Continental Trail King ProTection mountain bike tyre review

Continental’s Trail King was one of the first new generation tough, high-traction, downhill-proof but trail-efficient mountain bike tyres, and it’s still one of the best.

The broad open-paddle, siped-top tread with a wall of wavy side knobs gives excellent mechanical traction everywhere from bogs to bar-end scraping berms.

The unique Black Chili rubber compound underlines the well shaped tread with impressive adhesion across all the usual accident-causing surfaces that are lurking in your local woods.

It’s seriously fat for a listed 2.2in tyre and the scrim-reinforced Protection carcass is tough and stable without being too heavy. The tyre is fast rolling and year-round durable too, which helps make the price an investment, not an indulgence.