ContinentalCROSS King

Lightweight, balanced, high-quality tires, not difficult to mount. Well recommended!

Set up Tubeless with Schwalbe Procore and Stan's. These are the 29x2.3 on a Cannondale Scalpel-Si Carbon 3 - 2017. Running 18 psi. I weight 145 lbs. With the bike, just under 170 with gear/water. Rims are Stan's Crest MK3After riding this tire through hardpack, gravel, dirt and wet mud I can tell you that it can take anything I throw at it. I haven't crashed even in quick trail transitions from rocky downhills right into a mud lake in front of me. No wobbling riding through at full send. (see the muddy bike pic, I am not joking)The mud grip, despite not the intended design usage, was very confidence inspiring. The dry grip is unbelievable. As you know as a rider, confidence in your equipment is critical. Grip allows you to go faster, without braking, knowing you can make the turn at speed without losing control. This is what this tire accomplishes.I've gone over roots, rocks, dirt, mud and detritus. No punctures, no flats, just go-go-go. No leaks of sealant at low pressures.I don't think I can buy anything else for this XC bike ever again.

Very durable

Great tire for speed and grip but nearly impossible to remove. Broke both my tire levers on the trail and had to walk out. When I got home, spent nearly 30 minutes trying to remove and broke another lever. First time in 35 years of riding did I consider taking a bike to the shop to remove a tire but finally got it removed. Other than that I really liked these tires and would have ordered another pair but just didn’t want to go through trying to get these off again.

Bought the cross kings (27.5, 2.3) and put them on front and back of a Scott Scale 720. These are probably the right tires for this style of hardtail bike as it's really a cross country / trail bike. I wanted these for their improved rolling resistance advantages over a pure trail tire. I just rode the new tires on a really diverse mix of conditions: wet mud, wet roots, wet rocks, wed/dry wood walkways, dry dirt, pavement, dry roots, dry rocks, dusty dirt. I noticed more than once the tires absolutely saved me from wiping out. They had more than adequate bite in all conditions. I was riding them with tubes at 30 psi. May go to slightly less psi in future, but not much less. I fell like the price is super-right on these; a bit cheaper then the lower priced Maxxis and way, way cheaper than the higher end tires from any other brands. Recommend unless you really, really need super tires.

I needed to replace the two original tires from my Cannondale mountainbike, and chose the CrossKing. I really wanted the TrailKing, but they didn’t have the size to fit my wheels, but in the end, I think I like the CrossKing more than if I had got the full-on mountainbike tire. I found the CrossKing tire excellent in all conditions except loose dry sand, which is less than 1% of my riding. On the asphalt road surface (75% of my riding) the tire performs really very well, and is noticeably more grippy in the turns than my old tires. Off-road, I have no complaints, and it works just about as well as any full off-road tire I have used. I haven’t really been out much in the wet — the one time I did a wet road it felt stable and secure, but not idea how it performs in mud or extremely adverse conditions like ice or snow. I initially bought a single tire to see what I thought of it, and after a single ride, I ordered another to make the match, as I was really pleased with the performance. I would buy again.(In the photo, the top tire is the CrossKing, the lower one the original full off-road tire that I replaced)

I read a description on these tires, which is why I opted to purchase them. After using them for a brief time, I think the description was fairly accurate. It read;The Continental Cross King is designed to roll fast on hard-packed dirt, or gravel, while still retaining excellent traction through its Pure Grip Rubber Compound. The Cross King is good for outfitting a bike park dirt jumper, or an older MTBs that need a tire refresh.I'm satisfied with these tires for their grip on mild terrain and their ability to remain relatively quiet when I peddle on the pavement.

Amazon is shipping the PureGrip / Shieldwall version of this tire even though the item is listed as BlackChili / ProTection. These are NOT the same tires. I purchased three, two were sent from one location, one from another. All were the same. This is not a review of the tire. The Cross Kings are fantastic tires. I've been racing XC / endurance on them for years and they've always performed beautifully. Low rolling resistance, great traction, BlackChili grips wet rocks amazingly well. Highly recommend these tires, just make sure you get what you're paying for.