Continental Gravity UST
By James Sharp

Mountain bike tires are often taken for granted, but they can change the way any mountain bike rides. Throw on a pair of skinny slick tires and even a 5-inch travel trail bike can feel as nimble as a road bike. Throw on some downhill meats and, well, even the smallest hill is a painful experience. Granted, those are the extremes, but you get the idea. Subtler is the difference dissimilar tread patterns can make. Add rubber compound, casing construction and tubes or no tubes and there are an almost infinite variety of tires. This is a good thing, since there are such varied terrains to ride in. Unfortunately, it isn’t always feasible, financially or otherwise, to have 10 pair of tires just waiting for the right conditions. I change tires often, but even I don’t change them for every ride. The good news is that tire companies realize this. They know that you will buy a tire that addresses most of your needs. The Gravity UST is Continental’s latest addition to the do-all tire.

The Gravity comes in four flavors; ProTection, Pro, standard and UST (reviewed). The Protection features polyamide nylon in the casing to help prevent cuts and punctures. The Pro is a lighter version of the standard. Our UST version weighed in at a stout 872 grams (average of two tire weights). While not the lightest tubless tire on the market, it isn’t the heaviest either. For the size, 2.3 inches, the weight is reasonable. The non-UST tires are a bit lighter, as expected. Continental, a company known for running their tires a bit narrow for a given size, has brought the Gravity up to a true 2.3-inch size; they are now on par with the competition.

The Gravity features Continental’s Gravity Arc knobs. This new design furthers the idea of the ‘endless edge,’ found previously on tires like the Vertical. As before, the knobs are oddly shaped, until you look at the bigger picture. By looking closely, you can trace an arc across the tire linking one knob to another. The benefit is that no matter how the tire is leaning there is an edge and multiple points. The Arc also shows up in the base of the knobs, providing structure to keep the knobs digging in without getting deflected, minimizing squirm. Alas, this complicated knob structure makes the tire less than ideal in the mud. All of the corners, angles and supports also hold onto mud, packing the tires up. I can’t recommend the tire for muddy conditions, but then Continental already makes a great mud tire in the Vertical. The Gravity is better in every other condition, though.

I found the tire to hook up as well as any -- except for true downhill tires -- I have ever tried on fast fire-road descents. They work well on rooty, rocky trails. They hook up well enough that descending gravel roads that I had never ridden on, I felt comfortable going all out, knowing that if I had to lay on the brakes my tires would hold and slow me down. The round profile works well with the new knob design, transitioning easily from straight line to leaned over in hard corners. While not the fastest rolling tire out there, they more than make up for it in increased traction. The tire works equally well on the front or rear.

I found the tires easier to mount than previous Continentals. I was able to mount and remove the tires without resorting to tire levers. They hold air as well as any UST tire -- better than some cheap tubes I’ve used.

Summary: Not content to rest an their laurels, Continental has revised their excellent ‘endless edge’ tread design. While reducing the effectiveness in mud, they have improved the behavior of the tire in every other way. They have brought the size up to a realistic 2.3-inch size. I would definitely recommend the tire to someone who rides wooded single track on Monday, Rocky terrain on Wednesday and visits the local aggressive cross-country/light free-ride trails on Saturday. The Gravity retails for $18.95 for the standard, $40.95 for the Pro, $44.95 for the ProTection and $49.95 for the UST.

James Sharp is a contributing editor for GearReview.com specializing in road and mountain biking in all kinds of terrain.

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