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Submitted by
loutiffs
a Weekend Warrior
from boca raton, floridaDate Reviewed: November 8, 2011
Strengths: light and fastWeaknesses: Zero durability.Bottom Line: I have gone through about six (6) of these tires and all have failed before tread life. Last one lasted 7 miles before sidewall cut. Do not purchase thinking this tire will survive even mild rock trails as a tubeless tire. It won't. You'll end up running tire with tubes. Great tire for hardpack...but not good for much else.
Favorite Trail: markham park
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid:
$75.00
Purchased At: LBS
Similar Products Used: Maxxis, specialized, continental
Bike Setup: trail
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
azb0105
a Cross Country Rider
from Cape TownDate Reviewed: August 21, 2011
Strengths: Ok on hardpackWeaknesses: On anything loose it becomes a nightmare to control your front wheel from washing out. If you ride loose areas this tyre is not for you.Bottom Line: I put the Geax Segaro on my fron tend and it is 500% better in the loose and it gives much better confidence to your riding.
Favorite Trail: Tokai, Jonkershoek
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Price Paid:
$84.00
Purchased At: Cycle Lab
Similar Products Used: Geax Segaro
Bike Setup: Gary Fisher 29er
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
claudio
a Cross Country Rider
from franceDate Reviewed: June 2, 2011
Strengths: high rolling profileWeaknesses: quiet fragileBottom Line: expensive but worth for money
Duration Product Used: 2 Years
Similar Products Used: hutchinson piranha , larsen TT , hutchison python
Bike Setup: Lapierre 355 prorace disc 2005
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
dustingyou
a Cross Country Rider
from Raleigh, NCDate Reviewed: July 24, 2009
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.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.
Favorite Trail: Umstead/Crabtree
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At: online retailer
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
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Bob Plumeau
a Cross Country Rider
from San JoseDate Reviewed: April 14, 2008
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.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.
Favorite Trail: Santa Teresa
Duration Product Used: Tested or demo'ed only
Price Paid:
$74.00
Purchased At: TrailHead
Similar Products Used: Hutch Scorpion, IRC Mythos
Bike Setup: 05 Giant VT1, Minute 3.
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Rickels
a Cross Country Rider
from Grand Junction, CODate Reviewed: April 20, 2007
Strengths: good traction, low rolling resistance, look good, wear wellWeaknesses: expensive and difficult to findBottom Line: the best tubless tire i have ever used
Favorite Trail: Ribbon
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid:
$50.00
Similar Products Used: many
Bike Setup: Yeti
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Aroussen LAflamme
a Racer
from QUebec, Quebec, CanadaDate Reviewed: November 23, 2006
Strengths: Quick on dry surfaces. High volumeWeaknesses: Weak carcass leads to break down during hard cornering and even get off the rimBottom 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.
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Similar Products Used: Serax XC, Python
Bike Setup: Epic S-Works
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a
from PADate Reviewed: November 20, 2006
Strengths: Fast, fast, fast. High volume. Light. Does not pack up with mud. Adequate traction for it's minimal tread.Weaknesses: Expensive.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".
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Similar Products Used: Tired'm all!
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Peter Raubenheimer
a Cross Country Rider
from Cape TownDate Reviewed: November 19, 2006
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?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.
Favorite Trail: Tokai
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At: HiBike
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
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Eric
a Cross Country Rider
from PADate Reviewed: October 5, 2006
Strengths: fast rolling, reasonable gripWeaknesses: weakest sidewall in the leagueBottom 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.
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$50.00
Similar Products Used: conti, specialized, nokian
Bike Setup: Epic marathon
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Doug Larson
a Cross Country Rider
from Omaha NeDate Reviewed: July 24, 2006
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.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.
Favorite Trail: Lewis & Clark
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At: Bike Masters
Similar Products Used: Tubeless Pythons, Wildgrippers, Scropions and Weirwolfs. Also Nevegals with Stans kit.
Bike Setup: Gaint Anthem 1 stock.
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
wallace
a Cross Country Rider
from canadaDate Reviewed: November 30, 2005
Strengths: Roll very fastWeaknesses: Sidewall strength is low, tire should come in a 1.9Bottom 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.
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At: universal cycle
Similar Products Used: Michelin wildgrippers comps
Maxxix ignitors
Bike Setup: trek fuel 100, full suspension, hope mini disc brakes
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Aaron
a Racer
from CarbondaleDate Reviewed: July 27, 2005
Strengths: fast as snot, great hardpack grip, cornering, predictible in the looseWeaknesses: not the best grip in loose stuff but it is a race tire, wears fairly quickly but evenlyBottom 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.
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$50.00
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
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Fatman
a Cross Country Rider
from MunichDate Reviewed: June 20, 2005
Strengths: real 2,25 volume. Rolls fast.Weaknesses: NoneBottom 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.
Favorite Trail: yes
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At: Hibike
Similar Products Used: Michenlin Mud
Bike Setup: TREK 9900 OCLV 1998
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Eddie
a Weekend Warrior
from ItalyDate Reviewed: May 12, 2005
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.Bottom Line: Never again
Favorite Trail: Monte Beigua - SV- Italy
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$80.00
Purchased At: ebay
Similar Products Used: First tubeless tire
Bike Setup: KONA KIKAPU upgraded (XT, MX Comp eta, WH-M765, DT210)
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