[Closed] Rock razor tyres

Dunno but I just got a slaughter to try the same thing. Slaughter seems to have just a wee bit more normal tread in the middle so I don't think will be as pronounced.

Be interested in this too.

I've been using one on the back of my stumpjumper and been completely happy with it.

Anyone been 'mad' enough to try one on the front?

Got a Vee crown r on rear which is a similar tyre, but with a little more grip. That and a MM up front seems to work very well. Great combo in this weather. A friend uses razor on rear and HD up front and rates that combo too.

I've been using RR for about 2 months now and my confidence has built on them, I find them extremely fast rolling and good grip on the corners.

Not found any damage on the outer edge yet compared to some folk so seems to be lasting nicely.

I've had over 13 KOM's in a month on these so yes they are fast and very grippy but do 90% of your braking before you go flying into the bends and great paired with a HD upfront

Good to see some positive reviews of the RR as I've just fitted one. Replaces a Crossmax Roam, so not too much of a change apart from the RR having larger side knobs and a different tread pattern in the middle.

Going out for my first ride on them this weekend so will post my views when I've used them.

In case anyone's interested, mine is the super gravity trailstar. I swerved the snakeskin because of poor(ish) experiences on here with snakebite punctures.

Been using one on the rear for 3 months or so. Took a couple rides to get used to the lack of braking traction, but now I love it. Really fast rolling and playful tyre. It's not great on really steep loose stuff, or mud, but for general summer trail riding I can't fault it.

Put one on the back of my Tallboy for a weekend at Calderdale and then Snowdon, cut the carcass 3 times, in first 2 hours, went back to blazing saddles and had a high roller 2 fitted, RR is now in a box in the garage been repaired, i won't use again though.
Expensive tyre that doesn't like rocks

Been on a Mary front and RR rear for over a year now on the Enduro, stayed on through winter too. You get used to it, very little grip under braking in a straight line but once you're confident enough to chuck at corners its like the proverbial to a blanket.

Steep stuff in the wet can get a bit rowdy but all good fun.

Will be trying a Spesh Slaughter or Minion semislick (if it ever comes out!) next purely down to cost.

Local riding is very rocky and have had problems slashing tyres before but not with RR (some cuts into the surface but no holes/flats), what variant are people using that are getting cut up?

Candodavid - which version?

Most Schwalbe stuff is hideously expensive here but less than £30 a tyre from Germany! eg Bike24.de

What's the advantage over a Racing Ralph? The Rock Razor is a bit heavier isn't it?

Lots more support with the side knobs when you lean it over.

OK, that makes sense. Thanks.

same as Candodavid here, after a few miles I came to a slatey corner and the sidewall ripped! Until then I thought it as good!

Mine was non super gravity version, have now gone to WTB vigilante and Trail Boss, seem far more robust and roll just as good

Roll just as good really? Might check out the trail boss if I don't get on with this. Only got a few weeks till Ard rock so better make my mind up swift.

No one admit to trying one on the front?

Brendog apparently

Roll just as good really? Might check out the trail boss if I don't get on with this.

Trail Boss is awesome as a rear tyre IMO. There are faster tyres for sure, but none of them will grip as much in a range of conditions as the Trail Boss does. For a fairly fast rolling tyre, it's deceptively grippy in a range of conditions, both under braking and under power, and when you lean it over it grips nicely too. Also, when it does let go, it tends to drift very progressively, so its extremely predictable.

Quite like the Vigilante up front too, but in softer conditions. The tall square blacks tend to float a bit too much for my liking on hardpack and rock. Running a Trailstar Hans Dampf up front at the mo which is better on firmer conditions, though not quite as good in the dirt/loam. Very tempted to try a Magic Mary up front after several good recommendations.

Yeah, I was finding that with the vigilante too, it's a bit skatey when it can't dig in, bit like a magic mary. Feels like a harder rubber than it is really.

I, er, may have mentioned this before but if the question is "should I fit a magic mary" then the answer is always "no, fit a maxxis shorty". Same thing but better at everything.

There is one thing the Magic Mary has over the Shorty - availability!

My Shorty is wrecked, and because of the Maxxis availability shambles in the UK at the moment, I can't seem to get one anywhere.

I had a few spare MM's I won at a race, so that's gone back on for now. Put the old Rock Razor I had on the back for some matching tyre brand OCD.

When it's dry, there isn't much between a Shorty & MM I don't think, the MM does seem to roll better though (closer knobs). In the wet, or damp though, the Shorty destroys it by very rarely clogging up, where the MM turns into a silly fat bike tyre 🙂

I'm liking the vigilante + trail boss combo. I wasn't overly convinced initially, the trail boss took a while to get used to. I like the 'tough' carcass, the sidewalls seem to be really robust. The vigilante on the back works well in the winter with a shorty or a proper mud tyre on the front.

Trail boss on the back for lakes riding, Ard rock + trans provence!

It's not a new tyre but the maxxis crossmark does all this.The posh one but it's a bit pricey.I've abused mine around afan,coed y,dales and locally.Nice and worn out in the middle now but a bit of bite on the corners and,terminator side walls.

I used them earlier in the year when we had the first mini-heatwave (March-ish?) and thought they were crap as a rear tyre....may have been user error, i entered a DH race on a freshly cut hillside track and they had zero braking bite...absolutely none, it was terrifying, i ran off course and into spectators for the first time in years!...yes, target fixation on my part but no other tyre has had me like that in recent years.

I was gobsmacked it made the Dirt-100 for 2015.

Anyway, i went back and re-read the review, turns out i may be partly to blame.
Dirt reckon its for hard packed trails or rocks only (i suppose the clue's in the name?!)...i still have it and it'll go back on when i go to BPW next week, its now properly warm enough i reckon and the man made rocky trails at that venue should be ideal....i'll do a mini-review on this thread after the ride.

That said, its interesting seeing most of the DH guys these days going for moto type tyres at virtually every course...previously thought of as mud spikes or intermediates most riders seem to chuck on a Magic Mary/Dirty Dan type pattern with varying levels of cut tread and just get on with riding.

I think you would have to be Danny Hart to run one of these on the back for DH courses.

jonnyv - Member

It's not a new tyre but the maxxis crossmark does all this

Not really, the point of these semislicks is they have a big bite edge, the crossmark really doesn't.

I'll be honest, only reason I'm trying it is that I don't always lean the bike enough, I'm hoping that having a tyre that's deadly when upright will force me to lean or die 😆

Been running an RR on the back of my Alpine since March-ish (came from a Captain, so used to a less grippy tyre on the back). Have found them to be pretty good actually. Our local trails are rooty woods that do get 'damp' and haven't yet felt the need for more rear grip. Have ridden them at Antur, BPW and all round the Peaks and they have performed well there too. As said, not huge amounts of straight line braking grip, but they corner as well as anything else I've ridden. Only area I've found them really wanting is on loose/slippy climbs when you stand up to get some power down - I find they break traction REALLY easily then.

Not convinced about the durability of the sidewalls either (can't honestly remember what version I'm running though so YMMV).

Popped a RR on the rear last year when they first surfaced, & ever since as soon as it's no longer gloop out on the rides straight back on, grip is slightly better than a Ralph & went cranked over they are superb, not a ideal tyre for big rocky rides unless you go for the gravity version which I haven't had a problem with at all.
Did a week in Torridon & some big rocks to enjoy, the grip was incredible but then I also think the rock up there is more grippy than local stuff, overall they are a tad expensive but for me I'll put up with that for the increase in speed 7 don't mind the slides now & then.
Not tried the Spesh slaughter which is very similar (I'll got one bought) & there will be more tyres coming out like it.

I'll be honest, only reason I'm trying it is that I don't always lean the bike enough, I'm hoping that having a tyre that's deadly when upright will force me to lean or die

I've also been debating the kill or cure approach to my usual corner-mince technique!

I was in Spain with switchbacks a month ago literally everyone bar me was running rock razors on the back.
Everyone rated them

I'm not a big fan of Schwalbe and the Nobby Nic in particular is beyond shite, but I've been impressed with the Rock Razor that I've fitted to the rear. Excellent rolling resistance and the side-knobs dig in predictably. You get used to the tyre gliding slightly whilst corner before hooking up.

Well had a chance to give it a right good throw about today around the various different types of terrain of my trails and I love the fella.

At the moment I find it grips better on roots and rock in the woods (even after the storm so not dry) than the HD I had on before. Probably due to the close and compact nature of the tread and at a guess the every other row being raised slightly, I had them at 20psi which allowed itself to wrap around everything but I was still able to power it down compacted sections, much quicker than the HDs at the same pressure.

Cornering is fantastic as advertised, there are a few man made berms on my travels and the tyre begs you to rail it around them but give you the ability to drift it and make you feel like a DH god.

Also had a quick session at my local quarry which has some jumps and loose stuff and had absolutely no problems there either.

Not sure how I would get on without the Magic Mary upfront, really do think that its needed to for the breaking power and grip, and although it took a few small rides to get accustomed to the blighter I'll be ordering a super gravity version and it will stay on until the winter.

Rode mine for the first time this weekend at Tidworth Freeride. Had the tyre pumped up quite hard and didn't think the tyre was too bad.

When we arrived the ground was quite damp and I definitely found a lack of grip over roots but I did have the tyre at quite a high pressure. As the day went on and the ground dried out I was more and more impressed.

If anyone's coming off a Crossmax Roam tyre, I think the RR is a better tyre in corners. The additional width may make it a little less efficient in a straight line but I can't really comment without doing a longer ride.

I echo what Darrenspink says above though, I definitely found that the MM up front felt 'necessary' as there were times when the RR didnt' feel like it was providing as much stopping power as required.

Looking forward to running mine in the alps now, hope it stays dry and dusty...

Definitely think it needs to be run tubeless at semi low pressure. What this goldielocks psi number is though I don't know as mine didn't like a rock I landed on jumping in my local quarry this evening, and had to use a worm to patch a nice hole. Think the tyre was at 22-24.

What were you running it at singletrackstinker?

I have been contemplating buying a RR for the Alps. Was out with a mate tonight who has one he bought a while back, tried, didn't like it, and tried it again today to see if it really was as bad as he remembered. Long story short but it has now been renamed a Grass Grazer. I am not sure how it would fare in the Alps (very well if the hype is to be believed), but round here it was pretty quickly out of its' depth on some rather tame grassy climbs and descents.

I wonder how RR compares to the slaughter I think I will try the spesh when I make the move to 650b.

darrenspink - Member
Definitely think it needs to be run tubeless at semi low pressure. What this goldielocks psi number is though I don't know as mine didn't like a rock I landed on jumping in my local quarry this evening, and had to use a worm to patch a nice hole. Think the tyre was at 22-24.

What were you running it at singletrackstinker?

I think mine's around 25psi (using a joe blow pressure guage). It's on a crossmax rear wheel with only 20 spokes so I'm a little concerned about running it at lower pressure. It handled well this weekend but i was only riding at tidworth which is reasonably smooth. I found the root sections reasonably slippery though.

Overall I'm impressed, lots of grip when leant over and it rolls really well.

Coming from a 2.2" roam (which is very similar) I'm enjoying the extra volume and width.

welshfarmer - Member
I have been contemplating buying a RR for the Alps.

That's why I bought mine, will be running it in Samoens in a couple of weeks time.

I'll try to remember to report back when I return and let you know how it performs, in case you're going later on in the season.

To add a little bit here.

I've been out on my MM/RR combination now.

I have to revise my past opinion on the MM vs Shorty. The MM is a proper grip monster in the dry - significantly higher levels of grip displayed round my local loop over the Shorty. I know the Shorty would be the better choice in the wet still though - it's quite a bit smaller as well.

The Rock Razor on the back is great fun - it really does roll fast, braking is hilarious on sandy/loamy stuff, but it does grip pretty well, all things considered.

I'll leave it on for Canada now I think - it should be pretty good out there 🙂

I used the MM over the winter time and found it great in the really bad clarty stuff but then put the HD on the front when I fitted the RR.

So is it still as fast rolling with the MM/RR combo @Hob Nob ?

Just thinking of tyre combo options 'IF' its a dryish Ard'Rock

loved my trailboss on the rear until i ripped in open last week. had the light & fast one tho, gone for the tough and fast as a replacement. cant wait to try it out!

I'm also running a MM up front. Was impressed with performance on tacky hardpack this weekend. Will be interesting to see how it fairs on super dry stuff though...

Just thinking of tyre combo options 'IF' its a dryish Ard'Rock

If it is dry im leaving the combo as is, hans dampf on the back if its like last year.