MTB Tire Test: Schwalbe Rocket Ron LiteSkin Addix Speed

The Rocket Ron is one of Schwalbe's most popular all-round cross-country tires. The Rocket Ron is a well-balanced tire that offers good grip while still offering an exceptionally low rolling resistance. When we compare the Rocket Ron to its (also popular) brother the Racing Ralph, the Rocket Ron has a wider spaced tread design that should perform better in off-road conditions while the Racing Ralph has the edge on asphalt.

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This is a review of the fastest and lightest Rocket Ron available from Schwalbe which comes with the 127 TPI LiteSkin casing and the new Addix Speed compound. At the moment, this fast LiteSkin version is available in only the 27.5 x 2.25, 29 x 2.10, and 29 x 2.25 sizes. I'm not sure if other sizes will become available as the "standard" Schwalbe product now seems to be moved to the stronger TL-Easy casing.

I've also tested the TL-Easy Addix Speed version of the Rocket Ron which can be found here and the TL-Easy Addix SpeedGrip version which can be found here. You can also compare these 3 versions of the new Rocket Rons side by side here.

For more information about the new Schwalbe Addix compound and Schwalbe's promises about these new compounds, please reference the Racing Ralph LiteSkin Addix Speed review here.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Schwalbe
Model	Rocket Ron LiteSkin Addix Speed
Year	2017
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	High
Buy At	Ad Amazon.com
Manufacturer part number	11600385.02
TPI	127
Compound	Addix Speed
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	57-622
Size Inch	29"
Width Inch	2.25
Specified Weight	520 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	54
Made In	Members Only
Available Sizes	29x2.10 29x2.25 27.5x2.25

Schwalbe Rocket Ron LiteSkin Addix Speed Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	520 grams
Measured Weight	556 grams
Measured Width Carcass	54 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	55 mm
Measured Height	53 mm (un-round)
Measured Knob Height Center	2.4 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	4.2 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	1.6 mm
Measured Total Thickness Sidewall	Members Only
All size measurements are taken at an air pressure of 35 psi / 2.4 bars on a 17.8 mm inner width rim.

Weight. My sample of the 29 x 2.25 Rocket Ron LiteSkin Addix Speed comes in at a measured weight of 556 grams which is a good bit higher than the specified weight of 520 grams for this tire.

Size. On my 17C rim, at an air pressure of 35 psi / 2.4 bars, maximum casing width of the Rocket Ron is 54 mm. Maximum tread width is 55 mm, and the measured height is 53 mm. It looks like the casing remains unchanged from the older PaceStar compound version as both measure exactly the same.

Knob Height. The center knobs have a height of 2.4 mm, the edge knobs have a height of 4.2 mm.

Tire Thickness. Thickness of the tread and sidewall also remain largely unchanged at 1.6 mm tread thickness and 0.50 mm sidewall thickness.

Rolling Resistance Test Results

Rolling Resistance Test Results
Inner Tube	Conti MTB 29 (225 gr butyl)
Rolling Resistance 55 PSI / 3.8 Bar	Members Only
Rolling Resistance 45 PSI / 3.1 Bar	Members Only
Rolling Resistance 35 PSI / 2.4 Bar	21.3 Watts CRR: 0.00638
Rolling Resistance 25 PSI / 1.7 Bar	22.6 Watts CRR: 0.00677
All numbers are for a single tire at a speed of 29 km/h / 18 mph and a load of 42.5 kg / 94 lbs. Use the formula: RR (Watts) = CRR * speed (m/s) * load (N) to calculate rolling resistance at a given speed and load.

The rolling resistance numbers presented here are the average of 2 samples (1 from August 2017, and 1 from January 2018). I've retested these tires with new samples as the Racing Ralphs with the new Addix Speed compound didn't perform as promised by Schwalbe. The new sample of January 2018 had a higher rolling resistance (+2 watts) than the August 2017 sample. Both tires had nearly the same weight.

The new Racing Ralphs with Addix Speed compounds (read review) were a big let down as rolling resistance of both the LiteSkin and TL-Easy versions were higher than the older PaceStar compound even though Schwalbe claimed a 10% lower rolling resistance. The new Rocket Ron Addix Speed appears to perform pretty much spot on to the older PaceStar compound as one of the samples performed a bit better and the other sample a bit worse than the PaceStar version.

Puncture Resistance Test Results

Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Total Puncture Score Tread	22 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Members Only
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	6 Points
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	No Data
Tread Total Tire Thickness	1.6 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	No Data
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Members Only

Puncture resistance is similar to other Schwalbe mountain bike tires with LiteSkin casings and pretty much in line with light mountain bike tires from other manufacturers.

Conclusion

Out of the 8 Schwalbe tires with the new Addix Speed compound I've tested over the past months, only 1 (out of 2) samples of the Rocket Ron LiteSkin Addix Speed comes close (-5%) to Schwalbe's claim of a 10% lower rolling resistance when compared to the older PaceStar compound. The other sample of the Rocket Ron LiteSkin Addix Speed actually had a slightly higher rolling resistance than the older PaceStar version.

I'm not sure what's going on with the manufacturing of the new Addix tires, but I still can't confirm Schwalbe's claim of a 10% lower rolling resistance when compared to the older PaceStar tires. If you liked the older PaceStar tires, I suggest sticking with those for now. I still rate these samples of the Rocket Ron 5 / 5 as it's hard to find faster tires from other manufacturers.

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RATING: 5.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Highly Recommended

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