Many riders opt to run a more aggressive front tyre for grip and a lower profile, faster rolling tread out back, but it can be difficult to find a rear tyre that can be pushed hard in the turns.
The Rock Razor takes a similar central tread to Schwalbe’s Racing Ralph XC tyre and adds shoulder knobs like those on the harder-hitting Hans Dampf to create a set of tyres that offers low rolling resistance in a straight line but has plenty of grip for hitting turns hard. We opted for the Snakeskin tubeless ready casing and the PaceStar rubber compound, which rolled ultra fast and offered a surprising amount of grip on loose surfaces.
The transition from the lower central tread to the shoulders isn’t noticeable when leaning into corners, and at shallower lean angles, we did find the rear end could drift around a bit. Push harder though, and those side knobs dig in and let you rail the turns.
This article was originally published in Mountain Biking UK magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.
