Its tapered tread lugs give the Schwalbe Rocket Ron TL Ready Tire an uncanny ability to offer traction in mixed conditions, wet or dry. It's especially appealing here because the low weight of the tire underscores its intent as a race tire, designed to get you there first. With the Rocket Ron, you don't have to settle for fast or grippy -- you can have both. Compared to the Racing Ralph, the slightly more prominent blocks have been spaced a bit further apart to achieve more void space. This is part of the reason that it self-cleans in mucky stuff so you can continue to have traction to drive down the trail and keep the bike upright. The Rocket Ron uses Schwalbe's PaceStar Triple Compound, their fastest. Schwalbe engineers recognize that it's not possible for one compound to do it all, so they've combined three to optimize the tire's performance. The low-profile tread of the Rocket Ron is fast, and it's still an excellent cornering tire thanks to the U-Block shoulder tread. These tread blocks are angled at 20 degrees or so towards the outside of the tire. A small sipe doesn't quite divide the block, creating the "U" shape. They work to counteract the lateral forces endured when cornering to maintain traction and to keep the bike stable.This tire is designed to be tubeless ready (TL), which means you can say goodbye to pinch flats. A tubeless system allows you to run less air pressure, again enhancing the grip of the tire's tread. Better traction, less vibration, and no flats lead to a great ride. It's necessary to use a liquid sealant within the tire to seal the bead seat and to quickly seal thorn or debris punctures on the trail. The Schwalbe Rocket Ron TL Ready is available in 26 x 2.1, 26 x 2.25, and 26 x 2.4" widths. Please note: because Schwalbe has optimized this tire to be lightweight, patching in the event of puncture is not recommended.Tubeless 101: The Why and the How Explained.
Strengths: Good grip, fast rolling, light, easy to mount good all weather tyre
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
I have got this on the rear of my cannondale jekyll 2 all mountain bike. I run a nobby nic on the front and rocket ron on the rear they have replaced my hans damph. The rocket ron is a great all weather tyre that grips well in the wet, dry, loose and muddy. It is also very fast. I am runing the 2.25 and this is a good size not to big but not to little. I would advise the nobby nic rocket ron combo highly.
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Submitted by
Kevin A
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2013
Strengths: Great on wet trails and road, lightweight and fast
Weaknesses: Dangerous cornering when the rocky trails dry out, wear fast, puncture easilly
Bottom Line:
I bought a Scott Scale 29er 910 earlier this year and found the tyres great on the damp, wet and muddy mountain trails and brilliant speed on tarmac roads...
But then the summer came along, dried out all the trails which are now rocks, loose gravel and sand and the tyre has made me into a nervous wreck! I ride at 35psi and weigh 90Kg, have dropped to 30psi with no noticeable difference, on the descents I have to ride like a snail round corners and the unpredictability over rocks in general means I must change these!
I need a recommendation for a good XC (non-race) tyre for rocky, loose gravel and sandy trails before I go over the edge of a cliff!
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Submitted by
Phil
Date Reviewed: March 29, 2013
Strengths: Low weight, smoothness on the go (only on hardpack)
Weaknesses: Puncture easily, wear fast, very poor cornering (dangerous on loose stuff)
Bottom Line:
Rocket Rons came as OE on my scott scale elite 29"; the bike is really fast, partly thanks to the low weight of tires, but they get punctured over and over again. They also wear fast and the knobs become smaller quite quickly, so even the poor cornering of a new tire gets lost pretty soon. Cornering on anything loose is dangerous if You don't slow down, which means You loose speed and energy. I want to switch to maxxis ardent 29x2.25, or maybe 29x2.4 up in front. Will see. Kind Regards, Phil
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Submitted by
psuthe
a Cross Country Rider
Date Reviewed: March 9, 2013
Strengths: Light
Weaknesses: cornering on loose stuff
Bottom Line:
I have run these on two bikes and had similar experience on both: I run them tubed at 40psi which makes them very scary on cornering, especially if it is at all loose. I have not set them up tubeless, but I would imagine they do better at a lower psi. As far as a back tire goes, they seem fine, but only have average durability.
Weaknesses: Wear incredibly fast. Take forever to seal when running tubless. Front tire deforms significantly on obstacles, even at 32 psi.
Bottom Line:
I am aware that this is a very light tire that is really best suited for racing. That being said, I bought a new bike and it had RRs front and back. 2.35 front and 2.1 respectively. I wouldn't expect them to stand up to a full season of ground pounding riding. I was a little shocked though when they showed serious signs of wear after about 50-75 miles of riding. At 200 miles the back tire was shot. Almost bald, and certainly too bald to ride with any confidence. Trails were a mix of loamy tacky to begin with, followed by harder pack and dusty as things dried out.
And that is not even mentioning how ridiculously long it took these tires to seal completely. The sidewalls are very porous - I could actually see the sealant coming out of the sidewall for weeks. The 2.35 sealed after about 10 rides and God knows how many shake, rotates, and lay down procedures. The back tire took waaayyyy longer. And even after I considered them sealed, they still would lose 10psi overnight. At least they would get me through my ride though.
Will not be purchasing Schwalbes again. A shame to, since it was so cool to have my name on the tire....
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Submitted by
Barry Losow
Date Reviewed: December 18, 2012
Strengths: Really light weight, good grip in most conditions
Weaknesses: Widest is 2.25. Supposed lack of durability?
Bottom Line:
After a year riding Hans Damfs. I wanted a lighter tire with equal grip. I ride technical east coast single track. The rocket Ron's are much lighter and quicker. The grip is not quite as good but the break away is predictable and they have not scared me at all. They have not made me crash any more than normal and I have not had any flats yet. I ride with tubes. Overall they are great light weight tires.
Strengths: Super lightweight, high grip, yet very fast-rolling, high volume supple carcass, outstanding feel and handling, did I say FAST?! If you like to shred fast singletrack at warp speed - this is what you want to do it on.
Weaknesses: True race tire that hates sharp rocks - sidewalls cut easily and knobs rip/tear/wear easily. This tire is designed to win XC races. PERIOD. Nothing else. Folks looking for a durable bruiser for exploring the rocky outback need not apply.
Bottom Line:
This tire is ideal for its intended purpose - XC racing in all conditions. I've run the EVO compound tubeless for the last 6 months or so in the mid-atlantic. Middle Run/WCC, Schaeffer Farm, Fairhill, Fountainhead, etc. Changes direction and shreds moist singletrack like on rails. AMAZING tire. Fast light and grippy. Likes extreme lean angles and breaks-away predictably. Sheds muck well. Great breaking/handling tire with minimal rolling resistance, and the super lightweight means it spools-up effortlessly for rapid acceleration. The high volume allows low PSI - I like it in the 24-28 psi range for my 215 lbs.
Although a "race day" tire, I ride mine recreationally/training, as well. Not very rocky in my parts, minimal street riding, and the tires have held-up quite well (600 miles w/ life remainng). I did cut one sidewall on a rocky descent on unfamiliar trail (Brandywine) - but that's it.
The knobs are soft and the sidewalls ultra thin (this = grippy ultra-light tire, duh) - if you ride in gravel pits and rocky terrain, you need to keep looking.
Bottom line: you will not find a higher-performing XC tire for most conditions.
Similar Products Used: racing ralph, nobby nic, Kenda Excavator, Kenda slant 6, Panaracer Smoke
Bike Setup: '11 C'dale RZ 120-2,
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Submitted by
Maximo Lefebvre
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2012
Strengths: Grip, rolling speed, weight
Weaknesses: price
Bottom Line:
I've read some other reviews that give these tires 1 chili with very unimpressed people. All I have to say is "What are you talking about??" I threw these things on my 29er hardtail and I have to say they stick like glue, cornering, out of the saddle steep climbs, flying downhill, they do it all. At first I was concerned about the rolling resistance due to the large blocks, not so, they fly up and down the trail. Out of the 20 or so different tires I've ridden in my 15 year career they shine. Love them...they are kind of expensive though :-)
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Submitted by
erin
Date Reviewed: October 3, 2012
Strengths: Looks nice, mounts easily on UST rims, including Stans, rolls fine in rear.
Weaknesses: Second ride in XC terrain tore a 1" rip in the EVO sidewall. This was a simple training ride on a smooth, dusty, cross-country trail. Sidewall failed immediately after cornering in very light, loose rocks over hardpack.
Bottom Line:
I ride in moderate terrain and have only split sidewalls when I slam the rear around in granite or sandstone on very old tires. This split happened under the most mild conditions. It was a vertical tear and the sidewall was like wet paper. Given that I ride miles away from the parking lot I will never use this brand again. I ride in moderate terrain and have only split sidewalls when I slam the rear around in granite or sandstone on very old tires. This split happened under the most mild conditions. It was a vertical tear and the sidewall was like wet paper. Given that I ride miles away from the parking lot I will never use this brand again.
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Submitted by
Dr Johan Coetzee
a All Mountain Rider
Date Reviewed: September 6, 2012
Strengths: poor
Weaknesses: factory fault but bike shop dont want too change it.They say it is normal when the slime leakes out on the side walls .The bike is a marida 3000D 120 new.
Can you please give me feedback on this matter.Regards
Bottom Line:
I think the bike is greate but i am worried about the tyres
These tires came OE on my Scott Spark. First ride they felt washy and unstable in turns. I played with the pressure on future rides but couldn't get them to firm up - they always wanted to wash out on high speed or tight turns. Less than 200 miles and the peripheral knobs are starting to wear and peel off (no wonder they don't corner well). These tires may work well for recreational riding or tooling around town, but they are priced and advertised as performance tires. Not so.
Similar Products Used: Kenda Nevegal (awesome tires)
WTBs (decent)
Bike Setup: Scott Spark 40, Rock Shox Reba, XT group, DT wheels, Race Face bars, stem & post.
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Submitted by
Panos
Date Reviewed: August 10, 2012
Strengths: Light and fast
Weaknesses: Durability and too many flats
Bottom Line:
In my opinion these tyres are like formal shoes. Use them in special cases (races) and you'll get the best result. But not for daily use. Durability of this tyre makes its price to look a bit expensive. Had 8 flats most of them in the rear tyre, although I don't ride in very hard surfaces.
Strengths: Fast on the pavement riding to the trailhead. Easy tubless set up with Stans.
Weaknesses: Really suck in dry conditions - even on rock. Scary on roots and surprisingly, even clog up a bit in the wet. Wearing out really fast. And oh ya you get to pay A LOT for all this suckiness.
Bottom Line:
This is the first review I've written but I wanted to help others avoid the expense and frustration of these tires. My new Ellsworth SST.2 was built up with these tires. I've always run heavy duty tires like Nevaglas and Bontrager so I liked the idea of a faster rolling tire. I should have done my homework. It's a hot, dusty summer and these things are down right dangerous. I was riding my local trail and in an off-camber section the tires just went out from underneath me with no warning. My husband put them on his Yeti 575 and he's had a couple of falls - one of them due to no traction at all on a rock he was rolling over causing a major crash - and a trip to the hospital (one week before a 3-week mtb trip out west.) In the month we've both had them, we're covered in bruises and terrified to turn at speed - you just know they're going to wash out. In the one or two wet-day conditions they managed to clog up pretty well too. So if you love riding to the trail head on pavement fast - go for it! But if you like to feel confident, buy something else. Oh ya, and they're wearing after one month (I'm on the lighter side of riders too!)
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Submitted by
Jon
a All Mountain Rider
Date Reviewed: July 14, 2012
Strengths: Light
Weaknesses: Traction, Tracking, Durability, Cost
Bottom Line:
Sold on light weight and aggressive tread. Can get a wide tire with no weight penalty! Rubber compound feels very tacky and smooth when cruising asphalt at low speed -- in any other conditions the tire performs poorly. Going up the rear tire did not hold in any conditions (hardpack, slickrock, roots, etc.) especially out of the saddle, but even when seated. Going down the tire drifts, washes out and generally feels unstable especially if there is any loose pack. I tried various preasures and couldn't find a sweet spot. The best thing these tires did was rip a knob going down an easy Jeep road forcing me to give up these expensive underperformers and get another set of tires. I do know several people who love these tires. Most are smaller ridders. The tire compound is very soft and I suspect drifts less and grips better with light riders. Hands down the worst tires I have ever ridden. Just put a set of Maxxis Ardents -- narrower and heavier but so far much better up and down.
Similar Products Used: Kenda Nevigal, Maxxis Holly Roller, Maxxis Cross Mark, many others
Bike Setup: Ibis Mojo HD, X9, Stans Flow, egg beaters
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Submitted by
GeorgiaMTBrider
a All Mountain Rider
Date Reviewed: June 17, 2012
Strengths: Rolls like a "Rocket" (on hard pack), just don't get it near anything loose.
Weaknesses: If you turn a corner on anything but Hard pack/pavement YOU WILL REGRET IT!!! I have the bumps, bruises and cuts to prove it. Wear out fast. Only been riding on them 6 months and they are pretty torn up.
Bottom Line:
I recently bought a Scott Scale 29er Comp, and the Rocket Ron came on it as the stock tire. Trying it out in the parking lot (which I'm sure is the reason that Scott puts it on) the tire rolls smooth as silk. I live in Georgia and having spent a chunk on the new bike, figured I'd stick with the tires and see how they would perform on the trail. They DO NOT. You have to baby these things around every corner that has anything loose on it (which on the trails I ride is pretty much everything). They wash out on every rock, root, strand of pine straw or loose bit of dirt on the trail. I'm sure that these tires are great on hard pack but I consider them dangerous on Georgia MTB trails.
