i bought a set a while back when on one were selling them cheap. wasn’t totally convinced then. Put them on yesterday and went for a lap of the Verderers in the Forest of Dean, still not convinced.

My question is are the tyres On One sold OEM and made of a cheaper rubber, they just don’t seem very grippy, i could feel them sliding around on the damp surface?

Are there any XC race tyres that are less slippy?

I got mine from on one last year and initially did not like them, however I feel they are okay now, dunno if I got used to them or they grip a bit better after a bit of use.

anyother comments?

This time of the year I go with Nobby Nics/MudX, come spring will change to Rons/Ralphs….

I’ve been using the Rocket Rons up front, but in 29er flavour. They are the Pacestar compound and provide all the grip I need in virtually all conditions. Nobby Nics offer more grip. The is also a 26″ Trailstar compound version for more grip. I tend to use a combination of Racing Ralphs, Rocket Rons, Nobbby Nics to suit the conditions. I’ve got some Furious Freds, but have not had the courage to try them out yet!

The rocket rons are OK, but really you’ve got a tyre that trades overall grip for speed. You’ll find it a lot better in the dry (or at least in no mud) but you’ll never feel as confident as with something like a nic.
The question is, is the reduced rolling resistance worth the reduced grip? Only you know that.

Oh, and to answer you original question, the tyres you bought may well not be evo / snakeskin / pacestar etc. What’s it say on the sidewall?

Above comments still apply though

My question is are the tyres On One sold OEM and made of a cheaper rubber, they just don’t seem very grippy, i could feel them sliding around on the damp surface?

I know a couple of people who bought them (in 2.1″) and they weighed >550g, compared to 440g for ‘pukka’ boxed stock, so despite the labels on the sidewall they’re definitely not the same.

I really rate them (the ‘proper’ ones), my favourite all round tyre. Ralphs are a decent alternative, more tread on the shoulders, less in the middle.

i know that they are race tyres. just conditions last night were dry but they seemed very willing to slide, very easy to get them to spin on climbs, etc, not sure if it could be i have spent a lot of time on a road bike recently?

I guess it could have been that the verderers trail is mainly rock, and had a thin coating of water/mud, maybe just enough to make the ground greasy? It might have been my being a little tired, set off a 9:30pm and had already done 35miles to and from work on the road bike earlier.

Might be worth going back in daylight when more awake and seeing how they are then.

I heard as some above, the tyres were not all as they seemed to be, they were selling off Ralphs for £11 which were apparently Ralph in pattern but not in grip levels etc.

thanks njee20 that would make sense, with tyres that much cheaper than through the official channel, the saving has to be somewhere.

Problem then becomes, whether to spend lots on aftermarket tyres to find out if the tyres are actually different.

I sold a pair on Sunday you could’ve tried.

Check out Actionsports.de, they’re usually well priced.

so, done another lap tonight and the tyres felt very different? the only real difference i can think of is that the tyres were a smidge softer?

Are they that sensitive to pressure that a couple of psi might make a noticeable difference?

I’ve been getting used to the driftyness, but have had a few surprise spills when they’re on the shoulders in the slop. Every tyre’s a comprimise, I reckon these will be better in less gloopy months.

Mine are On-One evos. On drier days they have been great (maybe it’s me? 😳 )

I had one out back on my Heckler over the summer and wasnt overly impressed with it. While it was fast I found the grip to be sketchy and after a couple of rides I managed to half tear off one of the side lugs on a rock.

I’m using NN’s in DD tubeless flavour now and despite the mucky weather since they’ve been on I’m pleased.

It’s a racing tyre.. I’d sell them and get something more suitable.

the 2.25 pacestar tubeless ready versions in 29er guise are possibly my favourite tyre, light, fast and surprisingly grippy at 20-25psi in all conditons.

On the pressure issue, my nobby nics are very very sensitive to pressure variation. Never had a tyre like it!

Seems pretty daft for a manufacturer to sell an inferior product as oem- no way to gain new customers and they’ll get a bad rep

Manufacturers want the tyres to be light to impress buyers, not durable. Few people test ride bikes on demanding trails before they buy. Maxxis Crossmarks are the perfect ‘salesman’s’ tyre – very light and roles smoothly in the parking lot outside the LBS.

don’t know about your OEM version etc. but here’s another vote that Rocket Rons (mine are 2.25 evos from the LBS for the proper price) are not that grippy in any sort of positively raspy confidence inspiring way

and they are probably not meant to be, compromise, low rolling resistance etc., see above

while I can’t really fault them because they slide around in a fairly controlled way they just don’t feel like I can really trust them to “tell” me in advance when they let go

get grippier tyres if running low pressure doesn’t help, like:
– Maxxis Ardent
– Spec. The Captain

Been using them for everything since about August, generally they are fine although sometimes I get an odd sensation from them as though I had a puncture or lose bearings, always on the rear. They are a bit sketchy at the mo in the mud but nothing too bad.

i am actually after a race tyre, i am just finding these a little odd and trying to understand why.

As i said it might be i have been spending a lot of time on road bikes, so if you sprint the bike goes forward and getting the back wheel to spin out isn’t that easy. The problem i was having is that the slightest application of power left the back wheel spinning and this was on dry climbs not in mud. Yet what has really got me is that the same route last night with very similar conditions but with maybe 2-3psi less in the tyre and the tyre was far more behaved?

slightest application of power left the back wheel spinning and this was on dry climbs

😯 are you running road tyre pressure?! 😉
anyway, sounds as if you are sorted with lower pressure in a good race tyre then

you’ll find ultimate grip with other tyres or a road bike on tarmac 🙂

Here is the hype from Schwalbe:

Schwalbe Rocket Ron is a new race tyre from Schwalbe – Rocket Ron is light and fast, slightly more bite than a Schwalbe Racing Ralph but just as fast! Use front and rear, or on the front with a Ralph on the back! Schwalbe says :- Rocket Ron is a new MTB racer and a super-light competition rocket with astonishing grip. In May 2008 Sabine Spitz rode the rocket to her European title championship success in St. Wendel. This Rocket fulfills racers’ wishes all at once:
Low weight and a lot of grip – both straight-line power and traction in curves – and it works just as well in wet or dry conditions. The lugs are widely spaced and provide a great self-cleaning action as with Racing Ralph, said Schwalbe technician, Markus Hachmeyer. In order to achieve these seemingly opposing characteristics Schwalbe equipped its MTB-Racer with a lot of technical finesse such as: 127 EPI EVO carcass, Triple Nano Compound and bitingly efficient U-Blocks. Schwalbe positioned its new MTB-Racer amongst its two most popular MTB competition tyres of the past few years: The grippy Nobby Nic and the fast Racing Ralph.
Rocket Ron has a more prominent profile than Racing Ralph, but nonetheless rolls just as easily.
Above all: Rocket Ron is an out and out competition tyre, so puncture resistance and durability are limited.

Read the last comment and accept the limitations.

PaulD