The Rain King is designed to get the Athertons, along with all the other downhill riders out there, through the wettest and muddiest conditions Mother Nature can throw at us.
There are similarities to the Rain King’s counterpart, Der Kaiser, as both use the same reinforced carcass and Black Chili compound, which minimises wear, maximises grip and reduces rolling resistance.
The tread is very tacky and the pattern is widely spaced to ensure good clearance. In gloopy mud the 2.5in width doesn’t cut through like a thinner, deeper treaded spiked tyre might and the Rain King does struggle for traction. The tyre fights to cut a line and will begin to clog if the going is slow.
In thinner, more greasy mud, the Rain King really does shine. It’s very much like a cut down Maxxis Wet Scream but with much more support and better traction on harder surfaces and roots.
When the speed increases and the mud thins, the Rain King can be belted into polished roots and smashed into rocks with bucketloads of confidence.
It copes with the wet extremely well and can certainly cut it in loamy conditions, proving to be a superior alternative to cut-down spiked treads.
