The Continental Der Baron 2.4 Projekt is an Enduro tire that comes in 26″, 27.5″ and 29″ x 2.4″ sizes and utilizes an open and blocky knob pattern, their sticky Black Chili tread compound, and the defensive ProTection layer and stiff Apex sidewalls. The Der Baron Projekt is tough and reliable with great braking and traction and offers excellent puncture resistance and wearability, and thrives in loose conditions and gnarly terrain. The 29″ test tires weighed a moderately heavy 1001 and 1019 grams and measured 2.29″ wide at the carcass and 2.32″ wide at the knobs on 35mm rims.
Tread
I tested the Der Baron Projekt on my Ibis Ripley LS 29er with the Derby 35mm carbon rims, which have an outer width of 35mm and an inner of 29mm. The directional tire has six rows of knobs (sort of four), including alternating pairs down the middle, one set is closer together and the second set is farther apart, with nothing located in the direct center, and the outer side knobs are regularly and aggressively shaped. The tread design has angled side knobs, staggered and doubled ramped central knobs and everything has deep siping on each knob for improved flex and grip. Under the tread, the casing has 4 piles 240 TPI while the sidewalls have 3 piles 180 TPI.
Impressions
I set them up tubeless, which took only a minimal amount of effort to install, though it was a week or so until they completely sealed against the rim bead after adding some more sealant. I am running them at 22-24psi pressure, which seems to be excellent comprise for ride quality, plushness, and float for my 165 lbs weight.
The casing seemed decently thick and so far has been extremely durable in everything I have tossed at them, and I haven’t suffered any tears or holes as yet, even in unusually rugged terrain with sharp rocks. The casing has some great suppleness and flexibility that helps it conform to the terrain and rocks and those characteristics improve traction and braking, and offer a decent feel and ride quality. The Apex sidewalls are stout and provided considerable stiffness and additional control, at the slight loss of some steering feel and a vague dampness.
The Der Baron Projekt is a great all-around tire and the open tread and profile design thrive in soft, loose and wet conditions. They aren’t the fastest rolling tire, especially in hardpack, but it’s a stiff and beefy tire and is out of its realm in those conditions. They do reasonably well in the slop and mud, and clear themselves out well and offer some useful traction in less than ideal conditions, though I wouldn’t call them a mud tire.
The tires offer up great grip, though the big beefy knobs sometimes take a bit to connect up, and the lack of center knobs offers up outstanding directional stability, meaning they stay online. Even without any actual center knobs, the alternating middle pairs acted like small paddles and offered up excellent braking control. The tire corners well and hooks up nicely, even when thrown deeply into things, though it sometimes felt a bit vague, and I am not sure if it’s the side knobs shape or the stiff Apex sidewalls? The good part was when you did toss it into corners or berms it felt stable and secure and confidence-inspiring, without any flimsy feelings. It’s an extremely ideal front tire, where it’s braking and traction characteristics are highly functional, it’s rolling resistance isn’t great so it won’t spin as well in the rear, but it’s grip capabilities make up for it. The knobs were somewhat stiff and didn’t respond or react as well during slow speed maneuvering, and instead reveled in higher speeds.
One of the real highlights of the tire is its robustness and durability. The sidewalls have extremely tough during my use, and I never suffered any cuts, tears or sidewall damage and the knobs have shown almost any signs wear and tear.
Bottom Line
The Der Baron 2.4 Projekt is a great all-around tire and the open tread and profile design thrive in soft, loose and wet conditions. It has a robust construction featuring their ProTection Apex technology, the functional Black Chili rubber compound and a useful tread pattern, a durable high TPI casing and a decent $70 price point. The knob wear has been superb, and the sidewalls have been extremely tough without any tears or holes, though the stiff Apex sidewalls give some vagueness to the steering and overall feel. The tread pattern offers excellent braking, great traction, and cornering and the lugs can bite deeply into loose conditions, though the knobs felt a bit stiff in rock gardens and slabs. The tire works well on sand, gravel, soft loam and the slop and can plow through most anything with ease when it is deep and loose, and it thrives at higher speeds instead of slow speed technical ones, although it’s not the fastest roller and feels ponderous on hardpack.
Pros
- Versatility across multiple conditions
- Great traction and braking characteristics
- Superb knob wear
- Excellent sidewall protection
- Best at speed
Cons
- Not true 2.4″ tire, closer to 2.3″
- Mediocre rolling
- Apex sidewalls cause steering vagueness
- Overly stiff knobs
- Heavy
For further information refer to continental-tires.com
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