Sephton Posted April 21, 2014 Share A bit off topic, but I'm thinking of replacing my Racing Ralph Evo's with Ritchey WCS Shield. Anyone tried these before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonF_ Posted April 21, 2014 Share snakeskin is not overrated. its misused as a term to denote overall improved durability. That is not its function.Snakeskin (SS) provides sidewall protection in all Schwalbe tyres that use SS. It does not extend over the top cap of the tyre (where the knobs are situated), and thus have no bearing on durability of the knobs. The durability of the knobs are governed by a combination of the tyre compound, the terrain, and your riding style; braking habits being the overriding one for most riders. Evolution line is just a descriptor for how schwalbe constructs their tyres. Something about the weave of the fiber reinforcing, and how evolution weaves apparently reduces rolling resistance.Schwalbe then adds various technologies to the basic evolution tyre: tech likeanti puncture protection (K-guard, V-guard, speed-guard, HD-guard)sidewall protection (snakeskin)tread patternscarcass lay-up (supergravity)tubeless tech (full UST compliance or just TLR)combinations of compoundsNote: sometimes they combine various technologies under one name,eg double defense,which is combo of HD-guard + SS. Schwalbe compounds are a bit complicated with no less than 12 compounds available. Most are application specific, like wheelchairs, or non-marking rubber, or special compounds for winter use. The most important ones for MTBers are SBC (schwalbe basic compound) used in their cheapest of tyres, dual compound and triple star compounds. Triple star compound is actually a family of compounds, namely Pacestar, Trailstar, Vertstar, and the little known Gatestar compounds. Schwalbe developed 6 compounds of varying hardness and other physical properties for use in their Evolution line of tyres. Of these 6 compounds, each family compounds only uses 3 of the available 6 compounds, hence the name: triple star compounds. The triple combination is chosen based on application (eg XC, DH etc), rolling resistance, grip etc. A long and somewhat confusing story short, but if you are riding on tar, the hardest compound with highest inflation pressure is your best bet. As a balance between tar and dirt riding, I would recommend an Evolution line (for fastest rolling resistance) with double defense, or snakeskin as a minimum, pacestar compound. Comprehensive!....case closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ham Posted April 21, 2014 Share I run the snake skin and love them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogusOne Posted April 21, 2014 Share A bit off topic, but I'm thinking of replacing my Racing Ralph Evo's with Ritchey WCS Shield. Anyone tried these before? Spoke to someone who did the epic on them. Punctures galore. Wasnt impressed with them at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rouxtjie Posted April 22, 2014 Share great post Cap Capricorn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldron Posted April 22, 2014 Share Spoke to someone who did the epic on them. Punctures galore. Wasnt impressed with them at all Ritchey WCS Shield is an awesome weight weenie one day XCO tyre. Definitely NOT for stage racing. Tough to plug too - they seem to be more plastic than runber and the plugs shoot out after a while... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwhite Posted April 22, 2014 Share I run the snake skin and love them. I am a bit confused... which snake skin do you specifically run and which are you running for the back and front? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sephton Posted April 22, 2014 Share Ritchey WCS Shield is an awesome weight weenie one day XCO tyre. Definitely NOT for stage racing. Tough to plug too - they seem to be more plastic than runber and the plugs shoot out after a while... Would you say RR Snakeskin would be more robust than the Shield? I already had a snakebite on my normal RR Evo. This would be for my racing wheel set only though, I train with heavy tyres... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldron Posted April 22, 2014 Share Would you say RR Snakeskin would be more robust than the Shield? I already had a snakebite on my normal RR Evo. This would be for my racing wheel set only though, I train with heavy tyres... Definitely - Shield is a ~550g super thin tyre. Super fast on smooth XCO style stuff but I wouldn't ride jagged rocks on it. Personally I don't like Rons or Ralphs - I'm more a Crossmark kinda guy. I find Shwalbe tyres a bit puncture prone and "drifty" - they don't hold lines well. Loads of my friends love them though so horses for courses I guess... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnydabutcher Posted April 22, 2014 Share "Loads of my friends love them though so horses for courses I guess" Who are these mythical beings you speak of? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The MTBer Posted April 22, 2014 Share I would rather ride with a heavier tyre and not get a punctures than a thin tyre with puncture after every ride (during the ride). Or would you guys still go for the thinner tyre saving weight? nonky 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldron Posted April 22, 2014 Share "Loads of my friends love them though so horses for courses I guess" Who are these mythical beings you speak of? Hrrrrrumph! Mumble mumble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldron Posted April 22, 2014 Share I would rather ride with a heavier tyre and not get a punctures than a thin tyre with puncture after every ride (during the ride). Or would you guys still go for the thinner tyre saving weight? Depends - Epic I ran Crossmark LUSTs that weigh about 5kg each. No punctures at all. One day races I run lighter non UST tyres - normally Xking/Raceking combo. XCO where the tracks are super smooth I'll go all out and pop on anything that rolls fast and weighs nothing. Ritchey WCS Shield is my current favourite. Horses for courses of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonF_ Posted April 22, 2014 Share Racing Ralph Rear, non snakeskin, 1.2bar. Rocket Ron front, non snakeskin, 1.0bar. Aggressive ride style, Marathon type races, 1200kms on current set incl Tygerberg trails, Tulbagh MTN, Lourensford VIneyard, Breederiver + 2 or 3 other races, front good for another 1000 and rear 500, no punctures, no sidewall cuts, my weight 72kgs - so whats the big issue here :-) nonky 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stiglitz86 Posted April 22, 2014 Share Has anyone tried the kenda tire range? If you have what is your feedback on them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The MTBer Posted April 22, 2014 Share Brandon, HOW??? Running 2.5 bar and still hit the rim sometimes... I also weight 72kg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now