Interbike 2013: Conti’s Rainbow of Road Rubber, 27.5-inch Mountain Reworks Highlight 2014 Line
Tire maker Continental debuted a bevy of new road tires–including colorful and budget-minded options–as well as some re-sized versions of their top mountain bike meats at Interbike’s Outdoor Demo just east of Las Vegas.
Tires are great and all, but we were stoked to see Conti tech rep and enduro race honch Matthew Slaven looking healthy and happy. Slaven was shot in an armed robbery attempt in July and has been on the mend ever since. We can’t wait to see Matthew back on the enduro circuit (and neither can he). Photo by Don Palermini.
The Germans showed their readiness for the great 650b/27.5-inch wheel revolution of 2014 with no less than four models re-scaled to the now-midsize diameter. The new 27.5-inch all-mountain Trail King and Mountain King II each come in 2.2- and 2.4-inch widths, as does the trail bike-suitable X-King. The cross country Race King gets stretched to the new hoop size as well, but only in a 2.2-inch version. All feature Conti’s long-wearing, grippy BlackChili tread compound, and come configured in the brand’s “Protection” tubeless-ready casing. Retail pricing comes in at $65 each.
The whole royal court now comes in medium–the Trail King, Mountain King II, X-King and Race King are available in 27.5-inch diameter. Photo by Don Palermini.
On the road side, Conti goes for the rainbow, rolling out the new $70 Grand Prix 4000S II with sidewalls available in seven colors–red, orange, yellow, green, blue, white, and classic skinwall–and three widths–23c, 25c and 28c. They feature a Vectran puncture-resistant layer and BlackChili tread compound, which boasts low rolling resistance and improved wet performance on the road.
“By putting the color on the sidewall, we were able to let people run some color on the tire but also get the performance of BlackChili which we can only make in black,” said Continental Tech Rep Matthew Slaven. “We’re seeing more people run wider, higher volume tires too, so it’s cool we could do them in 25 and 28c as well.”
The new Grand Prix 4000S II comes in a rainbow of colors, including yellow and “Classic” skinwall shown here. Photo by Don Palermini.
Slaven also says Conti responded to requests for an entry-level road tire with the new $40 Grand Sport Race. Featuring a lower cost NyTech puncture-resistance belt and PureGrip tread compound, the GSR looks to be a great high-performance choice for riders on a budget.
New 2014 Continental Tires
Mountain
- Trail King – 27.5″ x 2.2″ (705g), 2.4″ (990g), $65
- Mountain King II – 27.5″ x 2.2″ (595g), 2.4″ (640g), $65
- X-King – 27.5″ x 2.2″ (620g), 2.4″ (690g), $65
- Race King – 27.5″ x 2.2″ (600g)
Road
- Grand Prix 4000S II – 700c x 23c (185g), 25c (205g), 28c (215g), $70
- Colors: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green Blue, White, Classic Skinwall
- Grand Sport Race – 700c x 23c (230g), 25c (250g), 28c (270g), $40
- Color: Black
For more info, visit https://www.conti-online.com/www/bicycle_de_en/.
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