MTB Tire Test: Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2019 TLE Addix Speed
Contents and Test Summary
- Introduction
- Manufacturer Specifications
- Size, Weight, Thickness
- Rolling Resistance: 22.5 Watts
- Puncture Resistance: 20 Points
- Static Wet Grip: No Data
- Conclusion: 4.0 / 5 Recommended
- Comments
- Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2019 TLE Addix Speed
The Schwalbe Racing Ralph has been around for as long as I can remember. Starting with the 2019 model, the tread pattern has been redesigned. The 2019+ model now has a completely new tread pattern that is more optimized for use on the rear wheel. The updated tread pattern makes it a completely new tire of which only the name is the same. The rear wheel optimized tread pattern makes sense as many people were already using the previous model Racing Ralph on the rear with a grippier tire like the Nobby Nic or Rocket Ron on the front.
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Schwalbe launched the new Racing Ralph as a pairing with the Racing Ray that is optimized for front wheel use. The new Racing Ralph/Racing Ray combination seems a good replacement for the classic Racing Ralph/Rocket Ron pairing. To further indicate the intended front/rear use of the new Racing Ralph and Racing Ray, the Racing Ralph is only available with the faster Addix Speed compound and the Racing Ray only with the grippier Addix SpeedGrip compound.
From a technical standpoint, it's interesting to see Schwalbe only offers the new Racing Ralph with the Addix Speed compound instead of both the Speed and SpeedGrip compounds that they did with the previous generation. Furthermore, they also dropped the LiteSkin versions and now only offer SnakeSkin/TLE versions in just 4 sizes. We're not sure if other versions will be released in the future or if this is the new direction Schwalbe is going for the future.
Manufacturer Specifications
| Manufacturer Specs | |
|---|---|
| Brand | Schwalbe |
| Model | Racing Ralph 2019 TLE Addix Speed |
| Year | 2019 |
| Supplied By | Bought in store |
| New or Used | New |
| Mileage | 0 km |
| Price Range | High |
| Buy At | Ad Amazon.com |
| Manufacturer part number | 11601099 |
| EAN | 4026495843775 |
| TPI | 67 |
| Compound | Addix Speed |
| Bead | Folding |
| ETRTO | 57-622 |
| Size Inch | 28" |
| Width Inch | 2.25 |
| Specified Weight | 625 grams |
| Max Air Pressure (psi) | 54 |
| Made In | Members Only |
| Available Sizes |
26x2.25 27.5x2.25 29x2.10 29x2.25 |
Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2019 TLE Addix Speed Test Results
Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
| Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements | |
|---|---|
| Specified Weight | 625 grams |
| Measured Weight | 609 grams |
| Measured Width Carcass | 53 mm (un-round) |
| Measured Width Tread | 56 mm |
| Measured Height | 51 mm (un-round) |
| Measured Knob Height Center | 2.3 mm |
| Measured Knob Height Edge | 4.0 mm |
| Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs) | 1.5 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 |
20.2 Watts CRR: 0.00606 | 23.7 Watts CRR: 0.00710 |
| Rolling Resistance 25 PSI / 1.7 Bar |
22.5 Watts CRR: 0.00674 | 27.0 Watts CRR: 0.00809 |
| 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 | 20 Points |
| Total Puncture Score Sidewall | Members Only |
| Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle | 5 Points |
| Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle | Members Only |
| Tread Total Tire Thickness | 1.5 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 | No Data |
| Wet Grip Center | No Data |
| Wet Grip Edge | No Data |
| Measured Knob Height Center | 2.3 mm |
| Measured Knob Height Edge | 4.0 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
- Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2019 TLE Addix Speed
(100% is fastest - lightest - highest - strongest)
In 2019, we're still not convinced by the Addix Speed compound as it is not as fast as the older PaceStar compound that Schwalbe used up to 2017. Schwalbe made big claims about the Addix Speed compound being faster than the PaceStar compound but our tests once again indicate that's not true. To see this for yourself, you can now compare 3 generations of Schwalbe Racing Ralph TLE side by side on our website here: Racing Ralph TLE 2015 vs Racing Ralph TLE 2017 vs Racing Ralph TLE 2019
When we compare the new 2019 Racing Ralph to the 2017 Racing Ralph (read review) that uses the same compound, we see performance on our tests is very close. One positive thing is we now at least got a tire that weighed less than the specified weight. With such small differences, it's going to be up to your individual use case whether the new Racing Ralph is going to be an improvement or not.
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RATING:
4.0
/ 5
TEST VERDICT:
Recommended