Only just started using the Schwalbe brand and experimenting with tyre combinations …

I have a Racing Ralph and a Nobby Nic.

I try not to swap my tyres very often and am looking for a good combination.

Nobby Nic front and Racing Ralph rear? 😕

Any suggestions and/or experiences?

Yup that tends to be my all purpose not overly wet combo on both my FS and my SS.

I run Rocket Rons F&R on my geared HT, and to be fair they’re pretty good all rounders in all bar the worst of mud.

Cheers Steve.

As it would happen I have exactly the wrong combo! 2.4” RR and 2.25”NN 😆 Doh.

Will look into the RR’s though as its for a HT that I am looking to use for amateur racing 🙂

HAve a look at the On-one sale, they where banging them out cheaply IIRC..

I’ll second the OneOne recommendation, Good stuff going cheap. I have been running a new tubeless set up for the last 4 weeks. NN upfront and a RR on the rear. Great for dry conditions, fast rolling and good grip. However after the recent rain I have found the NN on the front to be very skittish over wet roots and rocks. Not sure I have much confidence in the NN as a front tyre despite reading on here that some folk run them all year round.

I’m going to play with the pressure but already at 35 PSI so not sure how low I can take it and still do the long loose rocky descents in the peaks without something bad happening. I’m now looking for something just as light but better for the wet rocky/rooty stuff.

If anyone has any ideas bring em on!

I have run the NN front and RR combo for a few years now in the summer for racing purposes. As a racing tyre I find Schwalbe a good compromise between rolling resistance and grip. However IME the NN are good as a summer tyre even in the wet when there is a solid base under the gloop. In winter they are horrible when there is no solid base under all the mud and they can become very unpredictable.

How have you found them on wet roots Roter Stern? Maybe I am just getting used to them but they seem like they would just go with very little warning???

I just run RRs front and rear when it’s dry, and NNs both ends when it gets more gloopy.

How have you found them on wet roots Roter Stern?

No tyre is any good on wet roots IMO. It’s all about technique.

Well I do agree to some extent Roter but from going from ADvantage to NN I have felt a difference.

I am totally open to my technique being at fault. More than likely that is the issue. I try to hit roots straight on and not give the tyre chance to slide but I have no idea if that is right. have you got some pointers???

I’ve been running Nic front Ralph rear (both 2.25″, tubed) for over a year now. Neither are great in the mud, but they’re both very light and perform pretty well in most conditions. I’ve also been pleasantly surprised with the wear and durability, and amazingly haven’t punctured once since I’ve been running them (although now I’ve said that I probably will do tomorrow).

The one issue I’ve had with them is that I find they have a very narrow optimum pressure range. I tend to run the Nic at around 30-32psi and the Ralph at a few psi more. Any higher and the traction just disappears – in my experience, at least. I’ve also had the front start to wash out more during the recent hot/dry patch, but this is largely due to the trails getting dusty and I’m not sure any other general trail tyre would have fared much better.

No tyre is any good on wet roots

Given the difference metal studs on running shoes make to traction on wood I’d imagine
these would be fairly good.

I got some cheap from On-One. 2.4 NN up front and 2.25 NN at the back. One ride around Llandegla and a local trip so far but seem to be excellent. Better in the loamy stuff than my previous High Roller/Crossmark combo and the 2.4″ front feels awesome ploughing through the rocky stuff!

Given the difference metal studs on running shoes make to traction on wood I’d imagine
these would be fairly good.

Possibly they would but can you imagine what would happen when you hit the rock garden straight after the roots? 😉

I am totally open to my technique being at fault. More than likely that is the issue. I try to hit roots straight on and not give the tyre chance to slide but I have no idea if that is right. have you got some pointers???

That is always the best way to hit roots. In addition you should be ‘unweighting’ your bike as you go over them too, or even better jumping over them completely by using one of the roots as a mini kicker.