Racing Ralph final assessment!

C.Puncher

C.Puncher

New Member
Well.....they were great for a little while. I've had them since March 2010.

I loved the traction, tread pattern, tread wear, and lightness. The first casualty was a thorn in Oklahoma. I raced and rode all over with good results. Until Round Valley three weeks ago. Shredded sidewall bombing down cardiac hill. (rear)

Second casualty.....(front) Shredded sidewall Raystown Lake.🙁

Looking for a sturdier option frm Schwalbe. For now Hutchinson is the replacement.
 
these tires came with my new cannondale hard tail. they are crap.
too light to hold up for mtbing, they are paper thin. I should have sold them when i got the bike, these tires aint cheap. I destroyed both tires after about 3 rides.
sagauro geax are now doing the job for me and i am much happier.
 
Yup!

Grip is amazing. Rolling resistance is amazingly low. Sidewalls are rediculously fragile. I wonder if the snakeskin version has addressed this or if it's just an excuse to make an even more expensive tire?
 
I have no idea why you would ever want a MTB tire this thin.

I was on a demo ride once where 8 out of 10 riders flatted in one ride. We were all on rocket ron Schwalbe tires.

After that.. never again for me.

I have not tried the snakeskin version but they have to be somewhat better.
 
I'm on the Climb board a bit and seems like quite a few Long Islanders run this tire. I can understand why since there are no rocks or roots there.
 
yeah popular with the midwest crowd too, I got less then one mile on mine and shreaded sidewall. I have clearly stated before if you ride north J stay away from these. Funny though the wife's SS has had them on for about 8 months so go figure. I been waiting to replace them but she seems to get away without sherdding them...
 
I've had good luck with the DD ones. YMMV, luck also has a part in it. Now of course I just jinxed myself.

Very predictable tire, hard wearing, but $$$.
 
I havent tried them, but my friend Joaquin has the snake skin versions on his bike. So far they survied SSAP, wayway, and tymor without issue. He loves them. Too expensive for me though.
 
I ran RRs tubeless, and had a good run on them. I liked the volume, and you can run them in the teens PSI. But in the end they did tear.
 
Great front tire for me, but I weigh 140 pounds. I've been riding it for a couple of months. I mostly ride WTB tires on my 29ers, Nano and Weir.
bruce b.
 
I don't know why anyone would expect durability from a tyre with the word "RACING" in its name 🙂

I've had the same Saguros on my SS since I finished it last year. Come to think of it, I've had the same Caffelatex in there too!
 
al415 said:
I don't know why anyone would expect durability from a tyre with the word "RACING" in its name 🙂

I've had the same Saguros on my SS since I finished it last year. Come to think of it, I've had the same Caffelatex in there too!
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I will bet any money the Caffelatex is all dried up you would be smart to top it off JM2C 🙄...
 
mattybfat said:
I will bet any money the Caffelatex is all dried up you would be smart to top it off JM2C 🙄...
Click to expand...

thought the same thing... Ill take the wheel off and shake it and listen... If I hear "whooshing" than I know its all good.. if not, I top it off.
 
I spotted the Nobby Nic's at my lbs and was going to pull the trigger till I saw the price... I didn't dig into the details of the tire but if the side walls are paper thin and the compound wears quickly (as do the RR'S) then it is safe to say Schwalbe dropped the ball again... $95.00 retail is silly and imo out of line for a company to expect that kind of dollar in times when people are shopping smarter
 
mattybfat said:
I will bet any money the Caffelatex is all dried up you would be smart to top it off JM2C 🙄...
Click to expand...

You don't say :cry:

4642619151_4be5e51897.jpg
 
Spencer the Kalmyk said:
I spotted the Nobby Nic's at my lbs and was going to pull the trigger till I saw the price... I didn't dig into the details of the tire but if the side walls are paper thin and the compound wears quickly (as do the RR'S) then it is safe to say Schwalbe dropped the ball again... $95.00 retail is silly and imo out of line for a company to expect that kind of dollar in times when people are shopping smarter
Click to expand...

$95 is way high. msrp for any evo or snakeskin schwalbe should be between $75 and $88. Depending on the tread, size, rim size, and compound or sidewall protection. I have some racing ralph's that I've been using in my various tire rotations. I like them a lot, but I found the actual tread blocks to be too stiff. They don't conform to the trail like I am used to with the various maxxis tires that I prefer. I found that with the exception maxxis tires, the tread actually grips onto the trail surface, making wet roots after stream crossings, for instance, almost a non-issue. I find that with the racing ralphs, the tread wants to cut into the trail, rather than grab onto it. That doesn't work well on rocks, be it wet or dry, or even roots for that matter. The one thing I noticed right away with the rr's was a strange noise when riding over loose trails, like parts of six mile with pine needles over the trail. I figured out it was actually the tire grabbing everything underneath it and flinging it behind me. I would say they are a great, if not one of the best, tires for anything south of six mile. They would be incredible at a place like Raystown or white clay. I've used them at round valley without any issue, but I also have used only sub 500g tires for the last 1500 miles or so on my mtb, so I may be the exception to the rule.
 
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