I have been testing the Continental X-King 29er Protection version for Conti for the past couple of weeks and have to report that they seem to have solved the problem many riders experienced last year with knobs tearing off the tyre. I rode them in all kinds of conditions [except mud] - rocky terrain, hardpack, sand - and they performed extremely well. Normally, I would run the X-King front and the Race King on the back, but they could not get the Race King to me on time. There are scores of reviews on the www on the Contis and ultimately, I believe it is very much a personal thing when it comes to tyre choice. The sidewall on the Protection version is EXTREMELY tough and even at low pressures [1.4 bar] [i weigh 69kg] I never suffered a sidewall cut. A word of caution though: before you mount the tyre to the rim, give it a thorough wipe/wash with meths, just to clean a dirt/silicone and other junk that may have collected in the factory. Then add a generous helping of SLUDGE, inflate and you are good for the Epic.
