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OK my four year old RRs are almost see through now and were very naughty at last nights race.
Two choices Speed king supersonic/Black Chili or Rocket Rons. I know both will be quick in the dry, and both will be good in mud, but which will be better in the damp on rocks and roots. Or is wet hardpack impossible to tame?
The newer Racing Ralphs seem a little slicker than the old ones, probably because the new Rons fit between the Ralphs and Nics. Plus I used basic wired 700c Speed Kings to race cross on and they were pretty good.
Edit, the other concern is that Continental recommend 50PSI 😯
Neither are particularly good in the mud, but the Ron is far better as an 'all conditions' tyre IMO. The Contis are very inconsistent if you're converting them to tubeless too, whilst the Rons work very well. I've never had problems with Rons on wet roots/rocks etc, a number of people were actually switching to them for Margam last weekend, which was pretty grim.
The new Ralphs are far grippier than the old ones, not slicker. The old ones could be a bit dodgy on the front, the new ones have the same side lugs as a Nic, just slightly less tread in the middle.
Rons are the best all round tyres out there IMO. They are, however, thinner than the Ralphs and will wear more quickly.
How narrow do RRs go?
The Schwalbe have loads of tests on their site to prove the speed advantage of wide tyres for xc use and their race teams run the 2.25 . Also the conti teams run the Race King in 2.2 because wider is faster and more comfy so i just carnt understand why people still use skinny tyres
I saw some Rons in the flesh and they were skinny, I was already thinking 2.25 up front anyway.
How narrow do RRs go?
There is a 1.85" Ron, but I wouldn't want to use it, it's not like a narrow Nic which can be a useful mud tyre.
The 2.1 is a sensible size, wouldn't go narrower. The 2.25"s a reasonable option if you want a bit of extra volume.
Still not decided and I'm using my lads Vapours.
Tempted by the SK Supersonic as the Ron one at that price is ORC? as opposed to Tripple Nanno version and I assume ORC is code for basic tyre stuff 😐
It's not as light, but it's tougher.
Are you gonna run them tubeless? Speed Kings are very inconsistent, sometimes they'll seal nicely, some are too baggy on the rim. Rons will work much better.
[url= http://www.actionsports.de/de/Komponenten/Reifen/Schwalbe-Rocket-Ron-Evolution-UST::17257.html ]€30 each from Germany[/url], not so bad.
Tubed up.
Harder to call then, I didn't like the Speed Kings, but I didn't have Black Chili ones, whilst I love the Rons, but they're not the cheapest.
I sound proper fussy. It's just that I'm doing more road and cross now, so I don't want to shell out on tyres that'll get relegated to the garage wall.
Might try the Black Chili and hope it's a bit grippier on rock and roots.
For the record, I use Race Kings and they're bloody quick but bloody useless on anything other than bone dry singletrack. Look cool though...
I just bought some furious freds, at 300g + 50g of sealant they go like the wind. I had them at 40psi on my hard tail this weekend and did almost 200km on the road and off road including slipply limestone, some grit and mud in the peak. I can honestly say I was really impressed for something that feels like a slightly knobbly inner tube they were great even in a bit of mud.
Wear wise time will tell but they certainly knowck some weight off your wheels!
Gareth
Contrary to Gareth I keep my Freds for very dry hardpack conditions only, and wouldn't even think about using them in the mud! Each to their own.