Top CONTACT Winter II Premium vs Ardent Race review

In this entry we are going to compare and review Continental Top CONTACT Winter II Premium vs Maxxis Ardent Race tyres. Both manufactured by different brands, Continental and Maxxis respectively, these tyres have been designed to be used for different purposes. Whilst Continental Top CONTACT Winter II Premium is better for Urban/Tour activities, Maxxis Ardent Race is a great choice if your needs are more aligned to mountain activities.

Top CONTACT Winter II Premium

Ardent Race

Full control on slippery, snowy roads and dank surfaces thanks to its grippy lamellar tread pattern. Riders of this tire benefit from our know-how as leading manufacturer of winter tires for cars and trucks.ECE-R75-certified: Recommended for e-bikes up to 50km/h.

Premium tire for cold seasons

A meaty XC tread

Full control on slippery, snowy roads and dank surfaces thanks to its grippy lamellar tread pattern. Riders of this tire benefit from our know-how as leading manufacturer of winter tires for cars and trucks.ECE-R75-certified: Recommended for e-bikes up to 50km/h.

The Maxxis Ardent Race shares many features with the Ikon – small, ramped center tread – but offers improved cornering performance with more substantial side knobs.

Features

Vectran
The benchmark in puncture protection
Vectran™ is a synthetically manufactured high-tech fibre from a natural model. Like spider silk, Vectran™ is a liquid-crystalline polymer (LCP). Vectran™ is spun from the melted liquid polymer Vectra and processed further to a multi-strand thread. Spider silk like Vectran™ has an enormous tear resistance at a very low weight: Exactly the right properties to process into a premium Continental bicycle tire as a puncture protection insert. A Vectran™ Breaker is lighter, more flexible and protects more effectively against cuts than the comparable nylon breaker. Vectran™ Breaker does not adversely affect the rolling resistance.
E50
Suitable for E-Bikes
For our E-Bike tire we fall back on over 100 years’ experience with moped and motorcycle tires. All of our city/trekking tires are rated to a standard speed of at least 25 km/h. Those tires marked e50 are also certified for S-Pedelecs. With their high quality structure, puncture protection is high and the rolling resistance is low offering protection from premature wear brought about by the additional driving force.

Features

EXO sidewall protection
60 TPI or 120 TPI casing options
Dual compound or 3C MaxxSpeed options
Select specs are Tubeless Ready (TR), confirm in table below

Usage

XC (Cross Country)

Trail

Technologies

Tubeless Ready Tubeless tires provide the rider with many benefits: the ability to run lower air pressures, which improves traction; lower rolling resistance when compared to a tube-type tire; and less chance of flatting because there is no tube. Liquid sealants should only be used in the following types of tires: tubeless road, tubular, and tubeless ready. The use of liquid sealants in any other Maxxis tire will void the warranty.
EXO An extremely cut-resistant and abrasion-resistant material added to the sidewalls of select mountain tires. This densely woven fabric is also lightweight and highly flexible, ensuring that the performance of the tire remains unaffected. Choose EXO Protection for exceptionally rocky, treacherous trails where the chance of sidewall cuts and abrasions is high.
3C MaxxSpeed Used primarily in cross country and enduro tires, the two compounds in the outer layer are specially formulated to reduce rolling resistance and optimize treadwear and traction.

Specifications

"28"

Article: 0100714
ETRTO: 42 - 622 Dimension: 28 X 1.60 Technology: Vectran Breaker Color/Sidewall/Bead: black/black foldable Reflex TPI: 3/180 g: 685 PSI: 87

Article: 0100713
ETRTO: 37 - 622 Dimension: 28 X 1 3/8 X 1 5/8 Technology: Vectran Breaker Color/Sidewall/Bead: black/black foldable Reflex TPI: 3/180 g: 470 PSI: 85

"27.5"

Article: 0101281
ETRTO: 50 - 584 Dimension: 27.5 X 2.00 Technology: Vectran Breaker Color/Sidewall/Bead: black/black foldable Reflex TPI: 3/180 g: 640 PSI: 65

"26"

Article: 0101734
ETRTO: 55 - 559 Dimension: 26 X 2.20 Technology: Vectran Breaker Color/Sidewall/Bead: black/black foldable Reflex TPI: 3/180 g: 745 PSI: 58

Article: 0100712
ETRTO: 50 - 559 Dimension: 26 X 1.90 Technology: Vectran Breaker Color/Sidewall/Bead: black/black foldable Reflex TPI: 3/180 g: 610 PSI: 58

Specifications

26

Part #: TB72374100
Size: 26X2.20 ETRTO: 56-559 TPI: 120 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 686 Compound: 3C MAXXSPEED Max PSI: 60 Tech: 3C/EXO/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

27.5

Part #: TB85918100
Size: 27.5X2.20 ETRTO: 56-584 TPI: 120 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 714 Compound: 3C MAXXSPEED Max PSI: 60 Tech: 3C/EXO/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

Part #: TB85945100
Size: 27.5X2.35 ETRTO: 60-584 TPI: 120 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 730 Compound: 3C MAXXSPEED Max PSI: 60 Tech: 3C/EXO/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

29

Part #: TB96742100
Size: 29X2.20 ETRTO: 56-622 TPI: 120 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 767 Compound: 3C MAXXSPEED Max PSI: 60 Tech: 3C/EXO/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

Part #: TB96726100
Size: 29X2.35 ETRTO: 60-622 TPI: 120 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 786 Compound: 3C MAXXSPEED Max PSI: 60 Tech: 3C/EXO/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

Top CONTACT Winter II Premium vs Ardent Race review

Features

Vectran

E50

Features

Usage

Usage

Technologies

Technologies

Specifications

"28"

"27.5"

"26"

Specifications

26

27.5

29