Continental Ruban SL 27.5×2.30 ShieldWall tire test

Our friend Lyubomir Botusharov from www.mtb-bg.com. Tests the new Continental Ruban tire model. In the following lines, you will read his impression of the tires.

When in the spring Velosiped.bg called me asking if I would try a new model of Continental tires called Ruban and designed for urban riding, HS bike touring and even available in gravel bike variants, my first thoughts were rather skeptical. However, I immediately took a look at the product on the manufacturer's site and my skepticism disappeared, only to be replaced by bewilderment, which is still present - why this model was placed in some separate category called SUV/ATB, when the pattern, tread height and construction for me this is a typical amateur HS tire, sold at a decent price (BGN 59 in the tested variety, but there are even cheaper variants at BGN 39.90), where only the weight is a little higher compared to products of a higher class. However, there is no point in commenting on Continental's product categories, it is better to share my impressions of the tire with you.

Text and photos: Lyubomir Botusharov

Ruban, as it turns out, is a wide-spectrum model that comes in quite a few sizes and varieties. It's available as a product for gravel or city bikes, and as a mountain bike product (including e-bike-certified versions), and measures up to an impressive 29x2.6. I settled on 27.5x2.30 with additional protection of the walls ShieldWall, folding rims and with a rubber compound Pure Grip (at the moment the tire is not available with Black Chili, as it is positioned in the middle price range). With these characteristics, the weight of the two tires that came to me is 809 and 817 grams - just a little more than indicated on the manufacturer's website. And if a lower weight is sought for competitive HS riding, then for amateur transitions and considering the price, these values are completely competitive.

The tires are suitable for tubeless and that's how I rode them - the fitment was done in a workshop so I don't know if there were any problems with it - then one tire would deflate slightly and needed to be inflated, but after 2-3 rides it stopped loses pressure. Since the tires were mounted on my spare bike (the good old Oryx T-140), the breaks between rides on them were not small, which is generally not good for the sealing fluid. However, when during an autumn ride on a thorny slope I had to remove more than 10 "granny teeth" from them, the "boza" plugged those punctures without problems. So I personally have no objections to the Ruban from the point of view of tubeless use.

It is visible with the naked eye that the tire pattern has been optimized in two main directions. The center line has densely spaced and medium height grippers to provide good rolling, especially on smoother and harder surfaces. The sidelines have higher grippers to dig into the terrain more aggressively when cornering. There is also a thin "transition line", the buttons of which are slightly out of line with the side buttons.

What impressed me the most about the Ruban, and what I consider the biggest advantage of this model, is the low rolling resistance. Although the weight is by no means that of a racing HS tire, rolling on smooth and hard surfaces felt noticeably better than most tires I've tried, ie. the feeling was just like an HS pattern. On looser or softer surfaces, I also did not feel any serious "slowing down" from the tires.

In theory, this should be at the expense of braking, but in normal HS riding, which is what the model is designed for, I personally didn't feel any lack of grip when I had to slow down more sharply . It is true that I never drove the tires more aggressively, for example on a more technical and steep trail, but on dirt roads and lighter trails, the braking was quite adequate.

The turning was also interesting for me. The first test was on asphalt in the park as part of the cornering exercises we do during the warmer months. There, when leaning the bike more aggressively, it felt as if the tires were about to lose grip at any moment, i.e. they didn't give me enough confidence. However, the interesting thing is that in mountain conditions my impressions are much better - there was no such feeling and in general the tires behaved quite predictably. I personally attribute this discrepancy between asphalt and rough terrain to the difference in height between the side and central grabs. Because of the lower middle of the tread, when cornering more aggressively on a hard surface (like tarmac) the main load is taken by the side grips and since they are taller and don't get "support" from the center, they probably give in and create this a feeling of less grip. On rough terrain, the soils are rarely as hard as asphalt, and then the side grabs stick rather than bend, and "on black" I rarely dare to lean the bike as much as on asphalt.

In serious mud I didn't happen to try it, but it is quite obvious that the Ruban is not suitable for such conditions, although it is unlikely to be completely helpless, at least in terms of turning.

Unfortunately, the total number of kilometers (about 200) driven so far with this model is too small for me to give any objective opinion on its durability. My past experience with Continental tires is that they can be relied upon for a long time before the tread wears out. I would have expected even more mileage here, given that the central part of the tread is quite compacted. With another product, I've seen rubber rubbing on the sidewalls (and on a model with the ShieldWall), but this happened after a full season on an AM/enduro bike and was more cosmetic, ie. did not cause breakage, air leakage or other significant problems. The tested kit looks like new so far, but it still is by most criteria.

In summary, for the type of riding the Ruban is intended for, its behavior is completely adequate and predictable. This tire is definitely "underrated" in the manufacturer's classification - I would personally recommend it in at least two ways. Firstly, it would do a great job as a rear tire for an HS/AM bike in combination with a slightly more aggressive front tread - for example Mountain King or with Cross King (this combination looks particularly good to me!) - for humans , who want to make a kit that is not expensive and provides lower resistance on climbs or longer transitions. Second, as a front tire it would also not be bad for HS bikes (combined with the same one at the rear or with something even lighter and "low profile") for people who ride mainly on light terrains and without much speed and aggression. All in all, for me this is a pretty nice tire for HS riding (especially in its touring version) in the entry to mid price range.

Contacts:
Bicycle OOD
Western Industrial Zone
3700 Vidin, Bulgaria
[email protected]
www.velosiped.bg