fastest tires out there.

Our team sponsor, Continental, hooked up the team with their newly revised X-King ProTection 29x2.2 tires that are Revolution Tubeless Ready.  These tires were developed by Continental with the Topeak Ergon pro mtb team and are designed for use in multiple situations - from XC racing to epic long rides.

Conti's Tire Usage Ranges

The tires are handmade in Germany and have the extra-grippy and self-cleaning Black Chili Compound for added traction in wet conditions.  The sidewalls have a cool looking Flag Sidewall to them and each of the knobs is siped.  In addition, the tires feature a tubeless compatible bead.

X-King's ProTection carcass adds an extra durable layer under the tread and sidewall yet does not add much weight to the tire (and is lighter than the non-ProTection version).

Catalog Overview Page

I weighed these tires in at 685g with the ProTection stiffened sidewall, which is just about at the published weight.

I set up the tires tubleless on Stan's Crest Rims.  Installation was a breeze and possibly the easiest tire I've ever dealt with to get to inflate.

The bead and sidewalls on the X-King are super stiff and they inflated easily with a floor pump (most other tires I've set up require the use of CO2 or a compressor).

Once inflated, they turned out to be a nice rounded tread with knobs on the edges for cornering traction.  This is by far my favorite type of tire to ride - the round profile makes cornering predictable.

I'm looking forward to a first ride on the tires, once the trails dry out a bit and I'll update with a ride report.

- Jeff