This month I’ve been testing two Continental tires that really are two worlds apart: the 24c Continental Grand Prix, a race level road tire, and the 2.2 Continental Rubber Queen, an aggressive cross country tread designed for hard technical riding.
Over the years, I have used several Continental tires but must say I have favored the road range over the off road. The Force and Attack have proven both light and fast, whilst the winter Grand Prix 4 Season have seen me through numerous tricky winter commutes and rides with minimal punctures and handling confidence. There have been some standouts in the mountain bike range; the excellent 1.5 Cross Country tires have been a life saver in Battle of the Somme muddy races and the Speed Kings hook up well in soft to intermediate conditions.
So, despite having drifted slightly away from the off road range, I was very keen to test the relatively new Rubber Queen because I have heard so many positive things about this, and other new additions to the German brand’s collection.
The first thing to strike you about a Continental tire is the quality if the finishing; it’s immaculate and inspires confidence against failure. The other impression is tactile; your fingers literally stick to the box fresh tire! The Black Chilli rubber compound is incredibly grippy and I know from previous experience that it is also very hard wearing, an illusive pair of qualities.
The quality finish is immediately obvious
The tread is a paddle type with a zig zag of aggressive teeth to the side. Treads are siped to spread load and enhance grip.
The aggressive tread rolls surprisingly well
Whilst aggressive in appearance, the paddles appeared tightly enough spaced to give reasonable rolling resistance. Good job, as my first test ride was in the Lake District with one Ian Leitch, UK XTERRA Champion and world class XTERRA specialist (XTERRA is off road triathlon).
We set off from Keswick and headed up Latrigg. Splitting off the main track we made a long undulating traverse across the hill taking in the fantastic loamy, rooty and often off camber singletrack. The aggressive tread bit hard into the very greasy conditions and provided incredibly stability on the off camber sections. After riding race tyres far too often, I was really enjoying the added confidence of a ‘fun’ tire!
We then headed along arguably one of the best bits of singletrack in the UK, the technical rockfest above Glendeterra Beck towards Skiddaw house. On the greasy rock slabs the Black Chilli compound worked its magic and stuck to the line I asked with predictable sliding as the bike found its line across the wet rocks.
After the blast through Caldbeck we hit the road for a few miles and climbed towards Little How for the start of the return leg on the Coach Road. On the tarmac I was pleased to hold a decent pace, the tire did not drag or buzz noticeably and its technical competence far outweighed the slight weight difference over a racier tire, especially on a ride like this!
The wind was now on our back. After traversing the end of the Helvellyn range it was time to take a deep breath and hit the ‘fast as you dare’ rocky plummet into St John’s valley. If there is any descent to test the side walls of a tire, then this is it! If you do truly let it all hang out, you plough through scree like angular rocks with little option but to run into a few big ones! The Rubber Queens were absolutely perfect and at no point did I feel like I needed to back off, my nerve would run out before I punctured! It’s a huge amount of height to loose in a short space of time but what an adrenaline rush!
Heading down the hairpins to Dalebottom we played the fools, elbowing each other off the gravelly corners momentarily forgetting what would happen if we messed up!
So, the tires passed the Lake District test with flying colours! I write this sitting in southern Spain after upping the ante on some seriously steep, rocky, and sandy descents.
Sandy, steep and loose; the Rubber Queens were ideal.
Once again the tires proved incredibly predictable and surefooted. Steep sandy sections proved very manageable by leaving the front brake alone and using the rear as a rudder. Steep twenty foot long rock slabs were ridden with confidence aided by the low pressure you can run these high volume tires at. When the singletrack angle eased, I could put my foot down and hit the rocks fast and hard with the same confidence I did in the Lakes.
It’s about to get a whole lot steeper….
You may get the impression that I like these tires! Like is a bit of an understatement…. I would go so far as saying that these are the best extreme cross country tire I have ever used and suit Northern and big hill riding perfectly. They are extremely predictable and sharp handling. There is not even a substantial weight penalty for this confidence with the 2.2 coming sub 800g. The mating of the Rubber Queen with my light and agile Trek Top Fuel 9.8 may not seem like an obvious one but each highlighted the other’s qualities. Light weight short travel suspension bikes with competent tires like the Rubber Queen can tackle some very challenging terrain and allow you to make the link ups with other technical sections quickly and efficiently.
So to the road. Whilst not asking as much of a road tire in technical handling terms, it is no less important that you have complete confidence in your rubber, particularly the compound. Once again the Black Chilli compound assures with its tacky feel. Just like the Rubber Queen, build quality is impressive.
Fast and comfortable; the perfect match for the Specialized Roubaix.
In a straight line, the 24c width tire felt instantly comfortable due the compliant compound and the relative depth of the tire. Cornering is confident, even on wet roads and the tire’s small contact patch allows quick line changes, especially important given the current condition of the roads!
If you read my review of the Specialized Roubaix SL3 you will know that I felt very confident in the bikes handling qualities. Adding this high quality compound tire to the mix has accentuated the confident handling whilst adding a dash of race speed. They also offer good value as Continental wear life and all round durability is impressive.
Riding the Grand Prix tires has reinforced my confidence in Continental’s road range. Riding the Rubber Queens has positively reignited my interest in their off road rubber. I look forward to riding the superb looking X-King race tire and, based on my recent positive Continental experience, this may be my tire of choice for the UK 24hr Solo National Championships at the end of May.