Schwalbe Racing Ralph Evo 33-622

The cyclo-cross-friendly 33mm width Schwalbe Racing Ralph Evo tyres are great in the right conditions, but those conditions are quite a narrow range – not too dry, not too wet – which makes their £50 price tag (each) seem rather expensive.

With the summer cyclo-cross season in full swing, many of us are out there trying to channel our inner Sven while painfully waiting for the winter to come back around for some mud-based riding. With Mother Nature having not made up her mind, the changing weather has meant some tough tyre choices, with many forgetting there are options between their trusty mud tyres and drastic file treads. These intermediate conditions are where the Racing Ralphs are designed to sit snuggly.

> Find your nearest dealer here

> Buy this online here

The Racing Ralphs are no new concept. Now in their third generation, they've been about in mountain bike and cyclo-cross worlds for a number of years. More recently, the range has been adjusted to include a 33mm width to conform to UCI rules (the sport's governing body); not that your local league would have cared much about the extra 2mm of the previous 35mm versions. This folding tyre weighs in at 320g, which is about average for 32mm CX tyres at the moment.

With only the LiteSkin variant of the tyre at this size, you don't get the benefits of Schwalbe's SnakeSkin technology for easy tubeless use. Having said that, the LiteSkin combined with a reinforced bead core still allows for a conversion to tubeless, so do not fear. Bar the odd burp at really low pressure, there were no noticeable issues with not having the SnakeSkin option. My only issue was getting a pinch flat on my first use due to pure laziness and running them with tubes rather than tubeless.

> All you need to know about going tubeless

On to grip, the stuff we really care about with tyres. First impressions were of high amounts of grip, especially in dry conditions. The small, square central tread makes for plenty of traction when upright, and equally the narrower and taller Schwalbe 'U-Blocks' on the edge provide excellent grip in the corners.

When run at low pressure, they feel a little sluggish, especially compared with the Schwalbe G-Ones I've been riding for a while. The size of the tread blocks certainly make for a lot of drag on the straights. Equally, when the going gets wet, the tread struggles to shift the mud, making for a tricky ride and plenty of dangling of the legs to keep you upright.

> How to get better at cyclo-cross

Conditions are going to be vital for these tyres. Too dry and the extra grip, compared with file treads, will be a drag; too wet, and the tyres won't be able to deal with 'proper' mud. Early or late winter season might be the perfect time – when the rains haven't fully set in yet and course conditions remain a little more uncertain. They're potentially an option when the ground starts to harden from the cold nights too, but I'm speculating there.

Personally, for summer cross I'm sticking to my G-Ones, but the Racing Ralphs may get some use early doors this winter, before my set of Challenge Limus take reign in the mud.

At £49.99 a pop, the Racing Ralphs aren't cheap either. For a tyre that doesn't really suit full winter or a dry summer it's expensive, and I can't say I'd be dropping that kind of money for them. If you live in a climate where it tends to be somewhere in between, these may well be your perfect tyre. Have a think about what kind of riding you tend to do, as the tyres ride and race well when conditions suit them. Don't rule them out just because of the price tag.

Verdict

Great levels of grip in intermediate conditions, but start to struggle in any real mud