Racing Ralphs

henryfuller

Opinions on racing ralphs for competitive xc riding!

ride_whenever

Very fast, very good. But lacking grip in the wet.

henryfuller

have you got a set?

ride_whenever

Nah, I'm riding panaracer razors, which are very similar by all accounts. Almost identical tread pattern, slightly harder rubber though.

Oh and ralphs wear quickly. If you want a pair merlin do them fairly cheaply.

henryfuller

yeah do you run tubeless though? because thats something else im considering

S_J_P

I put a UST RR on the rear a couple of weeks ago, but I'm not racing it :shock:

First impressions are that it's fast, very fast :shock: Very grippy in the dry, not quite so hot on damp grass but I've not tried it in anything approaching wet conditions. It's not doing badly in the wear stakes either, no doubt helped by the triple compound of the new 08 Evolution version (which has square knobs rather than the shark-tooth shape of the older version).

've read that the standard versions sidewalls are very thin and weak, the UST version's fine though and far thicker than the Panaracer (Fire & Cinder) I was running last summer.

nicklouse

if the conditions get wetter then look at running a combo or RR and nobbly nics or in extreme wet two NN.

henryfuller

so general concensus is, that rr's are gd tyres when they don't meet water?

S_J_P

They work well tubeless too!

The UST RR is the first tyre I've fitted to my shiny new Mavic XM819 UST rim, and fitting was an absolute breeze Tyre seated on first pump, and then popped into the bead lock with a few pops at around 45 psi :shock:

I think Merlins UST RR's for £25 each/£50 pair offer has finished, but I think they're still offering UST NN's for £30 each.

henryfuller

Yes, i am considering tubeless, is it as simple as fitting a tyre to a standard rim, or do you need to apply sealand every time?

Also i have noticed that most people use the Mavic x819 :S i think rims for tubeless. Are these light enough for cross country racing? I currently run mavic crossride's but they are not up to the mark for racing.


cheers

S_J_P

Standard rims require a conversion kit (Eclipse, Stan's or Joe's are popular) which costs around £40 and can be a real faff, though I have read that all Mavic built-wheels are tubeless compatible straight from the box, but I've not had it confirmed.

By far the simplest and most straightforward route is a pukka UST rim/tyre coupled with a little bit of sealant to afford puncture protection.

Mavix XM819's are 450g rims, which with spokes and an XT hub weighs in at a not insubstantial 1,164g (including skewer) but they're a robust rim.

cjw

henryfuller wrote:

so general concensus is, that rr's are gd tyres when they don't meet water?

Yep. I was running RR front and rear (UST version) and if there is any wet at all the front got very jittery and mud... forget it! So for now I just run the RR at the back.

henryfuller

so would it be possible to convert my mavic crossrides to tubeless then? although i would rather not have too much of a bodge!

S_J_P

Having just checked a few websites, I have seen that the Crossrides are listed as "leakproof tubeless compatible rim" on some sites.

The only real way to tell though is to look for yourself. If there are spoke-holes covered by rim-tape on the inside of the rim, then they're not sealed and you'll need a conversion kit. If the inner surface is smooth, apart from the valve opening, then you'll only need a £5 tubeless valve, a UST tyre, and a <£10 bottle of wheel-milk, Stan's sealant or similar.

Check out Just Riding Along's website for lots of tubeless information.

henryfuller

cheeers for your help i am now going to have a looook

henryfuller

stp have you got msn messenger?