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Schwalbe Racing Ralph Tire


  • Average Rating: 3.77/5
  • MSRP: $ 39.98
  • # of Reviews: 56
  • Weight: 470 grams

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Product Description

Schwalbe Racing Ralph Tubeless Ready Kevlar 26" Tire: Updated tread design with aggressive shark's tooth U-blocks maintains a low weight and reduces rolling resistance. TL-Ready: Tubeless Ready bead, tire can be converted to...


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Reviews 1 - 15 (56 Reviews Total) | Next 15

User Reviews

Overall Rating:2
Value Rating:1
Submitted by Deaf_Guy a Weekend Warrior from Culpeper Va

Date Reviewed: January 16, 2012

Strengths:    None that I could see

Weaknesses:    Doesn't hook up in mud, on rocks or roots. Punctures easy

Bottom Line:   
Light weight tire that is great for dry hard pack but doesn't handle mud well and the paper thin side walls can't handle rocky terrain.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   GW national forest

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $59.00



Overall Rating:2
Value Rating:1
Submitted by Nick Papageorgio a Racer from Wisconsin Rapids,WI

Date Reviewed: January 9, 2012

Strengths:    suppose to have less rolling resistance than last year

Weaknesses:    quite a bit heavier than claimed

Bottom Line:   
I ordered two 2012 Schwalbe pacestar 29 by 2.25 tires in November from Schwalbetires.com. They are suppose to weigh 535g 30 grams lighter than last year. One tire weighed 551g and the other weighed 584g which is more than the 8%+- advertised on their site. I sent the heavy one in for exchange. I asked them to weigh the one they were going to send back to me but they said they were to busy to weigh tires. After several emails, 19.00 for shipping both ways, and 2 months, I received my new tire today. it weighs 584g just like the one I sent back to them. Oh well I guess my 19 pound 29er is going to weigh 3 ounces more and my wallet is 19.00 lighter. Don't count on these tires weighing anywhere close to the advertised weight of 535grams!

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   ape canyon trails

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $84.00

Purchased At:   Schwalbetires.com

Similar Products Used:   Continenetal Race Kings

Bike Setup:   Scott Scale Carbon 29er


Overall Rating:1
Value Rating:1
Submitted by fire_chicken70 a Cross Country Rider from Salt Lake City, UT, USA

Date Reviewed: December 30, 2011

Strengths:    Good in mud. Fast roller on hard pack.

Weaknesses:    Super thin sidewalls that cut easily.

Bottom Line:   
The sidewall on this tire is ridiculously thin. In ten rides, I cut the sidewalls on both the front and rear tires. This happened on mostly hard pack trails.I only weigh 170 and ride cross country. They do roll well on hard pack and thru mud, at least until the sidewall cuts. I am going back to tires with thicker sidewalls like the crossmark or nevegal.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Slickrock

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $39.00

Purchased At:   Giant Dealership

Similar Products Used:   Nevegal, crossmark, small block 8, fire XC pro

Bike Setup:   Giant Anthem 29er


Overall Rating:3
Value Rating:3
Submitted by Lhotse a Weekend Warrior from Fort Collins, CO

Date Reviewed: September 18, 2011

Strengths:    super fast! easy mounting tire

Weaknesses:    thin sidewalls, pinch flats, terrible in loose terrain

Bottom Line:   
A super fast tire that does well on hard packed trail. Downright suicidal on loose terrain. Keep pressures lower for better grip though you then have to worry about pinch flats. If you're racing on a mellow track, they are super fast!

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Maxwell

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $60.00

Purchased At:   chainlove.com

Similar Products Used:   Larsen, Nevegal, S-works Captains, High Roller, WTB Velociraptors

Bike Setup:   ASR-5 Alloy


Overall Rating:1
Value Rating:2
Submitted by richdirector a Weekend Warrior from Glasgow

Date Reviewed: June 8, 2011

Strengths:    Sheds mud good grip

Weaknesses:    UST - other Schwalbes seem fine but the UST RR is useless on anything but smooth groomed track - any trail with flint or rock means the end of the tyre. I ripped the sidewall of the first when some flint cut through the sidewall at Carron Valley (a made and groomed trail). Thought I was unlucky as first UST tyre ever to blow and had only been on for a month. You cant review that .... but then second tyre on and 3 months later the nice easy ride at Glentress kills the tyre - again just pissing air. If you ride loamy trails or hardpack then maybe but if you can see any rocks then get something better that this poor tyre

Bottom Line:   
An expensive tyre that becomes more expensive when you calculate that you only got 8 rides out of the thing. I have one still left over but will probably sell SH than risk using again

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Glentress, and tokai Cape Town

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $35.00

Purchased At:   online

Similar Products Used:   Maxxis Larsen TT UST, Panaracer Fire XC, Schwalbe Skinny Jimmy UST, Michelen XCR UST

Bike Setup:   Ti Carver 96 with Rohloff


Overall Rating:3
Value Rating:3
Submitted by cesalec a Weekend Warrior from Austria / Mexico

Date Reviewed: May 20, 2011

Strengths:    light, fast rollling on hard pacl

Weaknesses:    overwhelmed in technical AM terrain and roots or wet

Bottom Line:   
The are LIGHT, and they roll FAST giving great traction, but they are definitely better suited for a Hardtail on the racing scene. They as the Nics are to slippery when it gets wet.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   many AM and DH

Duration Product Used:   2 Years

Price Paid:    $70.00

Purchased At:   a german online stor

Similar Products Used:   Schwalbe Nobby Nic, Big betty, Fat albert; Maxxi Minion DHF; Kenda nevegals sitck-e - about to try the new hans dampf

Bike Setup:   2008 Giant Reign 0


Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:4
Submitted by jellytronics a Weekend Warrior from Baltimore, MD, USA

Date Reviewed: May 16, 2011

Strengths:    Great tread pattern for a wide variety of trail conditions. Non-UST version has performed exceptionally well tubeless on a non-UST rim (Gorilla Tubeless). Lightweight and little rolling resistance. Excellent grip with the ground tubeless.

Weaknesses:    Non-reinforced version may be more prone to sidewall tears (as with any tire) compared to snakeskin model.

Bottom Line:   
Great all around tire especially when run tubeless. I've only used the standard non-UST, non-tubeless ready version on non-UST rims without any issues. Seat the bead properly and keep up with sealant refills every few months and they'll reward you with great rides. A brand with well known solid performance.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Loch Raven

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $55.00

Purchased At:   Amazon

Similar Products Used:   Panaracer XC Fire Pro 26x2.1
Panaracer FR 26x2.4
Kenda Nevegal 26x2.1
Schwalbe Racing Ralphs 26x2.25


Bike Setup:   32x20 SS Outcast 29er
Schwalbe Racing Ralphs 29x2.4
Velocity Blunt Rims
Reba RLT
Juicy Sevens
Raceface Ride SS Crankset
Thomson Seatpost/Clamp
Hussefelt Bar


Overall Rating:4
Value Rating:4
Submitted by rixsurfer a Cross Country Rider from Dallas, TX

Date Reviewed: April 23, 2011

Strengths:    Reasonable grip for a racier tire.

Weaknesses:    EXPENSIVE!

Bottom Line:   
I just wanted to post my experience with setting the tubeless ready versions up with stans. I purchased both a tubeless ready and a tubeless ready double defense. Both tires mounted easily on my UST rims. The regular tubeless version mounted more like a clincher tire in that there were some pin holes that the latex had to seal. The double defense version ended up being more like a UST light. It sealed easily with no air loss and no pin holes. The difference in the sidewalls is apparent. If you're you're concerned about durability, the double defense actually appears to be a much sturdier tire though without the extra 100-200g penalty of a full UST.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   OCNP

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $80.00

Purchased At:   online

Similar Products Used:   too many to name

Bike Setup:   Blur XC Carbon


Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:4
Submitted by gvs_nz a Racer from New Zealand

Date Reviewed: October 5, 2010

Strengths:    The 2.4 is fast and large volume holds speed well over rough terrain. Bigger tread than the 2.25. Excellent sand tire.

Weaknesses:    The 2.4 will float in loose conditions but has good edge tread blocks.

Bottom Line:   
The 2.4 is a superb race tire in the front coupled with a race king 2.2 in the back.It's fast and large volume holds speed well over rough terrain.Bigger tread than the 2.25 gives confident cornering in any conditions but will float in the loose and mud. Excellent sand tire.
I'll try a X- King 2.4 as an alternative but I'm sure it will not corner as well but will float less.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Similar Products Used:   Captains,Eskars,Ardents,Barro Mountain, Seguaro,Racing Ralphs,Race kings, mountain kings, Big Bettys plus many more



Overall Rating:3
Value Rating:3
Submitted by dcormac a Cross Country Rider from Czech Republic

Date Reviewed: September 9, 2010

Strengths:    very fast tread, good grip, good all-rounder

Weaknesses:    Tread wears pretty quickly, prone to snake bites

Bottom Line:   
A great tire for the first 1000 km, after that the tread wore very quickly. After about 3500 km the rear tire is completely bald. I was very impressed at first. If you are a weekend warrior this is a great tread, good grip, very fast, but if you ride a lot and on a varied surfaces, this won't get you through one complete season.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $30.00

Similar Products Used:   Kenda Nevegal

Bike Setup:   Kona Blast with stock parts except Suntour Epicon LOD fork and Hayes Stroker Ryde brakes


Overall Rating:4
Value Rating:4
Submitted by OnlyCarbonHT a Cross Country Rider from Toronto, ON, Canada

Date Reviewed: August 21, 2010

Strengths:    Lightweight(520g), fast rolling, Seems to be durable and grip is above average considering the low traction blocks.

Weaknesses:    Fits narrower than comparable tires in the same size(2.25). If money is an object look elsewhere.

Bottom Line:   
The racing Ralph tire is a great investment if your looking for a great quality tire with awesome grip in most conditions I don't recommend rocks these tires are thin to save weight. These lightweight tires are great for weight weenies. Highly recommended.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Don valley

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $50.00

Purchased At:   Lambert

Similar Products Used:   Schwalbe rocket Ron, maxxis minion/holy rollers.

Bike Setup:   Carbon hardtail, SRAM XO groupset, Truvativr Noir 3.3 crank, avid elixir cr, Alex rims supra bh, fsa stem & handlebar


Overall Rating:3
Value Rating:3
Submitted by crash section a Cross Country Rider from Albuquerque

Date Reviewed: July 21, 2010

Strengths:    For 29er EVO run as tubeless on Stan's Crest rims.
Light, supple, good grip on hard pack and decent to good on loose. Also, with the large air volume of 29er they add significantly to the suspension of my soft tail.


Weaknesses:    Side walls. Granted, this tire is not advertised for tubeless, but they have been ginsu'ed by the sharp rocks of the trails around Albuquerque and Santa Fe. I sprung so many leaks on an epic 67 mile 14k of climbing ride/race that I used up all of my superglue and extra stans in my camelback. The tread still has good life, but the side walls are just way too thin to go tubeless where there is any real risk of rock scrapes.

Bottom Line:   
Super light, good amount of air and suspension at 20-22 lbs of pressure, with minimal washout. However, the sidewalls are not meant for tubeless or likely even rocky conditions of the Southwest. I have not tried the snakeskin version, and would likely have purchased it if they were in stock at the start of the year.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $50.00

Similar Products Used:   I don't have a lot of experience in the 29er size but lots of miles on various 26er tires. The other tire I have used is the Michelin AT 2.0 which runs almost as big as the Schwalbe. The treads are wider spaced, the weight is about 130 grams more than the Schwalbes, but the sidewalls are good and tough.

Bike Setup:   Moots Mooto-x ybb, ck hubs and Stan's Crest rims. Some Sram, some xt, some XTR. The bike is set up to be pretty light but still go for the 12 hour ride.


Overall Rating:3
Value Rating:2
Submitted by cambrown a Weekend Warrior from St. Louis, MO

Date Reviewed: June 7, 2010

Strengths:    Light, grippy

Weaknesses:    Sidewalls too thin, expensive, hard to find

Bottom Line:   
Inspire confidence in the corners for a light tire.

I must have got the tube version because the side walls are very thin. Also, out of the box they had pin holes all over the side walls, and along the sidewall seam.

The Stans sealant found 6 or 8 pin-holes along the side walls. Tire seems to be holding air after a couple of rides, but it makes me nervous, and I'll have to keep a close eye on the Stans level to make sure I can seal up any additional holes.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Klondike

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $65.00

Purchased At:   online

Similar Products Used:   Bontrager Jones ACX, Specialized Captian

Bike Setup:   Racing Ralph in front, Specialized Captian in back. Tubeless on No-Tubes ZTR 29er 355 rims


Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:3
Submitted by Pedela a Cross Country Rider from New Zealand

Date Reviewed: May 3, 2010

Strengths:    Review is for 29er 2.4.....big (seem like a genuine 2.4 to me), light, fast, grip, hold air tubeless, tubeless mounting easy

Weaknesses:    The price...as always with Schwalbe

Bottom Line:   
On a hardtail I like big tires at low pressures. On 29ers especially I want light tires that roll fast with grip. I use hardtail singlespeed 29ers on flat trails with surfaces that are usually hard or loose over hard, and usually dry. Nevegal & Rampage type tires are too slow & heavy for this. I've tried Spec Fast Track LK & SB8 tires which are fast enough but don't have much grip & not enough volume to soften a hardtail. For my use the RRs are the best 29 tires I've tried for a combination of acceleration, speed and grip while softening the ride (at around 25 - 28 psi) They seem to be holding air tubeless just as well as other non UST tires with some Stans to help. Worth the extra $$$ for me.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $50.00

Purchased At:   LBS

Similar Products Used:   the quest for better tires is endless - there are plenty of expensive failed experiments on hooks in my garage

Bike Setup:   on a steel 29 hardtail


Overall Rating:1
Value Rating:2
Submitted by larry vicious a Weekend Warrior from redding ca usa

Date Reviewed: March 4, 2010

Strengths:    good on hard pack and roads. thats all its good for

Weaknesses:    terrible in mud and loose rocks. spins out on climbs. just felt like i was trying to catch my bike. no control.

Bottom Line:   
if you gave me a set of these i would sell them

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $46.00

Similar Products Used:   geax

Bike Setup:   norco faze



Reviews 1 - 15 (56 Reviews Total) | Next 15

Review Options:  Sorted by Latest Review | Sort by Best Rating

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