Schwalbe

Rocket Ron Tire - 29in

Deftly walking the line between Racing Ralph's high-speed tread and Nobby Nic's semi-chunky profile, the Schwalbe Rocket Ron 29-inch Tire is a do-it-all bit of rubber that can also fly when you need it to.

The Rocket Ron uses Schwalbe's PaceStar Triple Compound, which is its fastest. Schwalbe engineers recognize that it's not possible for one compound to do it all, so they've combined three to optimize the tire's performance. The relatively low-profile tread of the Rocket Ron is fast, but it's also an excellent cornering tire thanks to the U-Block shoulder tread. These tread blocks are angled at 20 degrees or so toward the outside of the tire. Compared to the Racing Ralph, the slightly more prominent blocks have been spaced a bit further apart to achieve more void space. This is part of the reason that it self-cleans in mucky stuff so you can continue to have traction to drive down the trail and keep the bike upright. A small sipe doesn't quite divide the block, creating the "U" shape. They work to counteract the lateral forces endured when cornering to maintain traction and to keep the bike stable.

Ron's EVO casing is the Schwalbe's light and tough carcass for racing or fast XC/Trail riding, while the SnakeSkin version is reinforced (and slightly heavier) for additional puncture protection. We recommend the SnakeSkin version if you plan on running the tire tubeless.