MTB Tire Test: Schwalbe Racing Ralph TL-E Addix SpeedGrip

The Schwalbe Racing Ralph has been one of the most popular XC mountain bike tires for at least the last ten years. Because of its popularity and performance, I even consider the Racing Ralph to be the "gold standard" MTB tire. Big news came a couple of months back when Schwalbe retired their trusty PaceStar, TrailStar, and VertStar compounds and replaced these with four new color-coded compounds: Addix Speed (red), Addix SpeedGrip (blue), Addix Soft (orange), and Addix Ultra Soft (purple).

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The new Racing Ralph only comes with the Addix Speed and Addix SpeedGrip compounds so I'll focus on these for now. The Addix Soft and Ultra Soft compounds are meant for trail and downhill tires and will be covered in another review. I'll summarize the biggest differences between the new and old compounds below. Check Schwalbe's Addix page for more information: Addix explained by Schwalbe.

After examining most of the new tires, the changes seem to be limited to the compounds only. The casing and tread patterns are all unchanged. Schwalbe did take the opportunity to increase the number of available sizes in 27.5 and 29 inches at the expense of 26 inches. It looks like 26 inches will be axed soon as the available sizes in 26 inch have been reduced dramatically.

Compounds: Addix Speed and Addix SpeedGrip

Addix Speed (Red). This is now the fastest compound available from Schwalbe. When compared to the old PaceStar compound, Schwalbe claims rolling resistance has been reduced by 10%. The remarkable part of the Addix Speed compound is that even though Schwalbe claims a lower rolling resistance, grip (+15%), durability (+25%), and damping (+5%) have all improved as well. The Racing Ralph is available with the Addix Speed compound with a LiteSkin or SnakeSkin (TL-Easy) casing.

Addix SpeedGrip (blue). The SpeedGrip compound seems to fit in between the old PaceStar and TrailStar compounds. When compared to the PaceStar compound, Schwalbe claims that rolling resistance is slightly worse (-6%) while grip (+35%), durability (+62%), and damping (+35%) have all increased dramatically. Be aware that the Racing Ralph is only available with the SpeedGrip compound on a SnakeSkin (TL-Easy) casing. At the moment a LiteSkin version with SpeedGrip compound isn't available.

Schwalbe Racing Ralph TL-Easy Addix SpeedGrip

This is a review of the TL-Easy (SnakeSkin) 29 x 2.25 version of the Racing Ralph with Addix SpeedGrip compound. I've also tested the other versions of the new Racing Ralphs. You can find a review of the LiteSkin Addix Speed here and a review of the TL-Easy with Addix Speed here. You can also compare these 3 new Racing Ralphs side by side on the comparison section of this website here.

The Racing Ralph TL-Easy with Addix SpeedGrip compound has nearly the same specifications as the TL-Easy version with Addix Speed compound. Both these tires come with a reinforced 67 TPI casing and have the same weight. One thing that got my attention is that the Racing Ralph TL-Easy with SpeedGrip compound is only available in 2 sizes: 27.5 x 2.25 and 29 x 2.25.

Let's just put these tires to the test and find out how the grippier Addix SpeedGrip compound compares to the faster Addix Speed compound in our tests.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Schwalbe
Model	Racing Ralph TL-E Addix SpeedGrip
Year	2017
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	High
Buy At	Ad Amazon.com
Manufacturer part number	11601015
TPI	67
Compound	Addix SpeedGrip
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	57-622
Size Inch	29"
Width Inch	2.25
Specified Weight	630 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	54
Made In	Members Only
Available Sizes	27.5x2.25 29x2.25

Schwalbe Racing Ralph TL-E Addix SpeedGrip Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	630 grams
Measured Weight	609 grams
Measured Width Carcass	53 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	54 mm
Measured Height	51 mm (un-round)
Measured Knob Height Center	2.5 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	4.3 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	1.65 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.

Weight. The 29 x 2.25 Addix SpeedGrip version of the Racing Ralph TL-Easy has a surprisingly low weight of just 609 grams. The Addix Speed version that I've tested was much heavier at 711 grams. Both these tires have a specified weight of 630 grams which shows the large deviation between tires leaving the factory.

Size. The Addix SpeedGrip version of the Racing Ralph measures is a tiny bit smaller (1 mm) when compared to most other Racing Ralphs that have been on the test bench.

Knob Height. Knob height is in line with other Racing Ralphs; center knobs: 2.5 mm, edge knobs: 4.3 mm.

Tire Thickness. When compared to the Racing Ralph Addix Speed that was much heavier at 711 grams, the Addix SpeedGrip is a bit thinner with a total thickness at the center of the tread of 1.65 mm (-0.1 mm). The sidewalls have a thickness of 0.90 mm (-0.15 mm).

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	22.3 Watts CRR: 0.00668	25.8 Watts CRR: 0.00773
Rolling Resistance 25 PSI / 1.7 Bar	24.2 Watts CRR: 0.00725	28.7 Watts CRR: 0.00860
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.

Schwalbe claims rolling resistance of the Addix SpeedGrip compound has gone up by just 6% when compared to the older PaceStar compound. Our tests show a much different picture with a 29% higher rolling resistance at the high air pressure of 55 psi / 3.8 bars. At the low air pressure of 25 psi / 1.7 bars, the difference is a bit smaller but rolling resistance is still 20% higher than the much older PaceStar compound.

You can compare the 2017 Racing Ralph TL-Easy with Addix SpeedGrip compound side by side with the 2015 Racing Ralph TL-Easy with PaceStar compound on our site here.

Just like the Racing Ralphs with Addix Speed compounds, the Racing Ralph with Addix SpeedGrip doesn't deliver what's promised by Schwalbe. When rolling resistance doesn't come close to the promised numbers, how seriously can we take Schwalbe's claims of 15% better damping, 35% increased grip and a 62% better durability when compared to the PaceStar compound?

Puncture Resistance Test Results

Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Total Puncture Score Tread	22 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Members Only
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	6 Points
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	No Data
Tread Total Tire Thickness	1.65 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	No Data
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Members Only

Puncture resistance is average with a score of 6 points in the tread test and a score of 5 points in the sidewall test.

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	2.5 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	4.3 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

I feel Schwalbe's idea to split the PaceStar compound into a faster, but less grippy compound (Addix Speed) and a slightly slower, but grippier compound (Addix SpeedGrip) was an excellent idea. It's just a shame Schwalbe's execution leaves a lot to be desired. Our tests show that rolling resistance of both the Addix Speed and Addix SpeedGrip compounds is much higher than what's promised by Schwalbe's marketing department.

The good part of these new Addix tires might be in the actual user experiences that will start trickling in in the coming months. If you've tried these new tires in harsh conditions, consider leaving a comment as I'm really curious about your opinion.

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RATING: 4.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Recommended

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