I'll start with the back story of how I ended up buying the new Continental Race King. I had a few tyres left over in the shed from my year as a bike shop owner. One of these was the old style Conti Race King. The tread didn't look that grippy and it was slightly portly for my race bike. However, about a year ago I needed a tyre at short notice and put it on the back of my fully rigid MTB before heading out on holiday to Holland. (Do you remember when it was possible to go on holiday!?)
It proved to be perfect out there for the billiard table smooth and beautifully maintained cycle tracks. Encouraged, I left it on the bike when I got home and there it stayed all winter. Through the grot and grime of a very soggy new year it proved surprisingly efficient. Come spring the trails dried and grew dusty, much more the intended conditions for this type of tyre. Yes it rolled fast, but rear grip was also good and the largish volume of the 2.2 provided decent comfort. The stand out feature however was that I never had a single puncture in all that time. This is quite astounding. 2000 miles on flinty South Downs paths right through the winter, spring and into the summer. I've never had a tyre last that long on any bike.
At this point I switched the Race King to my race bike. COVID meant there were no races, but I was getting on with the tyre really well and this was the bike I was now using most often in the glorious 'lock down' summer sun. It wasn't until deep into August, 10 months after I'd first fitted the Race King, that I finally heard that pfft, pfft, pfft noise from the rear tyre. When I checked I wasn't really surprised either. The tread was worn right down; it was time to retire the Race King. I can only remember once or twice binning a tyre because it was actually worn out. Usually they get a sidewall split or big tear in the tread long before the end of their natural life. In summary I had been extremely impressed with the Race King!
Having not ridden Continenal tyres for years I was now a convert. So when looking at what to replace this great tyre with, I obviously researched the new updated Race King. The design was almost unchanged, a very similar fast rolling tread, but with hopefully a bit more grip (which could only be a good thing). I opted again for the Protection version, just the same as I'd had before.
The tyre arrived and I immediately swapped it for it's older cousin. All was good on the first outing, the fresh rubber definitely adding grip and cornering speed to my ride. Next time out however I got a cut in the center of the tread that just would not seal. I limped home and chalked it down as just one those things. Next ride, another hole and a similar faff with latex before giving up and putting in a tube to get home. 10 months on the previous tyre can't just be down to good fortune. Equally the number of punctures I was now getting was just as extreme, but in exactly the opposite way. I'd estimate I had an issue about every 20 miles over the next few weeks.
September came and I was on a fast descent, one I ride regularly, when there was suddenly a 'bang' and an instant rear flat. There was latex all over me and the bike and absolutely no hope of fixing the tyre this time. There was an inch long tear in the sidewall.
So the new Race King is in the bin, just 4 weeks after the first. It is far more than a fluke that the previous design lasted for so long without as much as a slight loss of pressure. Equally I've had enough misfortune with the new design to know I'll never be buying another. Whatever Continental changed has ruined an outstanding tyre.
