That’s interesting, but odd. I wonder why the 2.1 Super Race tested so slow on BRR.
Looks like the 2.1 Super Ground 'Burt is gaining momentum on BRR, should win either this month or next month. We’ll finally get a like-for-like comparison.
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The Super Ground vs Super Race in the same tire and size will be interesting. Schwalbe themselves still claim the Super Race as the faster tire. My only concern would be year to year variation in the tires given the prior reports of some inconsistency with Schwalbe tires.
Separately, there has been lots of discussion regarding the 2.1 TB as a fast option for gravel. The 2.1 size squeezes into a number of popular gravel bike frames. However, for bikes that have proper clearance for a 2.25 (ie rated for it), would there be any reason to not run the 2.25 TB in that case? This is assuming it would be used for a course that is primarily gravel and not primarily road.
That’s the logic I used to go 2.25 on mine. Real world width isn’t much different. Mine measure 2.10-2.15in on 25mm rims. 2.1s on my wife’s 25mm rims measure more like 2.0s.
I think if you have that kind of clearance, most people opt for the Race King simply because it is seen as having better flat protection at only a small cost to rolling resistance.
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I may be overthinking things a little as I do have 2.2 Race Kings on my gravel bike at the moment. I was thinking it might be interesting to try it with 2.25 TBs to see what sort of differences I notice but perhaps just sticking with the RKs is the better option.
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Does anyone have a source for race king protection/black chili 2.2’s right now? Looking back ordered at most sites. Bikeinn shows in stock, but the pic is tan wall. I’m seeing the “puregrip shieldwall” version available, but that’s not what I’ve gotten in the past. I’m not in a huge rush, but would like to get my tires sorted for the season.
If you’re not in the US, r2-bike has them in stock. They’re not shipping Continental tires to the US for some reason now. https://r2-bike.com/CONTINENTAL-Tire-Race-King-29-x-220-BlackChili-ProTection
Yeah, I wonder if Continental implemented a new policy this year. I picked some 27.5 x 2.2 RKs from Lordgun at the beginning of January, but they’re listed as out of stock there. And Bike24 says not shippable to the US.
I’m willing to bet it is because of the uncertainty re: tariffs……
I don’t want to speculate here (because I’m confident that I don’t know what’s going on), but I will add that my order of 6 Schwalbe TB 27.5 x 2.1 Super Grounds from Bike24 arrived perfectly last week (I ordered at the beginning of March). Other retailers (like Lordgun) weren’t offering those same models to be shipped to the US when I was shopping in January…
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Often these situations are due to backstage arrangements between distributors, importers, etc. If whoever is distributing Continental in the US notices that there’s an huge influx of tires into the country from Bike24, they might call Conti and complain.
Pure speculation if this is actually the case, but this sort of thing happens all the time
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yep in this case its def. related to distributor agreements. Even inside EU, big brands like Trek bikes/components are not available from Bike24(to ship from Germany, to any other EU members ) for same reason. They simply protect the local distributor
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A good example is Ortlieb. Over the last few years many of the big German stores stopped shipping Ortlieb bags to Switzerland. Their bags used to be complete bargains at Bike24
Yeah, I am very familiar with distributor agreements. This would be a big change for Conti as they have, for decades, been notorious for grey market distribution.
If it is a change in Conti’s policies, I’m sure US retailers will be happy about it.
I’m going to pick up a few. They’re not enough tire for where I live in Colorado for everyday riding (mtb), but I might put one on my Revolt’s front and maybe as a ear for my xc bike for some races that have a lot of dirt roads/pavement.
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Yeah, that’s the one EU site I see with stock and shipping to US. But I think it’s the tanwall version (description says black, but pic and comments indicate tanwall). I’m not opposed to tanwall tires, but I’ve seen reports that the tanwall RK is more prone to sidewall punctures. And not sure about whether it’s as fast as the black or not.
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I’ve ordered a couple sets from BikeTiresDirect and the backorders never last as long as the estimates have said. Since I live in cold weather and don’t need them asap, this has worked fine for me. Anyone in the same boat just trying to stock up for summer, they are a good option.
I found (4) of them on amazon for $54 a piece with free shipping from Amazon UK. I think that price went away. should be here on Friday. I ordered over a month ago.
Ordered mine in January from BikeTiresDirect. Estimated date of delivery went from February…to March… and now end of April. 
Oh, bummer. I’ve gotten two sets since December. I bought the tan walls though so maybe you are waiting on black.
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