Racing Ralph, Rocket Ron, Nobby Nic, Hans Dampf and Rapid Rob: Schwalbe is sending these well-known successful models (except Rapid Rob, this studded tire is aimed at the OEM market) into the race for bikers' favor in the new 650b dimension in the upcoming 2013 season. Carsten Zahn from Schwalbe shares his experiences with the 650b size: "We have had the Racing Ralph in 650b size in our range for four years. And sold about a hundred such tires per year. In 2011, we wanted to take this 27.5 inch size out of the range - and now everyone is talking about this wheel size."

In order to keep track of the three wheel standards, Schwalbe is now printing the size on the sidewall of the tires. For the coming season, a "26", "29" or "650b" sign will be emblazoned on Schwalbe mountain bike tires.

The Schwalbe engineers have given the tried-and-tested Rocket Ron tire, which has been on the market for four years now, a makeover. The result is 15 percent less running resistance thanks to the redistribution of the lugs on the tread. For better cornering performance, the outer blocks of the Rocket Ron are stiffened and the sidewall is kept smooth and even so that the lugged rubber works even better as a tubeless-ready tire.

A "Super Gravity" version of the "Hans Dampf" tire, which was launched in 2011, is now available on the market. Markus Hachmeyer, responsible for the mountain bike segment at Schwalbe, promises that this version has the grip qualities of a downhill tire and the weight of a freeride tire. The "Hans Dampf Super Gravity" tire achieves its 1000 gram weight thanks to several layers of fabric in the sidewall, while less material under the tread ensures smoother rolling. "The tire is tubeless-compatible and saves up to 800 grams compared to a bike equipped with downhill tires and tubes," Hachmeyer continues.

www.schwalbe.com