Submitted by
racerdave
a Cross Country Rider
from wi Date Reviewed: August 18, 2008
Favorite Trail:
tight singletrack
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Universal Cycles
Strengths:
High volume, fast rolling, predictable cornering
Weaknesses:
Price. These things aren't cheap.
Similar Products Used:
Rampage, WeirWolf LT, Exiwolfs
Bike Setup:
Monocog 29er
Bottom Line:
Awesome tires. They roll fast and are predictable in corners.
The high volume is amazing. For a rigid bike, I started at 25 in the front. Too much, Took it down to 20 and they feel great. (i'm about 200 lbs) They don't bottom out on the rim, yet are still stable and secure. Running them tubeless.
They really make bumpy braking areas smoother at the lower pressures. Huge difference between running these at 30 and 20.
Rear grip is good climbing too, although I have them mounted in the "front" position. I've had some minor slippage on climbs, but I've been able to just shift slightly rearward and it grabs again. Might be better in the "rear" rotational position.
All in all, I'm very impressed with these tires and they do well in rooty, rocky (round rocks; we don't have real jagged rocks around here) singletrack.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
fritZman
a Cross Country Rider
from Canada Date Reviewed: July 9, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Buffed & fast
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Light, fast, comfy, grip
Weaknesses:
Price?
Similar Products Used:
29er - Geax Saguaro (fast but lousy in the wet), Panaracer Rampage (heavy & slooooow)
Bike Setup:
Niner EMD, Formula K24 180/160, WB Magic 4", Stan's Flow with Hadley thru-bolt hubs,
Bottom Line:
Review for the 2.4 29er tire.
These tires rock!
I'm fairly heavy @ 195lbs and have hammered these babies into rocks, roots, you name it. They're a LOT tougher than I ever thought possible for their weight (low 600 gr).
The key here, due to their large size, is to run LOW pressures. When mounted tubeless, at 195lbs I can get away with 18-19 psi before I bottom out too much. I think their durability improves dramatically (so does comfort and control) with lower pressures as they conform to rocks rather than fight it. If you're running tubeless, keep dropping the pressure (even if you bottom out once or twice a ride) until they start to feel really heavy and floppy, then add 1/2 a psi and your golden.
Speed wise, they're a good cog faster than anything else I've tried.
Grip wise, I've carried more cornering speed than previously thought possible. Even in the wet these tires are quite predictable.
They simply are the best all-round tire I've ever tried (a lot of credit to the larger 29er tire and tubeless setup).
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Victor
a Racer
from Coatesville, PA Date Reviewed: May 17, 2008
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$60.00
Strengths:
Width, weight.
Weaknesses:
Price.
Similar Products Used:
WTB Exiwolf 2.3
Bike Setup:
Seven Cycles Verve, full rigid
Bottom Line:
Raced French Creek (famous for copious and jagged rocks) with the 2.4 tire up front. Impressive. This is now my tire of choice for my rigid set up. It's light, has low rolling resistance, and has high volume.
The Exiwolfs are now second string.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Paul Cupach
a Weekend Warrior
from Albuquerque Nm USA Date Reviewed: April 21, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Otero Canyon
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$43.00
Purchased At:
Bike 29
Strengths:
Rolled slightly faster than the Rampages. Just as good of a grip as the Rampage in the soft sand/hard pack/slick rocks
Weaknesses:
Sidewall blew out on a rocky AZ trail. Was going down a steep, fast, rocky jeep path. A rock flipped up and took a .5 to .75 inch gash out from the sidewall...tire was flat in 10 seconds. Stans juice couldnt save it...no way! Ralph is not a mud tire...the mud and soft/loose wet dirt stuck to this tire and continued to build-up without hesitation.
Similar Products Used:
Maxis Ignitor...poor grip in slick/deep stuff Panaracer Rampage....great grip just as good as the Racing Ralhp
Bike Setup:
RIP 9, Manitou Minute 29 120mm fork, Stans Flows with WTB laserdic lite hubs/DT swiss spokes, Formula K18 brakes, XT Crank, X.0 twist shift, X9 RD, XT FD, Niner flat top bars, Mallet pedals
Bottom Line:
I really liked the tire...I just wish the tire sidewall didnt blowout...It isnt rated as a UST tire so the sidewall isnt as stout as other UST tires...this might have saved it!! I was running tubeless at about 26-28psi...it was gripping the trail great. Ill put the Rampage back on till I buy a new Ralph. As far as the mud considerations...when the knobs broke through to contact the rock/hard pack trail the tire stuck to the trail pretty good even though the tread pattern was full of mud/dirt/debri.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Transwave
a Cross Country Rider
from Sweden Date Reviewed: January 8, 2008
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
pedalogerna.com
Strengths:
Low weight, the side knobs do their job, very fast for its size (2.40)
Weaknesses:
Price
Similar Products Used:
WTBs
Bike Setup:
Full rigid Niner MCR with Racing Ralph 2.40 F&R
Bottom Line:
Do you dream of a big, plushy tyre with decent grip, and has at the same time low weight and great speed? Stop dreaming and get the Racing Ralph 2.40! It has an excellent compromise of all the desired properies an XC tyre should have!
It seems to be made for a full rigid bike. The extra volume really makes a differense. RR 2.40 has about the same air volume as WeirWolf 2.55, but is lighter and rolls easier without sacerficing too much grip, especially in curves. It works great in sand, mud, snow and on hard surfaces. Althow it is expensive, it deserves maximum value rating, because you get such a damn good phat XC tyre for your money.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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