IN BRIEF
Continental announced on 6 August, from Hanover, the addition of thirteen new tyre combinations to its Gravity mountain bike range. The four treads named in the press release — Argotal, Kryptotal Front, Kryptotal Rear and Xynotal — are already in the catalogue: they are the ones receiving two new casing-compound pairings, Trail Soft and Enduro SuperSoft. The first targets aggressive trail riding; of the second, Continental says that it delivers the brand’s “highest levels of grip and control”. The new options cover 27.5 and 29 inches, with recommended prices of €73.95 for the Trail Soft and €86.95 for the Enduro SuperSoft.
| New combinations | 13 |
| Treads concerned | Argotal, Kryptotal Front, Kryptotal Rear and Xynotal |
| New casing / compound pairings | Trail Soft and Enduro SuperSoft |
| Sizes | 27.5 inches (60-584) and 29 inches (60-622) |
| Other diameters in the range | 20, 24 and 26 inches |
| Recommended price, Trail Soft | 73,95 € |
| Recommended price, Enduro SuperSoft | 86,95 € |
| Finish | Black sidewalls, folding tyre |
Some announcements do no more than fill in a table, and yet they settle a real problem. Continental’s, published on 6 August from Hanover, is one of them: it concerns assemblies of casings and compounds. Thirteen new combinations join the Gravity range, built on four treads already in the catalogue.
Four treads, two new casing-compound pairings
Continental’s Gravity range works like a construction set: treads on one side, casings and compounds on the other, assembled to suit the terrain. The four profiles concerned are the Argotal, the Kryptotal Front, the Kryptotal Rear and the Xynotal. The press release is explicit on this point: the new combinations “give riders more latitude across four treads: Argotal, Kryptotal Front, Kryptotal Rear and Xynotal”.
What changes is the assemblies. Continental is adding two pairings: Trail Soft and Enduro SuperSoft. The first mates the Trail casing with the Soft compound, which the brand presents as “a balanced solution for aggressive trail riding, offering reliable traction, with stability and durability”. The second moves up a notch: the Enduro casing married to the SuperSoft compound delivers, according to the press release, the company’s “highest levels of grip and control”.
Continental’s Gravity mountain bike tyres widen the choice, without a new tread
Alexander Haenke, Product Manager for MTB & Gravel at Continental Tires, sums up the intent: “Mountain bikers have very different needs depending on where and how they ride. With these 13 new tyre combinations, we are giving them even more ways to find the right balance between grip, control and durability, for their personal set-up.” In other words, what is at stake is not the raw performance of a new profile, but the fineness of the tuning: being able to choose a very soft compound without having to take the heaviest casing, or the other way round.
On sizing, the new options arrive in 27.5 inches (60-584) and in 29 inches (60-622). Coverage is not symmetrical for all that: in the list given by the press release, the Kryptotal Front and the Argotal Enduro SuperSoft appear only in 27.5 inches — eight references in 27.5 inches against five in 29. Continental announces a common presentation for these new options: black sidewalls and a folding bead. The brand’s proven tread for mixed conditions, for its part, remains available in 20, 24 and 26 inches.
Prices under the €90 mark
The press release page publishes no prices; BikeBiz, which reproduces its text, adds a “Pricing and Availability” section to it. The recommended prices reported by the international specialist press stand at €73.95 for a Trail Soft combination and €86.95 for an Enduro SuperSoft — that is £63.99 and £74.99, $88.95 and $104.95. Two specialist outlets give the same figures.
Distribution will go through selected Continental dealers, worldwide. For the rider, the arithmetic is simple: at this price level, a set of high-end tyres remains one of the least costly ways to change how a bike behaves — well before a fork or a pair of wheels.
