MTB Tire Test: Continental Race King Protection 2015

NOTE: We have a test available of a newer version of this tire: Continental Race King Protection 2020

The Continental Race King Protection 29 x 2.2 is the toughest member of the Continental Race King family. I've already reviewed the RaceSport, Performance and Sport versions of the Race King. The Protection version uses a stronger 4/240 TPI carcass and the same BlackChili compound that's used on the fast RaceSport version. Continental claims improved side-wall and tread puncture resistance with the Protection series. This review has been partly funded by donations. Thank you supporters!

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The Protection series of mountain bike tires are the only tires specified by Continental to be Tubeless-Ready. Although I use RaceSport tires without inner tubes myself, those aren't that easy to seal. It can take a couple of days before the RaceSport tires hold air. Comparing the Race King Protection to the RaceSport side by side, it should be easy to set up tubeless as the side-walls are much thicker and stronger.

Most other Continental cross-country mountain bike tires are available as Sport, Performance, RaceSport and Protection versions just like the Race King. With this last review of the Race King Protection, It should be easier to decide which version fits your exact needs. These differences should be pretty similar for other Continental mountain bike tires like the Mountain King and X-King. Now, let's see how the Race King Protection performs in our tests.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Continental
Model	Race King Protection 2015
Year	2015
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	High
Buy At	Ad Amazon.com
Manufacturer part number	0100546
TPI	4/240
Compound	Black Chili
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	55-622
Size Inch	29"
Width Inch	2.20
Specified Weight	645 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	65
Made In	Members Only
Available Sizes	29x2.20 27.5x2.20 26x2.20

Continental Race King Protection 2015 Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	645 grams
Measured Weight	629 grams
Measured Width Carcass	55 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	51 mm
Measured Height	54 mm (un-round)
Measured Knob Height Center	2.5 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	2.5 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	1.75 mm
Measured Total Thickness Sidewall	Members Only
All size measurements are taken at an air pressure of 35 psi / 2.4 bars on a 17.8 mm inner width rim.

The specified weight of the Race King Protection 29 x 2.2 is 645 grams. Our tire comes in at 629 grams. On average, the Protection series adds a bit more than 100 grams of weight. Once again: you always pay for protection. Just like the other Race Kings, the size of the Protection is huge. The width of the carcass is 55 mm while the tread is only 51 mm wide. Height is 54 mm which is quite big as well.

Rolling Resistance Test Results

Rolling Resistance Test Results
Inner Tube	None (40 ml sealant) (current protocol)	Conti MTB 29 (225 gr butyl) (test protocol)
Rolling Resistance 55 PSI / 3.8 Bar	Members Only	Members Only
Rolling Resistance 45 PSI / 3.1 Bar	Members Only	Members Only
Rolling Resistance 35 PSI / 2.4 Bar	17.6 Watts CRR: 0.00528	21.1 Watts CRR: 0.00632
Rolling Resistance 25 PSI / 1.7 Bar	18.8 Watts CRR: 0.00564	23.3 Watts CRR: 0.00698
All numbers are for a single tire at a speed of 29 km/h / 18 mph and a load of 42.5 kg / 94 lbs. Use the formula: RR (Watts) = CRR * speed (m/s) * load (N) to calculate rolling resistance at a given speed and load.

Big surprise! Rolling resistance of the Race King Protection is only slightly higher than the very fast Race King RaceSport. At an air pressure of 25 psi, rolling resistance is 23.3 watts as compared to 22.4 watts for the RaceSport version. At higher air pressures, rolling resistance is 1.1 - 1.3 watts higher than the RaceSport version, which really isn't that much for the added protection and weight.

I'm really surprised by this great performance in the rolling resistance test. I was expecting the Protection version to come in closer to the 25-26 watts range. This really shows that with the right design and materials, protection doesn't have to cost all that much in terms of performance.

Puncture Resistance Test Results

Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Total Puncture Score Tread	45 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Members Only
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	12 Points
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	No Data
Tread Total Tire Thickness	1.75 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	No Data
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Members Only

Just like the rolling resistance test, the performance of the Race King Protection in the puncture resistance test is great. It scores a PR score of 12, which is much higher than the PR score of 7 the RaceSport version got. With a score of 12, the Protection also beats the Performance version which got a score of 11.

Hard Surface Static Grip Test Results

Static Grip Test Results
Wet Grip Average	No Data
Wet Grip Center	No Data
Wet Grip Edge	No Data
Measured Knob Height Center	2.5 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	2.5 mm
Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 MTB grip test rim width = 30.0 mm
Wet Grip Test and Off-Road Tires (info)

Conclusion

I must admit, I didn't expect the Race King Protection to have such a low rolling resistance. I expected it to perform close to the cheaper Performance version in both the rolling resistance and puncture resistance tests. Compared to the RaceSport version which has the same price, rolling resistance is only 1 watt higher while you gain a lot of puncture resistance. Also, using the Protection tire in a tubeless set up should be much easier as well.

I definitely recommend the Continental Protection tires. The biggest disadvantage over the RaceSport tires will be the added weight of 110 grams per tire. Race performance = RaceSport, all other use = Protection.

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RATING: 5.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Highly Recommended

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