User submitted reviews
Review by Anonymous
Bought two tires and one came with a factory defect on the sidewall. Had to return for a new one.
Review by bc
I really like this tire for my XC bike, rolls fast and provides great traction. And the protection version is alot more durable than the standard X-KING well worth the extra money. Not to mention one of my favorite things about these tires is they are German made.
Review by Mike
I put a pair on my Scott Spark before a 50 mile race last race. And thats about all I got out of them because theyre so soft they dont last anytime at all. My bike came with Maxxis Forcasters that Ive ran for a year that have more tread left than these x-Kings after only 50 miles
Review by PDX Rider
I used a pair of these for almost 2,800 miles on the Great Divide. They lasted the entire ride and I had no punctures (set up tubeless). I think the ProTection did a great job avoiding sidewall tears. They're a good compromise between the Mountain King and Race King. They rolled fine on the pavement sections and worked well everywhere else, mud, sand, gravel, rocks. Be warned they are difficult to set up tubeless, even with a compressor. I had to install a tube for a few rides before the beads would seat up tubeless.
Review by Anonymous
Tires works good on hard packed dirt and roots. It has decent traction on loose sand. The side walls have nice scuff resistance .
Review by Kevin
Southern Utah trails can tear up tires. This one holds up and performs well.
Review by Wrangled13
Tires work great on front and rear. Awesome on hard packed dirt, wet mud, and roots. Kind of lacks grab on anything loose packed like rocks or sand. Black chili grabs on sharp corners with some speed. 2.4 not necessary for dry riding and gives extra drag on road and flat trails.
Review by Ditchplains1
I use my single speed 29er Bianchi SOK for everything. Steep climbs, sandy trails, pine forests, rocky trails, and commuting. The Conti X-King Pro Tection tires have been a great all around choice. Fat enough to float in all but the softest, sturdy enough to bounce off the mossy granite along the trails. Nice smooth ride on pavement. corners well and sidewalls have stood up to sharp granite edges. I run at the higher pressures...I'm 6' 3 and 235. Climbing wet granitemoss covered trails the tires have been predictable. Running lower pressures in sand gives enough flotation to keep up the momentum.
Dislikes? It would be nice if a bit less expensive, but not at the cost of quality...
Review by Swede
I'm a 6' 3 225 lb aggressive racer. Tge 29x2.4 perform as advertised and with more confidence then the 29x2.2 because of my size. The one negitive I have, here in So. Utah with the sharp shale and lava rock, the knobies tear off exposing the inside cord. Continental has been super and exchange out my damaged tires, but after having 3 tires damaged, I don't ride them here anymore.
Review by Anonymous
I previously reviewed my X-Kings as somewhat random regarding ability to setup tubeless. Got to give Continental credit. They sent me a new tire and some sealant after I told them that one tire could be setup tubeless and one could not (even after trying multiple days, new tape, valve, etc.)
Review by greglarsen56
One tire setup tubeless well. spent multiple days trying to get other tire to work. Never did. Have abandoned $XXX investment in tires. Tryin Schwalbe. Hope this works. $XXX investment.
Review by dirtdevil
I purchased these tires two weeks ago and Its been a strugle to keep them inflated. the tires have so many pin holes on the side walls even with stans, its just fustrating
Review by Anonymous
I took these to my lbs as I knew how hard they were to set up tubeless. They worked on them for two days! After they finally got them set up tubeless the front tire would go flat in a day if it was sitting and now wont hold air for more than a couple of hours! I experienced the same thing to a lessor extent on mountain kings I had. I stocked up on these tires when they were on sale and now have no choice but to use them. What a pain, I will not buy these again!
Review by mnigro
Having owned many Conti tires in the past, I am familiar with most of their offerings.
I had 26 x 2.2 and 26 x 2.4 versions of this tire in the past. The 26 x 2.4 version of this tire had a very large volume casing. This 29 x 2.4 is far, far from that. I'd say this tire has the volume of a 2.2, on a good day. I am running it on a HT and I really needed more volume on the back as I have dented a rim on that bike already. Traction is OK and predictable for a tire of this style but the volume is very disappointing.
As opposed to lying about weight, it seems Conti prefers to lie about tire size (hey we all get it). I just wish they would fess up, make a true 2.4 fatty and just accept that weenies won't buy it.
Review by marc laker
I have now purchased the Conti X-King 29er in both 2.2 and 2.4 widths. The 2.4 mounted on my Bontrager Duster rim is the same width as a 2.2 Maxxis Ikon so the width seems to run a little small. I didn't weigh them but I can tell they are slightly heavier than the Ikons.
The tire itself seems to offer a little more protection than the Maxxis Ikon that has sidewall protection. The tire seems thicker and is less flexible than the Ikon. I had to run both these tires with a tube for a little while before they could be mounted tubelessly. Once on they sealed up very well.
Recently I rode some very rocky, off camber terrain and ripped some of the knobs partially off the tire. I even developed a small cut in the tread but the sealant sealed it without issue. I am a 240 lb. rider who rides rather aggressively so I'm not your typical rider. Chances are good that most riders will have no issues with these tires. They were also running about $15 cheaper per tire than the comparable Ikons when I bought them so I feel they are a good value.
Review by FredFB
I don't usually purchase tires quite this pricey but I gotta tell ya, the proof is in the pudding. There are not a lot of options for the off road 29er out there but I did my home work and the Continental X-King ProTection 29 Inch MTB Tire seemed to be the right choice. I installed them and aired them up... I immediately noticed a much smoother ride and after putting on about a hundred miles on them and the molding tips still intact (mostly), I am happy with the ride, durability and puncture resistance. When these wear out or I get another bike, I will be buying more of these!
Review by marc laker
I use this as my front tire on my 2012 Trek Rumblefish 29er. The tire hooks up well and seems to perform well in the rocks without issue. I could not get it to mount tubelessly right out of the box but after using it for a couple weeks with a tube then the bead seated.
This tire does not have the volume or bulge of a Maxxis Ikon of the same size but the knobs are spaced farther apart so it likely handles the loose stuff just as well.
Review by CShipley
I put them on a Karate Monkey. They roll pretty fast on and off road. Stiff sidewalls allow me to run 20 psi in the front and 25 psi in the back on 45mm Velocity Duallys. I have to take some stars off for the tread not being centered. I hope that's the only quality issue with these tires, but I won't know until I've put a few more miles on them.
Review by Anonymous
I switched out the 40mm tires that came on Mt REI Manama for these and it revolutionized my gravel riding,
especially on descents.
Review by bumpermeat
This Conti replaced the Specialized Butcher tire that my Specialized FSR came with. The Specialized tire, while tough, seemed to pick up all kinds of crap in the treads, leading to several flats. Perhaps that was a function of the tread design. The description of this tire is accurate. It allows more aggressive cornering, rolls through all terrains better than the Specialized, and is also a lot faster (perhaps because of its lower weight) on climbs than the Specialized. No complaints. Great tire.