Modern trail and all-mountain machines are more aggressive than ever, thanks to bike engineers pushing the design envelope in terms of slacker head tube angles, longer wheelbases, and shorter chainstays, complete with long-travel figures to match. Taking these trends into consideration, it makes sense that Continental developed the Trail King 26in Tire for modern trail bikes and all-mountain rigs designed to be pushed harder and faster down increasingly technical terrain.

This aggressive tire excels when the trail turns increasingly steep and technical, thanks to its multitude of small, angular knobs that tenaciously bite down to maintain traction, regardless if you're smashing across rock gardens or railing around berms. Another stand-out feature is the voluminous casing, which is wider than its specs suggest, at least when compared to similarly sized tires from other manufacturers (take this into consideration when looking at the clearance on your frame and fork). This voluminous design allows you to run lower pressures in tubeless form, so you can reap the benefits of glued-to-the-trail traction and bump-smoothing support, especially over jarring desert rocks and large roots in the forest.

This particular Trail King features Continental's BlackChili compound, which strikes just the right balance between relatively fast rolling speed and all-out grip, all without sacrificing longevity when you're smashing it on the trail and logging serious miles throughout the riding season. It's reinforced against cuts and punctures with Continental's Protection Apex, which is up to the task of serious thrashings common to aggressive trail and all-mountain riding.