Continental Kryptotal FR & Xynotal MTB Tyre Review | Downhill Casing SuperSoft Combination

Continental’s range of gravity tyres rated extremely highly with AMB tester Bam during the trail and enduro tyre group test conducted last year. Following his extensive testing, Bam raved about the available compounds and front and rear specific tread patterns, and the resulting trail performance – making them his favourite tyre of the test. Some recent additions have been made to the lineup, including additional tread patterns being made available with a downhill casing and SuperSoft rubber compound. I am a downhill casing fanatic and was excited to receive the mixed condition, front specific Continental Kryptotal FR along with a hardpack condition, rear specific Continental Xynotal tyre ahead of a busy summer of riding. 

Casings

The gravity range of tyres is available in three casings: trail, enduro and downhill. As you would expect, they increase in thickness and weight as you climb the ladder of support, with our focus being specifically on the downhill casing for this review. Typically, downhill casings are made up of a 60tpi (thread per inch) material to increase the strength and durability of the tyre. 

While this does achieve the desired result, you typically have to make some sacrifices when it comes to small bump sensitivity and overall trail feel as a result. Continental has bucked the trend here by designing their downhill casing around a more supple 110tpi casing. With four layers of sidewall carcass, overlapping into six layers through the tread-zone there should still be plenty of support in addition to protection from impact. The foldable bead feels stiff and is supported by a rubber insert that is sandwiched between the two-ply carcass. As is the norm from casings such as Maxxis’ DH casing and Pirelli’s DualWall+, this rubber insert has been added for additional support and protection at the rim bead. 

Rubber Compound

Similar to the casings, these tyres are available with three distinct and self-explanatory rubber compounds: endurance, soft and super soft. While the endurance compound focuses on balancing both chemical grip and tyre longevity, the soft and super soft compounds prioritise traction over all. The super soft compound is the most pliable variant available. Measured shore A durometer is similar to what I have measured on a Maxxis Maxxgrip or Pirelli SmartEvo DH tyre.

Tread Pattern 

Both the Continental Xynotal and Kryptotal FR share a similar tread pattern, with only minor differences which tell the tale of their specific-use casing. Decreasing rolling resistance while still maintaining braking performance on hard terrain is the priority of the Xynotal, and as such the tread has large ramps on the leading edges of the centre knobs and lateral siping to encourage knob deformation under braking. 

The 2-3 knob pattern on the Continental Xynotal also has alternating knobs for the 2 block, the second of which having a larger ramp to further decrease rolling resistance and increase the contact patch on hardpack. The side knobs on both the Xynotal and Kryptotal FR sit proud of the centre knobs, and feature directional siping and an external groove to encourage knob deformation while cornering.

Turning and braking performance across a variety of terrains is the focus of the Continental Kryptotal FR, and it features a slightly more aggressive looking tread pattern to suit. The alternating 2-3 pattern has become common for this style of tyre, and it does a good job of engaging the soil without leaving any dead spots when introducing lean angle. The sipes on the centre knobs run primarily in the direction of rotation, showing that their priority is cornering performance. They do also feature a sipe on the front edge, but it is much shallower than the one seen on the Continental Xynotal to better increase bite through loose soils. 

Setup

Throughout the testing period I had these tyres set up on my personal StumpJumper Evo as follows:

Mounting the tyres was quite the challenge. The combination of the notoriously tight fit on the Stan’s rims and the bead on the downhill casing tyres was extremely tight. Admittedly, I even managed to tear my rim tape during the first install attempt, such was the heavy handedness I was having to use to get these puppies mounted. Fortunately, I got there in the end albeit with a little sweat on my brow. Measured width once installed was 2.45” on both tyres, with actual weights being 1310 grams for the Continental Kryptotal FR and 1235 grams for the Xynotal. The 1200 – 1400 gram range is typically where I would expect to see the weight of a dual-ply 27.5/29” gravity tyre come in, with these treads from Continental sitting right within that range.

On the trail

To me, the mark of a good gravity tyre combination is one which fades into the background once you drop into your first descent. If there are no nasty surprises, such as blown out turns or abrupt rim hits then the tyres are essentially performing as good as those which they just replaced. The mark of a great gravity tyre combination brings pleasant surprises and positive ride character from day dot. This is where the Continental Kryptotal FR and Xynotal sit in my books.

Initial impressions were that of increased small bump compliance and trail feel, undoubtedly thanks to the supple but still thick 110 TPI Downhill casing. I noticed a definite decrease in trail chatter through my hands and feet with pressures at 20PSI F and 26PSI R, with the odd rim ding telling me I was flying just close enough to the sun with my chosen pressures. With this came a marginal but noticeable increase in traction through these rougher sections, increasing my confidence and comfort as a result. The downhill casing retained its form through deep compressions and turns, showing it was still robust and supportive even with how supple they felt.

Chemical and mechanical grip on these tyres is also right up there with the best I have used, particularly on the front wheel where traction must take precedence over all else. The Continental Kryptotal FR did a fantastic job of managing a wide variety of terrains, and had a very consistent feel when pushing in corners. As my confidence grew with this tyre, I found myself pushing braking points and corner entrance speed past my previous comfort point. 

These tyres have a very rounded profile, giving a fairly consistent feel as you transition from the centre to corner knobs. The Continental Xynotal mirrored this consistency, but definitely lacked some braking traction in comparison to a more traditional rear specific gravity tyre. The trade-off here is rolling resistance, which has really been minimised on the Continental Xynotal thanks to the ramped, low profile centre knobs. On the fast, hard packed trails I typically ride I believe this to be a worthy compromise. It was only when things got particularly steep and loose that I felt the tread pattern left a little to be desired, however this is only a small portion of the riding I typically do. After around 20 hours of use the Continental Kryptotal FR is showing some small signs of wear, while the Continental Xynotal is at around 50% wear. 

Our take

Pardon the pun, but I had been stuck in a bit of a rut when it comes to my tyres of choice up until I received these Conti’s for this review. Now, the Continental Kryptotal FR and Xynotal combo is right at the top of my list. While they are admittedly very expensive and difficult to install, all is forgotten when out on the trail. Their soft character, exceptional mechanical grip and impressive rolling speed are a fantastic combination on the hard, rocky trails I typically ride. If you too ride trails of this type and require a set of robust, high performance tyres – look no further. 

Key specifications

Sizes:
Kryptotal – 29×2.4”
Xynotal – 27.5×2.4”

Weight:
1310 grams (Kryptotal FR, Downhill Casing, SuperSoft, 29×2.4”, Actual)
1235 grams (Xynotal, Downhill Casing, Supersoft, 27.5×2.4”, Actual)

RRP: $169.99

Pros and cons of Continental Kryptotal and Xynotal

Pros:
Supple ride character
Great rolling speed
Consistent performance
Decent longevity 

Cons:
Difficult to install
Expensive