Schwalbe's super light Rocket Ron Tubless Ready tire answers almost every demand at once: incredible grip with extremely low weight and is fully loaded with Schwalbe's best technologies.
My Rocket Ron came with a series of pin holes along the sidewall seams. Schwalbe quality is crap. Spend your money elsewhere and avoid the grief of dealing with these morons.
Strengths: grip, rolling resistance, weight, look good, large volume, sheds mud well, breaking performance
Weaknesses: price, durability
Bottom Line:
I am a racer from Boulder Colorado, and ride on average 12-15 hours a week on the typical Colorado terrain. Rocky, dusty, sandy, loose, and hard pack is generally the only conditions we come across here, and the rocket rons have not let me down yet. They have phenomenal grip front and rear, but they don't roll any slower than the other xc race tires I have used in the past. They even perform on hard packed snow that is common in the early springtime here in Boulder. I also just recently went to moab with my team, and they did not let me down where my other teammates tires did. I would have given these tires 5 of 5 in both value and overall, but they wear very fast and they cost a lot to replace. I have only put 600 miles on them and they are showing many signs of wear. They are worth all the money and I will definitely be getting another set of rocket rons for the season ahead.
Similar Products Used: hutchinson python, hutchinson toro, geax saguro, specialized captain control, specialized fast trak control
Bike Setup: scott scale 29er expert, tubeless
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Submitted by
aliikane
a All Mountain Rider
from san jose, ca usa
Date Reviewed: March 4, 2012
Strengths: Lightweight
Fast roller
Grips well in certain conditions
Weaknesses: Knobs not made for rocky chop
Outside knobs bendy
Floats at high speed
Bottom Line:
I was sucked into the Schwalbe Rocket Ron's waif lightweight and aggressive tread. They seemed perfect for the freerider / weight weenie that I am. They perform excellent under certain conditions. First off, they are very light and fast rolling. The grip is excellent in hard pack and soft mulchy dirt because of the aggressive tread pattern. Cornering feels solid and you can really put some power into your turn. All around it is a solid tire.
However, there are a few instances where the light knobs showed some weaknesses. At high speeds (over 20mph) the knobs are pretty bendy and soft so the tire floats in turns. It doesn't feel like you want to lean on turns at high speed. Also, in really rocky chop the knobs are starting to tear a bit and show wear. If you are hard on your tires, get the heavier casing.
For XC type riding the tire is excellent. If you are an all mountain or freerider and push your tires downhill in rocky, rooty chop go for the Schwalbe Nobby Nics.
Similar Products Used: Kenda Nevegal, Panaracer Fire, WTB Bronson, WTB Weirwolf, Ritchey Zmax, etc.
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz Blur LT2, Rockshox Revelation, Easton Haven wheelset, XT build, Avid XO, Rockshox Reverb, etc.
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Submitted by
kidd88
a Cross Country Rider
from Lapeer, Mi
Date Reviewed: March 3, 2012
Strengths: lite
Weaknesses: cost
Bottom Line:
I have found the tire to be durable and fast rolling for Michigan xc trails. No pinch flats. little pricey although i really didnt shop around the net. I bought to use for a cross between rocky roots and some sandy stuff its been all around good to go for what i have thrown at it.
Submitted by
tyrebyter
a Cross Country Rider
from albuquerque, nm usa
Date Reviewed: November 24, 2011
Strengths: light, fast, durable
Weaknesses: lack of traction
Bottom Line:
Came with the bike, rode once and then replaced the tubes with Stan's kit. Very quick, responsive I suppose because of the light weight. Strong to put up with the beating I've given them. Traction on rock could be better. Get used to the 'pting' sound; that's the knobs letting go when you hammer over rock. Anything loose is a nerve-building exercise. Finally found the way to corner on anything loose was to drift, which these tires will do with surprising control. Not a bad tire, just the wrong application; they belong on a smooth hard race course. I will say they are way better than the Conti Mtn Kings on the other bike. At least they show very little wear after 100+ miles, by which time the Contis were done.
Similar Products Used: conti mtn king, panaracer, etc.
Bike Setup: Scott Spark
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Submitted by
Alex
a Weekend Warrior
from Wichita, KS
Date Reviewed: October 29, 2011
Strengths: Light, good traction, rolls fast
Weaknesses: Sidewalls seem thin
Bottom Line:
At first I thought they would be too fragile as the other reviews have stated. I'm riding the non-EVO version and after 10-15 rides I have not had a problem. Thorns and puncture flats are a problem around here and my heavier WTB Weirwolfs got puncture flats just about every other ride. The durability is under-stated in my opinion, especially for the weight.
Submitted by
timcking
a Cross Country Rider
from Reno, NV, USA
Date Reviewed: October 21, 2011
Strengths: Super-light
Good traction
Excellent with Stan's tubeless compound
Weaknesses: Without EVO construction, fragile
Bottom Line:
Experience with pre-EVO construction 26" 'Rocket Ron' in desert environment revealed weakness to sharp rocks and sagebrush. Went to 'Racing Ralphs' and no further issues.
Moving to a 29er, decided to give the 'Rocket Ron' EVO tire a try. Haven't had any issues at all with the EVO construction. It's amazing how durable these tires are with their super-light construction.
Using Stan's tubeless, flats are history. 'Goat-heads' go unnoticed, until you take the tire off and feel the inside of the carcass.
Similar Products Used: Numerous 26" tires
Kenda Karma 29"
Bike Setup: Both 26" and 29"
Stan's tubeless
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Submitted by
terryb
a Cross Country Rider
from Twin Falls, Idaho
Date Reviewed: October 2, 2011
Strengths: Very light.. Good grip. Corner well and confidently.
Weaknesses: Must run 35+lbs air or easy to pinch flat.
Bottom Line:
Just finished riding 550 miles on dirt roads, trails, gravel roads and many knarly descents and climbs in 11 days with 37K feet of clinbing. One pinch flat, probably my fault due to low pressure in the rear. Still have plenty of tread on the rear. No issues or problems. Love these tires.
Similar Products Used: Bontrager, Kenda small block
Bike Setup: Bontager rims on superfly 100
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Submitted by
Ecogeek
a Cross Country Rider
from Cad rockies.
Date Reviewed: September 23, 2011
Strengths: Light.
Weaknesses: Just not enough grip. Knobs too soft and fold. Hates ruts. Hates dust. Hates rocks. Not great in mud. Even sketcy on 'velcro'.
Bottom Line:
I have four rigs. From XC to DH.
This is on light trail rig.
I knew it would be pushing the limits of compromise in favour of weight.
BTW. This review is for the 2.1, Evolution model.
I pushed the weight compromise too far here. This tire persistently tries to kill me. Multiple washouts over the season (only on this bike) have led me to finally learn my lesson and take this off.
I ride real trails in real Mtns, and this just isn't up to it.
I'm sure it is great for flatland XC.
But I'm selling. Not even going to put it on the XC rig.
The light trail bike did a lot of climbing. And a lot of descending. This tire was attractive due to decent vol for a 2.1. Alleged good rubber compound. Decent reviews. V light.
But I found it weak in all areas. And I was v patient with it. Trying to get used to it. Knowing it was a bit less than I really should run up front.
Didn't track well climbing. But ok. And was v nice and light.
On flat trail, tire is basically fine if not too dry, rocky, wet or twisty.
On the downs, this thing becomes a liability.
Braking actually ok. But...
Yesterday, conditions were velcro perfect and tire still slid sideways on minor damp slight off-camber and then washed out as just had no grip to correct. It's the third full washout at speed on pretty good trail - at least.
And it has nearly nailed me several other times in mixed conditions. I particularly noticed that it HATES dry ruts. If you ever see dusty ruts on a trail, this tire almost needs to be walked.
Front tire is not a smart place to compromise for weight. Not on real MTN trails anyway.
I knew it. Tried it. Proved it! Multiple times. And have the bruises, cuts, and breaks to prove it.
So, my Rons (I bought two but only used one up front) are destined for the great auction room in the cloud.
I you race around flat, smooth trails, these are fine.
If you ride carefully on intermediate trails in good soil conditions. Also fine.
If you ride advanced stuff and ride hard, esp in dusty, loose, rocky, or wet conditions, just forget it.
And the grip is so lacking (relative to even perfectly ordinary, cheap 2.1 tires like Mythos), that I wouldn't even try a bigger size.
The knobs are v small and also v flexible. They fold over and slip more easily than any I have seen. Despite being soft, they are not tacky.
Anyway. I could whine all day about this. V disappointed.
Did get a serious injury due to a washout, but it didn't bother me. I'm tough as hell so didn't even stop riding. It was the fact that it did it again and again despite proper care, and in really good conditions...
Eventually, you realise that persisting is stupid and something has to change or the almost inevitable injury will be more than just serious.
I weigh 185 loaded from mid season. And, whilst I ride hard, I try to ride smooth and baby my bikes a bit cos I built them and love them. I know the trails I ride. I don't wear pads on trails or enjoy crashing regularly.
Tried v hard to get on with this tire, and ideally to get at least half the value out of one. As a miser, I hate the fact that I must replace it before its time. But I must. Would be an idiot not to.
Either that or risk xyz for no good reason. Or have to move to low-alt flatland.
The tire I have been running on the back absolutely put this to shame. Ritchey Z-Max WCS Evolution. So much more grip, despite lower volume. But too small for the front.
To try to be fair to the Ron, it is a light, race tire. And racers take risks for speed. I took that risk for climbing and it was not worth it.
And, the two tires I had on the front of this bike before (Motoraptor Race and Mythos XCII) were both much knobbier.
I def went too far in the wrong direction with the Ron.
Might try a WTB Bronson 2.1 Race.
To really contextualise this review to help those wondering...
Someone would say I am an idiot for not running 2.3. I run that on the heavy trail bike. This light rig is for AM with lots of hard climbing. It is deliberately compromised for min weight. But the Ron, even in the Evo $$$ version, is one compromise too far on an all-mountain rig.
And if you ain't tough as nails like me, and can't take a serious hit and just get right up and ride on a broken ankle and ribs, then don't ride the Ron on real trails. Esp in deep bear-filled backcountry. You will prob cry and bleed, call the heli and spend time in hosp at great expense.
I have enjoyed a lot of quite literal pain trying to get to accept this tire's failings in exchange for its light weight. Couldn't get there. And however this review sounds' I'm genuinely not bitter. Just this is the first time where such a pretty tire and I had to part ways under such tragic circs. I tried to love her, but we fought like cat and dog. She just kept hurting me. Boo hoo. Alas. And goodbye.
Bike Setup: This tire is (was) on light trail bike.
Motolite at 24lbs.
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Submitted by
kinsler
a Cross Country Rider
from El Paso
Date Reviewed: September 13, 2011
Strengths: ??
Weaknesses: Thin construction with weak sidewalls
Bottom Line:
Do not use this tires on rocky trails. Within a couple rides I had already torn the sidewall and be subjected to many pinch flats despite running a very high pressure. Prehaps in different trail conditions they perform better.
Bike Setup: BMC Speedfox with XO drivetrain, Mavic crossmax st wheels, fox f series fork, fox rp2 shock
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Submitted by
stari_ribic
a Cross Country Rider
from Ljubljana, Slovenia
Date Reviewed: August 9, 2011
Strengths: very light, cheap, good grip, good cornering performance, fine braking
Weaknesses: Weak and thin side wall - easily punctured and even teared, high rolling resistance on asphalt compared to more expensive competition
Bottom Line:
At first the tires seemed nice - extremely light and with good grip, almost equal to Racing ralph, just had a higher rolling resistance which I don't really mind for a MTB tire. I had a flat at clean and amazingly nice macadam road - with only tiny litle rocks at side, suitable for all cars. I am really disappointed.
My advice - be very careful with this tire and always carry a replacement when on a long trip. Maybe this would be a nice tyre for soft muddy roads without rocks.
Submitted by
charliecl1
a Cross Country Rider
from Sunnyvale, CA
Date Reviewed: July 15, 2011
Strengths: Very light, great traction
Weaknesses: bead stretched to the point they wouldn't hold air
Bottom Line:
The Rocket Rons (29", Pace 3 compound, tubeless ready) were very light (560 gm on my scale). Traction was excellent. Rolled well - little buzz even on pavement. I think they're light because they didn't have much rubber on them. I could see the cords where they were wrapped around the beads - the rubber didn't completely cover the cords.
The Paragon came with these tires instead of the Bontragers that were supposed to be stock. They came with tubes but I replaced them with some Bontrager Super Juice. The Bontrager rim strip fit onto the Bontrager tubeless ready rims easily (no surprise) and the tires went on easily with my Lezine floor pump. I inflated to 35 psi. The front tire never leaked but the rear was like a sieve on the side walls, especially along an apparent seam in the middle of the sidewalls. It would lose about 2 lbs per hour the first two weeks. The sealant would ooze out and plug one hole but another one would open up. There were maybe a hundred holes in the sidewalls over the first couple of weeks. They finally stopped leaking but a week later, when I was 15 miles into a ride, they started leaking air quickly - like 2 lbs a minute. I couldn't locate any holes and I think they were leaking along the beads. I put in a tube.
A couple weeks later the front tire, which had never leaked at all, blew off the rim while it was on a bike rack. I cleaned it up and remounted it but it would pop off at 20 lbs. I noticed that I could remount the tire by running my finger around the bead. The circumference of the bead was maybe an inch bigger, but I couldn't find any damage to them. The LBS said the beads were too loose to stay on the rims. These things cost $80 each but the LBS took them back and gave me two new Bontragers. Kudos to Chain Reaction Bikes in Los Altos! The Bontragers went on with the usual amount of effort, never leaked at all and are clearly much more reliable at around 100 gms more weight. The difference in construction quality and reliability is huge. As Tom Ritchey used to say: "There's light and there's stupid light."
Two flamers because the Rocket Rons are very light and offer great traction. And they might stay on your rims if you use tubes and maintain a lot of pressure.
I have had other Schwalbe tires which have been just peachy, so I'm not saying my bad experience is the norm.
Strengths: Roll well, good grip on packed singletrack, light
Weaknesses: f**n expensive! NO sidewall, no durability in rocky sections.
Bottom Line:
What a poopy tire, no durability at all... I bought a set for racing. I had 3 rides on them. In my first race, I was on a downhilly section (open logging road), and a rock punctured the rear tire. Maybe it was a fluke. But then a week later I was doing a big rock roll (no drop no shale, just a roll), and what do you know, the front tire punctured.. I run tubeless, so I'm not talking about pinch flats here...
It sucks because I do like the feel of the tire, but they do not withstand rocky anything. Would be good for non-rocky trails..
These tires have no sidewall support, and should not be run at low pressures (I ran mine at a 38 to avoid that washy feeling)..
