The tread design offers the basics for grip and high, off-road speed. The secret lies in the special shapes and arrangement of the many small center blocks. In the structure of the tire, changing the carcass angle produced and additional reduction in rolling resistance. Compounding: Different rubber mixtures are used in the tread. These are optimized for each tread area – center, shoulder and base.
Submitted by
dustingyou
a Cross Country Rider
from Raleigh, NC Date Reviewed: July 24, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Umstead/Crabtree
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
online retailer
Strengths:
Tire has low rolling resistance and hard knobs.
Weaknesses:
I found this tire to be squirrely and not sticky on my front wheel. It made my riding really unpredictable and I didn't trust it on cornering in single track and on bridle trails. I bought it to replace my Continental Leader Pro and I thought it would be a good choice but not for me.
Similar Products Used:
Continental Leader Pro, Conti Cross Country, Maxxis High
Roller, Maxxis Crossmark; WTB Velociraptor; Ritchey Z Max.
Bike Setup:
Indy Fab Ti Deluxe; full XTR; Fox F80RLC with 15 mm QR
Bottom Line:
I bought this tire with high anticipation of a nice, grippy small-sized tire for up front. I dropped my bike on single track more than once because I tried to trust it and dig in to turns and the tread on the side didn't give in and grip the dirt so I gripped the dirt instead. The knobs are pretty stiff on the tire and it does roll fast on single track but it is unpredictable and squirrly. I switched to a Conti Mountain King UST 2.2 up front to replace it and my riding was a completely different improvement--I could trust my bike again. After removing the Schwalbe RR I put it on the back wheel and I am going to run a lower air pressure with it to get it a little squishier so the hard knobs will be more forgiving. I'd say buy it if you can somehow manage to demo one somewhere and experience it for yourself and give your own opinion; otherwise, don't buy it because it's not that predictable when it comes to cornering on singletrack and on high speed bridle trails with the tire up front. Haven't ridden it on the back yet though but I am hoping that it will do well there since it does have low rolling resistance.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bob Plumeau
a Cross Country Rider
from San Jose Date Reviewed: April 14, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Santa Teresa
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Price Paid:
$74.00
Purchased At:
TrailHead
Strengths:
I pre-rode the Sea-Otter and was very impressed with how well it stuck. Didn't have to many loose rocks and the trails all had a light layer that could have been considered loose but this tire gave me confidence. There is plenty of beach like sand and it performed well there too. It came out of the turns fast and seemed faster than other tires on the long downhills. Very light. <500 grams. With Stan's <600.
Weaknesses:
Wow, the price. The wife still doesn't know and I'm trying to keep it a secret.
I am nervous after reading other's reviews.
Similar Products Used:
Hutch Scorpion, IRC Mythos
Bike Setup:
05 Giant VT1, Minute 3.
Bottom Line:
So far so good. The Sea Otter course is about 2o miles and has a good mix of terrain and I really had no traction issues at all. I'll put a few more miles on it and see what I think. I may save it for races only. Hate riding on pavement with this one.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rickels
a Cross Country Rider
from Grand Junction, CO Date Reviewed: April 20, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Ribbon
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$50.00
Strengths:
good traction, low rolling resistance, look good, wear well
Weaknesses:
expensive and difficult to find
Similar Products Used:
many
Bike Setup:
Yeti
Bottom Line:
the best tubless tire i have ever used
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Aroussen LAflamme
a Racer
from QUebec, Quebec, Canada Date Reviewed: November 23, 2006
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Quick on dry surfaces. High volume
Weaknesses:
Weak carcass leads to break down during hard cornering and even get off the rim
Similar Products Used:
Serax XC, Python
Bike Setup:
Epic S-Works
Bottom Line:
My opinion is that this is not a great tire. The carcass is too weak for racing. Also, they lack versatility. Theyre good only on dyr and hard surfaces.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a
from PA Date Reviewed: November 20, 2006
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Fast, fast, fast. High volume. Light. Does not pack up with mud. Adequate traction for it's minimal tread.
Weaknesses:
Expensive.
Similar Products Used:
Tired'm all!
Bottom Line:
You want an all around fast, high volume, all conditions, xc tire? This is it. There are trade offs though. If pushed too hard with sloppy technique it will break loose on climbs and during hard cornering. It's not sold as a mud tire so don't think it's going to work well in the mud (even though it does an acceptable job as it doesn't pack up). It's light and has thin walls so it's not the most durable tire, but my 180#s has yet to kill a set on my rigid SS here in rocky PA. I've used them for xc racing and trail riding and they have become my favorite xc tire, by far. Now Schwalbe needs to make them in a 29".
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Peter Raubenheimer
a Cross Country Rider
from Cape Town Date Reviewed: November 19, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Tokai
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
HiBike
Strengths:
Fast rolling. Mounts very easily with eclipse kit and only a floor pump. Predictable cornering.
Weaknesses:
Wears relatively quickly, but then what do you expect of a soft tire?
Similar Products Used:
Hutch Pythons airlight ust; Conti explorer and vert pro's, Schwalbe Nobby Nics, Spesh fast traks, etc.
Bike Setup:
Racer X 100
Bottom Line:
These are best suited to dry hardpack, though are quite acceptable in loose or even wet conditions as a rear tire. I use the 2.1 rear and the 2.3 front for dry to sandy conditions with light loose over hqardpack. If it gets a bit looser.rockier it's better to use the NN up front.
Not my prefered tire for just messing around - something with more traction is much better. But this is fast!
Wears pretty quickly.
Does what is says on the tin. 5 chili's if used as intended.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Eric
a Cross Country Rider
from PA Date Reviewed: October 5, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$50.00
Strengths:
fast rolling, reasonable grip
Weaknesses:
weakest sidewall in the league
Similar Products Used:
conti, specialized, nokian
Bike Setup:
Epic marathon
Bottom Line:
Do not get these tires if you are going to do any riding on anything other than dirt. I didn't even get a full hour out of them riding on rocks before the sidewall split. Upon closer examination, there were several other near cuts on the sidewall. The terrain out here eats tires, but every other company's USTs last for a few months, not a few miles.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Doug Larson
a Cross Country Rider
from Omaha Ne Date Reviewed: July 24, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Lewis & Clark
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Bike Masters
Strengths:
This is far and away the easiest tubless tire to mount that I have used so far. These tires also hold air in Crossmax wheels better than anything I have tried. An exremely fast tire with low rolling resistance that works well in hard pack conditions. Climb great when the trail is dry and smooth. Also these are the fastest tire I have come across when riding concrete.
Weaknesses:
Being a tubless tire they are a bit heavy when compared with the tubed version run with a Stans kit. While being a good hardpack racing tire, they offer poor traction when things get a bit wet and climbing over roots and wet logs is a challenge. These tires will let go when things get loose and rather small objects will knock the front tire off course easily.
Similar Products Used:
Tubeless Pythons, Wildgrippers, Scropions and Weirwolfs. Also Nevegals with Stans kit.
Bike Setup:
Gaint Anthem 1 stock.
Bottom Line:
I wanted a dedicated hardpack tire that was fast and tubeless. The Racing Ralphs work great for my needs on non greasy non rooty trail. Yesterday I raced a course that was very dry but had alot of root infested climbs that kept spinning the rear wheel out. I felt with a bit more knob available it would have meant the difference between riding and walking. On the more smooth open sections though these tires were rockets. They also seemed to handle the rocks better than I thought they might. Overall I like these tires and love the ease of mounting and the great air retention they seem to have. I read another review that stated they did not hold air well so maybe I lucked out with a good production batch. I also wish they came in a 1.9 size since they are a race tire.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
wallace
a Cross Country Rider
from canada Date Reviewed: November 30, 2005
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
universal cycle
Strengths:
Roll very fast
Weaknesses:
Sidewall strength is low, tire should come in a 1.9
Similar Products Used:
Michelin wildgrippers comps Maxxix ignitors
Bike Setup:
trek fuel 100, full suspension, hope mini disc brakes
Bottom Line:
The Racing Ralphs are a fast rolling tire I used them in the mtn bike race La Ruta. Wore out the sidewall on the rear on the first day from abrasion with mud passing through the forks. They performed very well on the technical and rocky desents and rolled very fast. They are faster than the wildgrippers I used in the Trans Rockies Challenge and a lot faster than the Ignitors. Schwalbe needs to make them in a 1.9, would be a super tire.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Aaron
a Racer
from Carbondale Date Reviewed: July 27, 2005
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$50.00
Strengths:
fast as snot, great hardpack grip, cornering, predictible in the loose
Weaknesses:
not the best grip in loose stuff but it is a race tire, wears fairly quickly but evenly
Similar Products Used:
irc seracs (great tire, impossible to get off and on), all the contis, hutch pythons (don't ride them on anything but hardpack), specialed roll-x, michelin
Bike Setup:
2004 truth, all xtr
Bottom Line:
just a quick plug for this tire- just finished the transalp and have to say this is one of the best decisions I made for the race. I figured the course would be mostly gravel and pavement and I was right (finally) and this was THE tire to have. Grips well, corners fine and gives the control you want in a really fast tire. Mud was a small issue and I had been warned about these tires- they hold mud so had a few risky moments but even with mud sticking to the tires, I was able to climb until my legs gave out.
I filled them with stans and never pumed them once in a week.
I would say that about 1 out of 3 tires used in this race were racing ralphs. A much better choice for racing than the pythons for varying conditions.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Fatman
a Cross Country Rider
from Munich Date Reviewed: June 20, 2005
Favorite Trail:
yes
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
Hibike
Strengths:
real 2,25 volume. Rolls fast.
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
Michenlin Mud
Bike Setup:
TREK 9900 OCLV 1998
Bottom Line:
Good, fast rolling tyre. Grip o.k. though not tremendous. Cushy volume. In 2,25 no race tyre, a bit to big. Highly recomended(I use it with Eclipse Tubeless System). The 2,25 is for tourers who prefer a fast rolling tyre with good comfort and not for weight weenies. No problems here with thightness or flats.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Eddie
a Weekend Warrior
from Italy Date Reviewed: May 12, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Monte Beigua - SV- Italy
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$80.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
Good grip, light.
Weaknesses:
So many flats... Absolutely no protection from punctures. Microleakages directly from the rubber on the flanks. No possible to maintain in normal pressure more than 1-2 days.
Similar Products Used:
First tubeless tire
Bike Setup:
KONA KIKAPU upgraded (XT, MX Comp eta, WH-M765, DT210)
Bottom Line:
Never again
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rob
a Racer
from Dallas Date Reviewed: October 23, 2004
Favorite Trail:
last one
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
performance
Strengths:
Very low rolling resistance, very light, great traction on hard pack, FAST FAST FAST, great racing tire
Weaknesses:
better grip means softer rubber, softer rubber means more wear, light means less rubber, less rubber more punctures I would use it FRO
Similar Products Used:
Fire XC, Vertical Pro, Jimmys
Bike Setup:
Intense 5.5 05 float rlc crossmax xl and so on
Bottom Line:
This is the fastest tire i owned, very good grip on hardpack, I would not recommend it for loose stuff, I am very impressed with the grip it has with those short knobs, it takes a while to trust them, because its hard to believe that they grip like they do, great racing tire. Schwalbe is a german company that works very close with their Race team and the result speaks for it self.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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