MTB Tire Test: Continental Magnotal Trail Grip 29x2.4

After testing nearly all versions of the Continental Dubnital and Trinotal with Race casing and Rapid compound, we're now going to take a look at the more trail-oriented Magnotal that replaces both the Mountain King and Trail King. The Magnotal bridges the gap between pure Cross-Country and Trail tires, which means it's only available with Conti's Trail casing, unlike the Dubnital and Trinotal, which both give you the choice between Race and Trail casings.

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You do get a choice between 2 different compounds: the fastest is the Grip compound, and the grippier is the Soft compound. We have some experience with the Grip compound, as we tested the Dubnital with the Race casing and Grip compound, and found the Grip compound significantly slower than the Rapid compound. Unfortunately, we didn't test the Dubnital with the Trail casing and Grip compound yet, so a direct comparison between these tires isn't possible (yet).

The Continental Magnotal isn't the kind of tire we test often, as our tests mainly focus on fast XC tires, which makes this test even more interesting. We do not have many direct competitors to compare the Magnotal to, and we'll focus mainly on how it compares to XC tires with a somewhat rougher tread pattern, which are a step below the Magnotal in off-road grip and robustness.

We've tested the Continental Magnotal with the Trail casing and Grip compound, with black sidewalls, in the 29x2.4 size. If you prefer brown sidewalls, that's also available in the 29x2.4 size, and if you want to size up a bit, you can go for the all-black 29x2.6 size. In addition to the 29-inch sizes, you can also get all the aforementioned sizes and colors in the 27.5-inch wheel size.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Continental
Model	Magnotal Trail Grip
Year	2026
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	High
Buy At	Ad Amazon.com
Manufacturer part number	0150763
EAN	4019238402100
TPI	3/330
Compound	Trail Compound
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	60-622
Size Inch	29"
Width Inch	2.40
Specified Weight	800 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	51
Made In	Pro Data
Available Sizes	29x2.40 29x2.60 27.5x2.40 27.5x2.60

Continental Magnotal Trail Grip Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	800 grams
Measured Weight	799 grams
Measured Width Carcass	56 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	57 mm
Measured Height	Pro Data
Tire Circumference	Pro Data
Measured Knob Height Center	3.2 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	5.3 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	2.8 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)	27.6 Watts CRR: 0.00827
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	50 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	2.8 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	67 Points
Wet Grip Center	Pro Data
Wet Grip Edge	Pro Data
Measured Knob Height Center	3.2 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	5.3 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

As expected, the Continental Magnotal Trail Grip isn't the fastest rolling mountain bike tire, but we're still surprised it comes in this close to the Dubnital Race Grip (read our review). The Magnotal even outperforms the previous-generation Continental Cross King Protection (read our review) in the rolling resistance tests and even most other tests, while both tires have a similar knob height.

The only other trail tire we've tested recently is the Vittoria Mezcal XC Trail (read our review), and we see the Magnotal outperforming the Mezcal XC Trail in nearly all tests, except for puncture resistance of the tread, where the Vittoria scores slightly better. While we don't have an exact standing due to a lack of trail-tire tests, we think the Magnotal is a pretty balanced choice, as we can't find any major shortcomings.

This might be the most all-round mountain bike tire you can buy.

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RATING: 4.5 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Highly Recommended

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