Schwalbe Racing Ralph EVO 27.5in Tire - Snakeskin TL Ready
Over the course of Schwable's tiered race series, you'll find options for virtually any conditions. But something was lacking. Schwable knew it too and revisited its designs. The result is a cross country tire than corners like it's on rails. The Racing Ralph uses Schwable's Triple Compound, a three-way rubber mixture with different densities throughout the construction: firm rubber underneath to give the knob integrity, medium compound on the top through the center -- for fast rolling and moderate wear life, and soft rubber on the top of the outer knobs for maximum cornering grip. This tread is layered on the Evolution Carcass, (the 'evo' in the name) a highly flexible layer which allows for lower pressures to maximize the tire's contact with the ground. Schwable knows that getting a flat during training or racing ruins your day. The improved Racing Ralph features a double defense against punctures. First, they were given a Snakeskin sidewall. This is a light woven layer which guards against abrasion damage from scraping rocks or other obstacles. Second, a protection belt of high density Vectran fabric -- the same previously reserved for the road Ultremo -- was added. While the Racing Ralph has been a venerable cross country tire, it had one weakness: cornering grip. To address this, U-block shoulder lugs were added. While Schwable had already successfully used U-block lugs on the Nobby Nic, a downhill tire, it discovered that turning them against the direction of travel resulted in more grip in curves. How? Every tire wants to naturally track outward in a curve. The forward facing half-open serrations of the U-blocks fight against it. The effect is less counter-steering and a faster line through curves. Racing Ralph is a tubeless ready tire. For those not quite in-the-know, tubeless tires have gained popularity in mountain biking due to the ability to run low pressures without the risk of pinch flats from catching an inner tube against the rim wh...