It's a True 2.3" and other lies

Continental tires has made great progress on the mtb market in the past few seasons with a combination on new, highly effective tread designs and use of their Black Chili rubber compound.

Black Chili brings the properties we are all looking for--faster, grippier, longer wearing--to a single compound through the use of nano technology. Carbon black, used to make rubber "tough" and wear well, has been ground to a very fine and consistent size (the nano tech), which allows better distribution in and bond with the rubber. The small size and shape makes the rubber more elastic with less shearing. The elasticity increase the grip while decreasing rolling resistance. Improved shearing extends tread life. Sounds impossible, but you can feel it on the trail and Black Chili has become the rubber of choice among many riders.

How to know that a Conti tire uses Black Chili is a bigger issue. Nowhere on the tire itself is there a BC label. The rubber looks and feels no different than non-BC tires. According to Brett Hahn, Continental brand manager, there is one sure way to know: the big "Handmade in Germany" label on the sidewall. Black Chili is produced and used only in Conti's own factory in Germany.

Because of the home factory exclusive of BC expanding its use to other models is limited by the plant's capacity. The long term plan is to bring the popular 29 inch tire production "home" and use Black Chili. The timeline is unclear.

In the meantime, look for 29er versions of the Trail King (nee Rubber Queen) in 2.2 and 2.4" widths by this fall. These tire may also be, a first for Conti, tubeless ready. No Black Chili yet, though. I am happy to see the Trail King coming as it may be the best all-round mtb tire ever from Continental.

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It's a True 2.3" and other lies

Written by shiggy

Wednesday, 01 July 2009 13:17

One of the reasons I started this site was because of the inconsistencies in mtb tire sizing. I was seeing many people stating “tire X is called a 2.2 but it is really a 1.9″ or “it is a true 2.3″ tire.” Saw different riders calling the same tire “smaller than claimed” and “a real 2.xx.” Very confusing.

As far as I am concerned no knobby tire is a “true” anything. You can have wide treads and narrow casings, narrow treads and wide casings or the tread and casing can be the same width.

The “2.XX” method is traditional and it is expected by consumers. It has not been “official” for many decades.

The WTB “Global Measurement System” is much better (i.e. 49/52, casing width in mm / tread width in mm). WTB tried to mark their tires only with the GMS size but were forced to add the traditional width size later, even though they do not match (Exiwolf 29×2.3 55/50, 55mm=2.16″ / 50mm=1.97″).

The ISO size (AKA ETRTO) on the casing (55-622) is the tire section width and bead seat diameter in mm (this is the only “official” measuring method). There is no definition of or instructions for measuring the cross section. Is it the casing or the tread? It just does not work well for knobby tires.

It can not be a lie if there is no solid standard.

(adapted from a post on mtbr.com)

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