MTB Tire Test: Continental Race King Sport
Contents and Test Summary
- Introduction
- Manufacturer Specifications
- Size, Weight, Thickness
- Rolling Resistance: 27.0 Watts
- Puncture Resistance: 27 Points
- Static Wet Grip: No Data
- Conclusion: 4.0 / 5 Recommended
- Comments
- Continental Race King Sport
The Continental Race King Sport 29 x 2.2 mountain bike tire is the cheapest version of the Race King. It has a 3/84 TPI wire bead casing and no special Pure Grip or BlackChili compound. The Sport line is the most basic version from Continental, don't confuse this tire with the RaceSport version. This tire was donated by a reader from Belgium who was really curious about the differences between wire bead and folding bead tires. Thanks, Teun!
Personally, I really like the Race King on the rear and an X-King on the front. This probably explains why there are so many tests of Race Kings on Bicycle Rolling Resistance, I've always wondered it it's really necessary to spend a lot of money on expensive tires. Weight, TPI, Size etc are easy to compare, but the rolling resistance part is much harder without an exact rolling resistance test and comparable data.
The Race King Sport is quite heavy for an XC style tire. With a specified weight of 750 grams, it's close to the weight of more heavy duty tires. When examining this tire, the tread pattern seems exactly the same as the other Race Kings. Continental doesn't say anything about what kind of rubber is used on this tire, I guess it's just the cheapest rubber they have.
Manufacturer Specifications
| Manufacturer Specs | |
|---|---|
| Brand | Continental |
| Model | Race King Sport |
| Year | 2015 |
| Supplied By | Bought in store |
| New or Used | New |
| Mileage | 0 km |
| Price Range | Low |
| Buy At | |
| Manufacturer part number | 0100203 |
| TPI | 3/84 |
| Compound | |
| Bead | Wire |
| ETRTO | 55-622 |
| Size Inch | 29" |
| Width Inch | 2.20 |
| Specified Weight | 750 grams |
| Max Air Pressure (psi) | 55 |
| Made In | Members Only |
| Available Sizes |
29x2.20 29x2.00 27.5x2.20 26x2.20 26x2.00 |
Continental Race King Sport Test Results
Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
| Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements | |
|---|---|
| Specified Weight | 750 grams |
| Measured Weight | 712 grams |
| Measured Width Carcass | 54 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) | 2.15 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. | |
Measured weight is 712 grams, which is lighter than the specified weight of 750 grams. Size wise, the 29 x 2.2 Sport version of the Race King has the exact same dimensions as the other Race Kings. With a carcass width and height of 54 mm, this means this tire has a lot of air volume.
Rolling Resistance Test Results
| Rolling Resistance Test Results | |
|---|---|
| Inner Tube | Conti MTB 29 (225 gr butyl) |
| Rolling Resistance 55 PSI / 3.8 Bar |
Members Only |
| Rolling Resistance 45 PSI / 3.1 Bar |
Members Only |
| Rolling Resistance 35 PSI / 2.4 Bar |
24.5 Watts CRR: 0.00734 |
| Rolling Resistance 25 PSI / 1.7 Bar |
27.0 Watts CRR: 0.00809 |
| 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. |
|
Considering it's low price, rolling resistance is quite good. Rolling resistance is only 0.1 to 0.7 watts higher than the slightly more expensive Race King Performance. It does outperform many much more expensive tires of other well-known brands like Maxxis, Kenda, and Vittoria.
Puncture Resistance Test Results
| Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better) | |
|---|---|
| Total Puncture Score Tread | 27 Points |
| Total Puncture Score Sidewall | Members Only |
| Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle | 6 Points |
| Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle | No Data |
| Tread Total Tire Thickness | 2.15 mm |
| Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle | Members Only |
| Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle | No Data |
| Sidewall Total Tire Thickness | Members Only |
While rolling resistance is good, it scores very low on the puncture resistance test. It doesn't seem like this tire has any added puncture resistance protection. This is something I've also noticed after testing the cheap Vittoria Zaffiro road bike tire.
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
- Continental Race King Sport
(100% is fastest - lightest - highest - strongest)
With the Race King Sport, Continental delivers a decent tire for its price. Rolling resistance is higher than the much more expensive Race King RaceSport and almost equal to the slightly more expensive Race King Performance. The puncture test is where it suffers from a score of only 6, which is lower than the very fast RaceSport (7) and much lower than the Performance line (11). This seems to be a trade-off that has to be made to fit the price-point.
While rolling resistance isn't that low, the cheapest Race King is still able to outperform much more expensive tires from Maxxis and Kenda in our test. When you don't want to spend a lot of money on tires, the Continental Race King Sport is an excellent choice.
RATING:
4.0
/ 5
TEST VERDICT:
Recommended