MTB Tire Test: Continental Trinotal Race Rapid

The Trinotal is a new mountain bike tire from Continental, positioned between the new Dubnital and Magnotal in Conti's updated mountain bike lineup. The Trinotal comes closest to the old X-King/CrossKing in terms of knob height and profile. However, it's unclear whether the current CrossKing will be discontinued, as it's still available on Continental's website in both the Protection and Performance versions.

With today's test of the Trinotal, we're also introducing new air pressures for the rolling resistance tests of mountain bike tires. The new, lower air pressures are now in line with the CX/Gravel section and are adjusted to the measured casing size, making it easier to compare tires against each other. If you're a Pro Member, you have access to Pro View, where you can compare tires from different categories in a single overview, and the new mountain bike air pressures make this easier and more accurate.

If you would like to learn more about the changes we made to the air pressures and how we handled tires that we tested before the Trinotal, you can find more information on the The Test page.

Just like the Dubnital Race Rapid (read our review) that we tested a couple of weeks ago, the Trinotal Race Rapid that we have on test today is the fastest version of the Trinotal. Similar to the Dubnital, the Trinotal is also available in both Conti's new Race and Trail casings, and each of those casings is available with either the Rapid or Grip compound. In total, you can choose between four different versions of the Trinotal, allowing you to make a more fine-grained tire choice with these new tires.

For more information about tire construction and compounds, we recommend our original Dubnital Race Rapid review, which offers a more in-depth introduction to Continental's new tires.

We've tested the Continental Trinotal with the Race casing and Rapid compound in the 29x2.40 size, making it an excellent comparison to the Dubnital that we tested with the same casing and compound. We've also added the old Continental CrossKing in the 29x2.3 size to the comparison, as well as a range of similar tires from competing manufacturers.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Continental
Model	Trinotal Race Rapid
Year	2025
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	High
Buy At
Manufacturer part number	01020320000
EAN	4019238402544
TPI	3/330
Compound	Rapid Compound
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	60-622
Size Inch	29"
Width Inch	2.40
Specified Weight	725 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	50
Made In	Pro Data
Available Sizes	29x2.40 29x2.20

Continental Trinotal Race Rapid Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	725 grams
Measured Weight	714 grams
Measured Width Carcass	56 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	57 mm
Measured Height	56 mm (un-round)
Measured Knob Height Center	2.8 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	3.9 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	2.6 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)	21.9 Watts CRR: 0.00656
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	2.6 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	69 Points
Wet Grip Center	Pro Data
Wet Grip Edge	Pro Data
Measured Knob Height Center	2.8 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 new Continental Trinotal, featuring the Race casing and Rapid compound, is a strong addition to Continental's mountain bike lineup. Compared to the old CrossKing (read our review), the Trinotal features lower rolling resistance, performs better in our hard-surface wet grip test, and weighs less. However, we do observe that the sidewalls of the Trinotal have become somewhat weaker and that the knob height has been reduced compared to the old CrossKing.

When we compare the Trinotal to the Dubnital (read our review) with the same casing and compound, we find that the differences between these tires have become much smaller than the difference between the old RaceKing and CrossKing. The market positioning of the tires is correct, as the Dubnital rolls a bit faster and has a lower weight than the Trinotal. The knob profile has also become more similar; the most significant difference is now the spacing between the knobs, which is somewhat wider on the Trinotal.

Compared to the competition, Continental once again delivers a strong tire. However, it's a bit disappointing that the new tires roll slower than the old RaceKing, even though they use the fast Race casing and the Rapid compound.

- Compare the Continental Trinital Race Rapid and CrossKing
- Compare the Continental Trinotal Race Rapid and Dubnital Race Rapid

RATING: 4.8 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Highly Recommended

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