Which compounds / casings did you go with? I just ordered an enduro soft for the rear and DH SS for the front. I too seem to be taring up Maxxis too quickly.
If you wanted to know everything about the new tires...
Dear Jeff,
Thank you for your question about Continental tires. I work for Continental's North American distributor, Highway 2, and I'd be happy to give you some more information.
First of all, great choice to switch to Conti tires - you're going to love them! (If you send me your address, I can send you a Continental sticker!). May I ask if you have any tires you've been using that you liked so far? And what width tires you prefer to run? I'll put some options down below.
Essentially you want to think about 3 main things to find tires that will work best for you:
1. Tread Pattern
Based on the kind of terrain you described, and experience our team has riding in Colorado, you'll probably like the Kryptotal-Front (mixed terrain) for your front tire. The Argotal (for loose terrain) is also a possibility but would probably slow you down on the climbs and be a bit overkill for most of your rides.
For your rear tire, you could choose between a Kryptotal-Rear, (mixed terrain), which offers great grip, or a Xynotal (hardpack) if you wanted something a little faster-rolling in the rear and more efficient on climbs.
2. Casing
Probably you'd be happiest with the Enduro casing or the Downhill (most protection) casing. If you ride an e-bike or want the most protection for going to a bike park and going wild, go for the DH casing, especially in the rear. If you'd like something a little lighter and more playful, the Enduro casing is your best bet. (Since you mentioned bike parks, the Trail casing wouldn't be a good fit). If you want to mix it up, run the DH in the rear (where the most weight is) and the Enduro up front.
(I will note that due to the layers of rubber, the DH casing is quite burly and it can be a challenge to mount on rims the first time. You might want to ask your local shop to do it, or leave the tires in the sun to warm up before you mount them. Also make sure you're only using regular tubeless rim tape if you're setting them up tubeless, and not a thick insert strip.)
3. Compound
This is only relevant if you're looking at the DH casings, where you can choose between a Soft or a SuperSoft compound. All Enduro casings come in the Soft compound.
Here are part numbers if that makes it easier to find the tires:
Summary:
Recommended front:
C1212004 Kryptotal Fr Tire - Tubeless - Enduro Casing - Soft - Folding - 29 x 2.4 in [lighter weight]
C1215957 Kryptotal Fr Tire - Tubeless - DH Casing - SuperSoft - Folding - 29 x 2.4 in [extra protection]
(If you want a 2.6 inch tire in front, only the Kryptotal-Rear comes in that size (yes, it's strange, but it's a perfectly good front tire it's just better suited to the rear):
C1215636 Kryptotal Re Tire - Tubeless - Enduro Casing - Soft - Folding - 29 x 2.6 in
Runner-up front (if the others are sold out, this is a great option as a front tire as well):
C1225994 Kryptotal Re Tire - Tubeless - Enduro Casing - Soft - Folding - 29 x 2.4 in - HT
Recommended rear:
C1225994 Kryptotal Re Tire - Tubeless - Enduro Casing - Soft - Folding - 29 x 2.4 in - HT [lighter weight]
C1215992 Kryptotal Re Tire - Tubeless - DH Casing - Soft - Folding - 29 x 2.4 in [extra protection]
[faster-rolling tread]
C1215996 Xynotal Tire - Tubeless - DH Casing - Soft - Folding - 29 x 2.4 in [extra protection]
C1215998 Xynotal Tire - Tubeless - Enduro Casing - Soft - Folding - 29 x 2.4 in [lighter weight]
I hope that is helpful. Let us know if you have any more questions. (You can see Continental dealers in your area here:
https://highwaytwo.com/dealer-locator/)
Thanks again for reaching out!
All the best,
Courtney
