Big, burly, grippy and tubeless. The Continental Rubber Queen UST is all of these. The 26 x 2.2 version is high volume and a good choice for trail riders looking for a tubeless full knobby, though it looks small next to the massive 2.4 Rubber Queen UST. The two sizes share the tread design (a modified paddle shape), a casing with an "Apex" insert in the sidewall to stabilize the tire and provide puncture resistance and a true UST tubeless bead and casing. No sealant required.

 

From there, they are different.

 

 

The 2.4 UST is made in Germany and uses the Black Chilli compound rubber. Black Chilli strives to give better grip, well better and have lower rolling resistance than standard compounds, and largely succeeds. My time on a pair of standard Rubber Queens with the compound proved to have wonderful traction on mixed wet/dry, rooty trails and have shown little wear. Be sure you have the clearance to run it. Tall and wide, the casing volume is up there with some 2.7/2.8 tires I have measured.

 

 

The 2.2 UST is still a large tire. It is made in Taiwan and uses a standard compound rubber. Other than the size, the only visual difference it the crosshatched pattern molded on the sidewall rather than the checkerboard of the German-made tire.

 

I will be running these as a front/rear (2.4/2.2) combo on Bontrager Rhythm/Duster TLR rims (28mm wide).

 

 

 

Brief specs, full details on the Conti Spec page.