MTB Tire Test: Continental Dubnital Race Grip 29x2.4

As many of you already know, Continental has recently released a completely new lineup of mountain bike tires. With this release, Continental has introduced new casings and compounds. Unlike their old lineup (Race King, Cross King, Mountain King), you can now choose from different casings and compounds for each tire to arrive at the ideal tire for your individual needs.

We have already tested several tires from Continental's new lineup (Dubnital Race Rapid 2.4 and 2.2, Trinotal Race Rapid 2.4), but all of these had the Race casing and Rapid compound. Today, we will look at the difference between the Rapid compound and Grip compound, which is likely the most important comparison for many of you following the introduction of Continental's new mountain bike lineup.

The Dubnital is the most popular tire in Conti's new lineup so far, and it is the ideal tire to make an initial comparison. We have tested both tires in the 29x2.4 size, making it easy to clearly map out the differences. Our test results will also help estimate differences across the rest of Conti's lineup that are available with both the Rapid and Grip compounds.

On paper, the specified weight of the version with Grip compound is slightly higher (5 grams) than the version with Rapid compound. In practice, the difference between the samples we purchased and tested is 29 grams. We need to be mindful of this with these kinds of comparisons, because if you get a lighter sample, it will always roll a fraction faster.

Let's quickly move on to the test results and outline the differences between the Continental Rapid and Grip compound. This test has, as always, been made possible by the support of our Pro Members. Would you like access to all test data and have a say in which tires will be tested in the future? Please sign up and support independent tire testing.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Continental
Model	Dubnital Race Grip
Year	2025
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	High
Buy At
Manufacturer part number	01020390000
EAN	4019238402582
TPI	3/330
Compound	Grip Compound
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	60-622
Size Inch	29"
Width Inch	2.40
Specified Weight	650 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	50
Made In	Pro Data
Available Sizes	29x2.20 29x2.40

Continental Dubnital Race Grip Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	650 grams
Measured Weight	664 grams
Measured Width Carcass	56 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	58 mm
Measured Height	56 mm (un-round)
Measured Knob Height Center	2.4 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	3.9 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	2.5 mm
Measured Total Thickness Sidewall	Pro Data
All size measurements are taken at an air pressure of 35 psi / 2.4 bars on a 17.8 mm inner width rim.

Rolling Resistance Test Results

Rolling Resistance Test Results
Inner Tube	None (40 ml sealant)
Measured Width	56 mm
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 47-50 = 42 psi/2.9 bar 51-55 = 38 psi/2.6 bar 56-60 = 34 psi/2.3 barHigh Air Pressure (34 psi / 2.3 bar)	Pro Data
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 47-50 = 35 psi/2.4 bar 51-55 = 32 psi/2.2 bar 56-60 = 29 psi/2.0 barMedium Air Pressure (29 psi / 2.0 bar)	Pro Data
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 47-50 = 28 psi/1.9 bar 51-55 = 25 psi/1.7 bar 56-60 = 23 psi/1.6 barLow Air Pressure (23 psi / 1.6 bar)	26.5 Watts CRR: 0.00794
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 47-50 = 21 psi/1.4 bar 51-55 = 19 psi/1.3 bar 56-60 = 17 psi/1.2 barExtra Low Air Pressure (17 psi / 1.2 bar)	Pro Data
The MTB section is a multi tire size section, air pressures have been adjusted to the measured casing width. All numbers are for a single tire at a speed of 29 km/h / 18 mph and a load of 42.5 kg / 94 lbs. Use the formula: RR (Watts) = CRR * speed (m/s) * load (N) to calculate rolling resistance at a given speed and load.

Puncture Resistance Test Results

Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Total Puncture Score Tread	41 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Pro Data
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Pro Data
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Pro Data
Tread Total Tire Thickness	2.5 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Pro Data
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Pro Data
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Pro Data

Hard Surface Static Grip Test Results

Static Grip Test Results
Wet Grip Average	71 Points
Wet Grip Center	Pro Data
Wet Grip Edge	Pro Data
Measured Knob Height Center	2.4 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	3.9 mm
Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 MTB grip test rim width = 30.0 mm
Wet Grip Test and Off-Road Tires (info)

Conclusion

The Continental Dubnital Race Grip performs approximately as we expected. The significant difference between the versions with the Race and Grip compounds is seen in the rolling resistance tests, where the Grip compound version rolls about 30% slower. In the other tests, we didn't observe any differences exceeding the test's margin of error.

The most striking point is that our wet grip test on a hard surface shows virtually no difference; we can therefore assume that on a hard surface, the grip for both tires is roughly equal. However, we do expect that, although our test does not demonstrate this, the Grip compound may offer more grip in off-road conditions than the Rapid compound.

Why do we think this? In our grip tests on a hard surface, we reach the maximum grip the tire can provide, and with tread-pattern tires, we quickly reach the limits of tread flex. On slippier off-road surfaces, the maximum grip will never be reached, and the compound's grip becomes more important.

If we assume that both tires score 70 points on our hard-surface test, it's possible that on a surface offering 50% less grip, tire A could still provide 40 points of grip while tire B may only offer 30 points. In the case of Conti's Rapid and Grip compound, we must trust that, in off-road conditions, the compound the manufacturer deems most grippy will indeed provide more grip.

Looking at our tests from a different angle, we could also say that the difference between the compounds is not significant enough. This conclusion aligns with our earlier conclusion that the Dubnital with Race compound is a strong-performing tire, but when compared to the Race King, which was praised for its speed, it's by no means fast enough.

Based purely on our test results, we see that the Dubnital with Grip compound is overall a less performing tire than its sibling with Rapid compound.

Compare the Dubnital Race Rapid and Dubnital Race Grip on our comparison section.

RATING: 4.3 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Highly Recommended

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