Continental have launched a serious assault on the mountain bike tyre market in the past couple of years with their range of Black Chili compound rubber royalty. Their new Queen is pricey, but its performance is outstanding.
The evolved paddle tread gives loads of straight-line drive and braking grip and stability. There are enough angles and sipes to keep it hooked up sideways, right over onto its shoulder too, with a useful pre-slip growl on drier surfaces.
The surface-moulding Black Chili compound sticks extremely well to all trail surfaces without slowing the tyre down. Its supple feel and low weight gives excellent agility and speed for such a surefooted tyre too. This lightweight version does puncture quite easily though and the price is an issue.
