Kenda’s Kontender has been around for a while. It’s generously sized and wears well but it’s neither the most grippy nor puncture-proof of tyres.
The 26mm carcass (actual width 25.8mm, height 25.3mm) is only fractionally bigger than a 25 in theory. But the Kontender is very tall, which adds useful pothole impact protection and offsets the stiff carcass to give a reasonably comfortable ride.
The K Shield protective layer gives very little resistance to sharps though, and we had more frequent punctures on it than any other tyre we were testing. Despite side sipes the hard compound rubber needs treating with caution in wet corners or slippery climbs too.
This article was originally published in Cycling Plus magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.