MTB Tire Test: Schwalbe Racing Ralph Super Race Addix Speed

The Schwalbe Racing Ralph Super Race with Addix Speed compound now is the fastest version of the Racing Ralph you can buy. Schwalbe introduced their "Super" casings back in 2020 with a big marketing campaign they called "The Decade of Super". As they're talking about a decade, we're going to assume this will bring some stability to their lineup for the next 10 years. Hopefully, this gives us the ability to catch up and test some of these tires before they get replaced by the next version.

Ad Buy Schwalbe Racing Ralph Super Race Addix Speed at Amazon.com

Schwalbe's lightest casing now is the "Super Race" casing which is a 3 layer 67 TPI casing that's still much stronger than the 2 layer 127 TPI LiteSkin/TL-Ready casing that Schwalbe offered in the past 10+ years. According to Schwalbe, they went with a triple layer 67 TPI casing as it offers better stability and sealing when used in a tubeless set up which is now much more common than it was just 5-10 years ago.

Although the Super Race casings are relatively easy to set up tubeless, and they hold air well, it's still recommended to regularly check your tire pressures. If you want trouble-free tubeless operation, it's recommended to step up to the Super Ground casing that features an extra layer of cut-resistant material that also helps to keep the air in.

The Super Race casing is only available with brown/transparent sidewalls (for now at least) which probably isn't the right look for everyone. The available sizes are also quite limited as they only carry these in the 29x2.25 and 29x2.35 sizes (read more about the size in the conclusion).

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Schwalbe
Model	Racing Ralph Super Race Addix Speed
Year	2021
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	High
Buy At	Ad Amazon.com
Manufacturer part number	11654049.01
EAN	4026495879552
TPI	67
Compound	Addix SpeedGrip
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	57-622
Size Inch	29"
Width Inch	2.25
Specified Weight	640 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	54
Made In	Members Only
Available Sizes	29x2.25 29x2.35

Schwalbe Racing Ralph Super Race Addix Speed Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	640 grams
Measured Weight	659 grams
Measured Width Carcass	52 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	54 mm
Measured Height	51 mm (un-round)
Measured Knob Height Center	2.4 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	3.9 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	2.2 mm
Measured Total Thickness Sidewall	Members Only
All size measurements are taken at an air pressure of 35 psi / 2.4 bars on a 17.8 mm inner width rim.

Rolling Resistance Test Results

Rolling Resistance Test Results
Inner Tube	None (40 ml sealant) (current protocol)	Conti MTB 29 (225 gr butyl) (test protocol)
Rolling Resistance 55 PSI / 3.8 Bar	Members Only	Members Only
Rolling Resistance 45 PSI / 3.1 Bar	Members Only	Members Only
Rolling Resistance 35 PSI / 2.4 Bar	20.1 Watts CRR: 0.00603	23.6 Watts CRR: 0.00707
Rolling Resistance 25 PSI / 1.7 Bar	21.5 Watts CRR: 0.00644	26.0 Watts CRR: 0.00779
All numbers are for a single tire at a speed of 29 km/h / 18 mph and a load of 42.5 kg / 94 lbs. Use the formula: RR (Watts) = CRR * speed (m/s) * load (N) to calculate rolling resistance at a given speed and load.

Puncture Resistance Test Results

Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Total Puncture Score Tread	28 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Members Only
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Members Only
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Members Only
Tread Total Tire Thickness	2.2 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Members Only

Hard Surface Static Grip Test Results

Static Grip Test Results
Wet Grip Average	61 Points
Wet Grip Center	Members Only
Wet Grip Edge	Members Only
Measured Knob Height Center	2.4 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	3.9 mm
Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 MTB grip test rim width = 30.0 mm
Wet Grip Test and Off-Road Tires (info)

Conclusion

The Schwalbe Racing Ralph Super Race is a solid performer in our tests and it's quite clear the latest edition of the Racing Ralph has been beefed up at the expense of increased weight and rolling resistance. We do think the Super Race casing is a bit of a missed opportunity as there is only a very small difference between the Super Race and Super Ground casings. We would have gone with a triple layer 127 TPI casing instead of the 67 TPI casing.

We now have the same situation with the Schwalbe casings that also exists with their Addix "Speed" and "SpeedGrip" compounds: the differences are hard to find. In our opinion, the Super Race casing combined with the Addix Speed compound should have been one of the fastest tires out there, just like the 2014/2015 Racing Ralphs with the old PaceStar compound were.

The weight of the Racing Ralph also keeps on increasing with every new version they release. The Super Race 29x2.25 version now has a specified weight of 640 grams, while back in 2014/2015, the TL-Ready version had a specified weight of 535 grams, and the TLE version was 605 grams. On top of that, they downsized the casings and the 2.25 version is now close to the size of the older 2.10 version.

Ad Buy Schwalbe Racing Ralph Super Race Addix Speed at Amazon.com

RATING: 4.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Recommended

Comments