Are Racing Ralphs man enough for am riding.?

matisko

I've just switched to a 2.2 racing Ralph EVO on the back and when descending trail centres and carving into the berms, I feel as if the tyre is rolling off the rim pretty badly.
On stopping, it seems I've list no pressure, so no farting took place, it just doesn't fill me with confidence. Would decreasing the tyre pressure help?, or make it worse?
Cheers.

rockmonkeysc

What rim have you got and what tyre pressure? Sounds like either your rim is too narrow for the tyre or you don't have enough pressure.
Trail centres arent AM riding, you only need an xc tyre unless you're getting on some of the black trails at bike park wales or something similar.

njee20

^^id agree with this.

They are a lightweight tyre though, so the sidewalls will flex compared to some more burly tyres.

rockmonkeysc

They are fairly popular in 4x racing so they are more than up to the job of trail centre rides even if you're a very fast rider and hitting the black trails.

gazman428

I didn't like them too much at lower pressures, they felt like they were rolling on the rim, at higher pressures they were fine. But I am a heavy rider though

dusk

I wouldn't agree with most of the comments, many trail centres have pretty rocky sections that will damage lightweight tyres if you're a fast rider.

I've damaged far burlier tyres than Racing Ralphs at trail centres, I'll keep my Racing Ralphs for my dj bike

rockmonkeysc

No, trail centres are pretty tame compared to what bikes and tyres are capable of.
Many of the fastest riders at the downhill world cup today used lightweight single ply tyres not a lot tougher than a racing ralph.
If racing ralphs are tough enough to win national level 4x races they're more than tough enough for trail centres.
Dodgy line choice and poor riding will damage tyres.

dusk

you can't compare a 4x track with a rock garden (trail centres have plenty) and 4x riders change their tyres regularly which isn't a luxury your average rider has.

Rocks damage tyres, if a trail is covered in them then there's no avoiding them. You'll always be riding blind at trail centres if you've never been before so you'll never always be riding the perfect line.

rockmonkeysc

4x tracks have rock gardens.
Trail centre rock gardens always have an easy line through the middle of them.
Trail centres are very flattering to riders, the trails are designed to make average riders feel like heroes. They have sections which look gnarly but are straight forwads to ride.
The black trails at bike park wales are the gnarliest I have found but even they can be ridden fairly quick on my light weight Conti Rubber Quees Race Sport tyres.
I have only ever damaged tyres riding trails with a lot of flint.

njee20

RockmonkeySC wrote:

They are fairly popular in 4x racing so they are more than up to the job of trail centre rides even if you're a very fast rider and hitting the black trails.

I agree, but they're probably not using the lightest PaceStar ones - hence the existence of GateStar and what not, which have reinforced sidewalls.

And why is this turning into a willy waving contest about the relative risk to tyres on different types of trail?! You can puncture anywhere, I got a flat on the road the other day. Not a rock garden in sight...

cooldad

Roads around my way are gnarlier than most rock gardens. More pot hole than road.

Cqc

If the black runs at bpw don't warrant a big tyre, I'm sure the pro line will

rockmonkeysc

Cqc wrote:

If the black runs at bpw don't warrant a big tyre, I'm sure the pro line will

It would be the other way around if anything. The jumps on the pro line are huge but the trail is dead smooth. The gnarliest part of the pro line is the run in on Enter the Dragon.
I watched a mate do the pro line, it's all about huge speed and balls like water melons! When ridden well the landings are nice and smooth. I still don't have the plums to jump those gaps though, get it wrong and it's a very high speed (40mph ish) crash.

paulbox

njee20 wrote:

I got a flat on the road the other day. Not a rock garden in sight...

Poor choice of line obviously... :roll:

defride

Rode them last year xc hardtail in a flinty area, great tyre,light and grippy, but, sidewalls are very fragile. Got to the point I bought the double defence version, they don't feel as grippy but I've not had any sidewall tears thus far.

I'd be wary of using them AM in rocky terrain

jairaj

A mate of mine runs Schwalbe tyres and used to have issues with pinch flats and tearing the sidewalls on the super light casing.

He has since switched to a stronger sidewall construction (I think Snakeskin?) and has no problems any more. So yes the Racing Ralphs can be strong enough but you have to get the correct versions. The super light ones are probably not man enough unless you are a light or smooth rider.