"The periodic table of Continental MTB rubber is harder to decipher than the actual periodic table."
Haha, so good. I had just called it that in my head before I read that caption.
If you look at only the holes, it's easier to decipher, but also raises some questions. Basically, every tread is available in every casing, and almost every compound with these exceptions:
* there are no 2.6 DH casings (okay, I guess that's what the pros wanted)
* indeed, 2.6 is only available for AR and KR-Rear (why no front? the narrower rear layout is definitely a thing)
* there is no KR-Front in DH Soft (why?)
Casing also dictates compound a bit: Trail casing means Hard compound only, Enduro casing means Soft compound only. So weird that there is no Super Soft for Enduro casing or Hard compound for Enduro or DH: I think there a good amount of people out there that want Super Soft compound in a lighter casing in front, and also would like a firm Enduro or DH casing with a long wearing compound in back.
It's a deceptive chart: looks like so many choices, but in reality once you pick just half the options (tread, casing, compound, size), you end up with only few, or just one, choices.
Good to know that they did improve their compounds, even if you can't always get exactly what you want, at least what you get is probably better than what was previously offered.
Jan. 17, 2023, 9:51 a.m. - Justin White
"The periodic table of Continental MTB rubber is harder to decipher than the actual periodic table." Haha, so good. I had just called it that in my head before I read that caption. If you look at only the holes, it's easier to decipher, but also raises some questions. Basically, every tread is available in every casing, and almost every compound with these exceptions: * there are no 2.6 DH casings (okay, I guess that's what the pros wanted) * indeed, 2.6 is only available for AR and KR-Rear (why no front? the narrower rear layout is definitely a thing) * there is no KR-Front in DH Soft (why?) Casing also dictates compound a bit: Trail casing means Hard compound only, Enduro casing means Soft compound only. So weird that there is no Super Soft for Enduro casing or Hard compound for Enduro or DH: I think there a good amount of people out there that want Super Soft compound in a lighter casing in front, and also would like a firm Enduro or DH casing with a long wearing compound in back. It's a deceptive chart: looks like so many choices, but in reality once you pick just half the options (tread, casing, compound, size), you end up with only few, or just one, choices. Good to know that they did improve their compounds, even if you can't always get exactly what you want, at least what you get is probably better than what was previously offered.