Continental

Race King Performance 27.5in Tire

The Race King Performance Tire is Continentals cross country competition tire, designed for XC and marathon racing with its low weight, good damping, and low rolling resistance. The small block tread pattern works well for dry, hardpack, and mixed conditions, and prioritizes rolling speed across this type of terrain. The side lugs provide plenty of grip on flat and off-camber corners, helping you hold speed as you finesse your bike along tight ribbons of singletrack.

Like Continental's other Performance-series tires, the Race King Performance uses a compound called PureGrip, which is one step below their revered Black Chili compound when it comes to grip and rolling speed, but is claimed to have a longer wear life due to the firmer rubber, and comes with an impressively-low price tag. Despite lacking the heavy-duty Protection layer found on their top-tier tires, the dense 3-layer casing and honeycomb sidewall design do a good job fending off punctures and slices from jagged rocks. And of course, it's tubeless-ready, letting you run lower tire pressure for more traction and smoother damping, along with the reassurance of having self-sealing tubeless sealant inside.