Continental's Kryptotal tires are not new. They came out a few years ago. But, there was a notable hole in the casing and compound lineup—you could only get the grippiest SuperSoft compound in the heaviest Downhill casing. That sort of made sense, if you squinted hard enough, but a whole bunch of riders prioritize grip, even on bikes where we don’t want super heavy tires. So last year Continental finally rolled out SuperSoft Enduro casing versions of the Kryptotal Front and the spikey, loose-conditions Argotal.

That’s a welcome addition, but is still somewhat old news. After spending a bunch of time riding the newest Continental options and comparing them to the latest and greatest radial tires, I think they still deserve a full review in 2026 because they deliver a pretty wild combination of traction and rolling speed that I’m not sure I’ve encountered elsewhere. 

Continental Super Soft Enduro Kryptotal Front Overview

• Sizes Available: 29x2.4”
• Compound: SuperSoft
• Casing: Enduro or DH
• Weight: 1217 grams
• Price: $105

What’s New? 

The Kryptotal is Continental’s “default” mountain bike tire. It’s positioned for any riding across the trail-downhill spectrum, and is available in front and rear-specific treads. It’s similar in terms of intent to the Maxxis Assegai or Specialized Butcher. Put a set on, go ride your bike up and down mountains.

Continental’s naming and sidewall conventions can be a little confusing but, once you get it, they make a ton of sense. Each Continental sidewall has three glifs. The first is a visual representation of “terrain” that the tire is optimized for. The middle glif, a little molocule looking thing, represents the compound. Fill zero nodes for Endurance, three for Soft, and all four for SuperSoft. The last is three hexagons for casing. Fill in one for Trail, two for enduro, or three for downhill. At a glance you can tell how “mean” a tire is just based on how filled in the glifs are. It’s easier (for me at least) than memorizing a bunch of arbitrary branded names.

Historically, you could only get SuperSoft compound tires in a downhill casing, which was fine, if you’re less concerned with how your bike pedals. Or you could get Soft compound tires in the Enduro casing, which was also fine, unless you, like me, enjoy riding on slippery roots and rocks on a pedal bike. So basically the new Kryptotal option just lets you fill in all the slots on the last glif, while removing one from the middle.

Performance

That’s a cool change, but is it enough to justify a full review? Yes. Totally, because even in the softest, stickiest combination available (Kryptotal Enduro SuperSoft Front, Kryptotal Enduro Soft Rear) these tires roll really friggin fast. In my hierarchy of tire needs, I often neglect rolling speed in favor of traction, support, and durability. I routinely drag DoubleDown casing, MaxxGrip tires on all-day rides because I do not like getting flats, and I really don’t like not being able to trust my tires when things get a little snotty. And interestingly, it feels like the industry in general is going the same direction. Especially as radial tires (and e-bikes) become more commonplace, it feels like the general mood is leaning towards grip trumping rolling speed. I’ve made my peace with those priorities. I can always just get fitter, right?

But riding the Kryptotals changed my calculus. I’m running them at the same pressures I run most tires (22 PSI front, 24 rear) and I ride a couple miles of gravel trail and paved road from home to the trails which gives me a nice consistent comparison of rolling speed, and on this commute, the double Kryptotal combo feels much more similar to the Maxxis Dissector than it has any right to. They roll notably faster and more efficiently than any other tire in this class (Assegai, DHR, Albert, Butcher) I’ve ridden. It’s a rad sensation, and gives me a little burst of beans to push my bike harder on smooth climbs.

The same holds true on the way down. I’ve found myself not needing to steal a pedal on a couple of jumps that usually require it, and although there are a lot of variables at play, I think the tires are mostly responsible.

But none of that matters if they’re scary on the way down. Luckily, they’re not. Is the Kryptotal as locked in and safe feeling on super steep, super slick roots and rocks as something like a Radial T9 Butcher? No. Of course not. But it’s quite competitive with a MaxxGrip Assegai, or a regular T9 Butcher, or any of the other leaders in this category. 

It delivers nice predictable cornering traction at a variety of lean angles, and plenty of braking traction as well. I think the Kryptotal Rear has slightly less braking grip than the Maxxis Assegai, but slightly more than the Specialized Butcher, but I’m really splitting hairs here. In terms of support, I think the Enduro casing feels a touch less damp and supportive than a DoubleDown or Specialized Gravity casing, but it’s not far off, and I really only notice this on a couple of moves where I’m pushing the back end hard sideways.

I’ve ridden these Kryptotals through the wettest parts of this spring, and I haven’t found myself censoring my trail or move decisions based on the tires at all. That’s the biggest endorsement I can give, especially given how well these pedal. It feels a little like I’m having my cake and eating it too.

For Now

I’m so thankful that the bigger tire conversation for trail and enduro bikes seems to be more focused on grip, support, and durability than it used to be. But, the SuperSoft Enduro Continental Kryptotals manage to deliver all three of those factors just fine, while also rolling noticeably quicker than most of the competition. That alone makes them worthy of many riders’ attention.

Learn more: Continental