Note: At my request, Schwalbe provided me with the tyres for testing via the German ‘Pressedienst Fahrrad’.
Tyres are always an individual thing: where one person is not at all satisfied, another has no problems at all and is delighted. That’s why test reports like this one should always be seen through an individual lens.
I am someone who, with an MTB aka monstergravel, is always somewhere between the worlds of gravel and MTB tyres.
I sometimes ride with classic gravel tyres such as G-One Bite, Ultrabite or Overland and very often with MTB tyres such as the Vittoria Mezcal. Anyone who has been reading my blog for a while knows that I’m a fan of these tyres, but I always like to look left and right to discover possible alternatives.
For example, I’m currently quite interested in the Pinarello Scorpion tyres, the Rene Herse Fleecer Ridge and the Schwalbe Rick XC Pro.
When Schwalbe presented the Rick XC Pro at the beginning of July, I was immediately interested. I think Schwalbe’s G-One gravel tyres are already very good, but a fast Schwalbe tyre for MTBs would be an interesting thing.
Thanks to Pressedienst Fahrrad, I received a set of Rick XC tyres in 2.25 inch width a little later. Just in time for their maiden voyage on the Devils Trail in the Harz Mountains.
Of course, I have not been able to obtain any technical rolling resistance data or precise behaviour measurements on different surfaces. You’ll soon be able to see that at BicycleRollingResistance, where the Rick XC is currently being tested.
Schwalbe Rick XC Pro Addix Speedgrip in practice
I’ve now ridden more than 1,300 km on the Schwalbe Rick XC Pro, a lot on gravel and MTB trails, often on damp and very dry surfaces and many kilometres on asphalt.
I mounted the tyres on hook-less carbon rims with a 30 mm inner rim width (Beast CX) and ran them tubeless with 100 ml of milk each.
Fitting the tyres was very easy and could be done by hand. They plopped very well into the rim well and fit tightly. And when inflated, they didn’t lose any air and kept the pressure stable.
I took advice from the Schwalbe Pressure Prof on the air pressure. He suggested 1.9 bar for the front and 2.1 bar for the rear. And it was very easy to ride with these pressures. The rolling behaviour and traction were very good. I then ran the tyres at a slightly lower pressure (1.7 at the front and 1.9 at the rear) and had an even better ride. With luggage, however, I increased the pressure by 0.1 – 0.2 bar.
In terms of weight, the Rick XC is lighter than the Mezcal. Schwalbe claims 680g – I weighed 700g, with a size of 29×2.25″ and the Speedgrip compound.
With the 30 mm rim, the 2.25 inch tyre has the following dimensions:
- 51mm high – measured from the edge of the rim
- 55mm wide
For comparison: the Vittoria Mezcal in 2.25 inch is 54mm high on the same rim and has a width of 60mm.
2.25 inches is 57mm. The Rick XC is slightly narrower (-2mm) and the Mezcal slightly wider (+3mm).
On the new tyre I measured a knob height of 2.5mm at the centre bar.
After 1,300 km, of course, there was wear and the knob height was 2mm on the front wheel and 1-1.5mm on the rear.
Riding behaviour
What struck me immediately was how fast these tyres are. This is particularly noticeable on dry and slightly damp surfaces. The Rick XC also rolls very well on tarmac, albeit quite loudly. Comparable to the volume of the Maxxis Ikon.
Especially on the Devils Trail in the Harz Mountains, the Rick XC was able to show off its good rolling characteristics. And it also felt easier to ride up the mountains with them.
The Rick XC Pro was developed together with Mathias Flückiger and should deliver even more speed and performance on competitive XC courses. And I also believe that it will suit riders with the technical ability of Flückinger.
I chose the model with the Addix Speedgrip compound – partly because I don’t like Tanwall. Addix Speedgrip is like the jack of all trades when it comes to compounds. According to Schwalbe, it is very good in terms of rolling behaviour, grip and durability. Of course, all three rarely work well together. But according to the Schwalbe overview, the Rick XC Pro with this compound is particularly good in terms of rolling and durability. In terms of grip, at 75%, it is in the upper range, but not quite as strong.
And I can confirm this: it sometimes tended to break out on dry gravel or rock. But the side lugs made up for it. And I often had the problem of spinning and slightly slipping tyres on steeper climbs.
But what would it be like when it got damp, wet and muddy? I’ve had plenty of opportunity to test this over the last few weeks. And surprisingly, the tyre is not as slippery as I would have expected on damp ground, earth, dirt track, meadow or sand. On the contrary, it actually does quite well. In really muddy conditions, however, it starts to slip and skid. But I had expected that because of the tread pattern. The Rick XC then behaved like the G-One Overland, if any of you have had experience with these.
Conclusion Schwalbe Rick XC Pro
I would therefore say that the Rick XC Pro is a tyre for preferably dry terrain. In summer, it is a good choice for those who want to go a little faster. And when it gets a bit wetter, it still does a good job, but has limitations in mud, deep sand and very wet conditions. However, with a little experience, bike handling and possibly lower air pressure, you can compensate for this and ride accordingly.
It is fast and safe on tarmac. Be careful with wet leaves, of course – it doesn’t like that so much. (but which tyre likes that?). On the other hand, it is quite loud on the road and the singing sound often prevents you from ringing the bell.
I have always got on well with the Rick XC and now also ride it in bad weather when it gets cold and wet. So far I can’t complain about the lack of traction and of course I want to see where I can ride the Rick XC safely in this weather, especially on wet meadows and dirt tracks or over roots.
According to Schwalbe, the Rick XC should ‘close the gap between Racing Ralph and Thunder Burt, as it is faster than Racing Ralph and grippier than Thunder Burt.’
Unfortunately, I’m not yet familiar with either tyre in practice, so I can’t give an assessment.
For bikepacking with unknown or changeable weather and track conditions, however, I would rely on the tried and tested combination of Racing Ray at the front and Racing Ralph at the rear – to stick with Schwalbe.
But that’s not what the Rick XC was made for, it’s designed for XC races, which are generally not as long and place different demands on a tyre than bikepacking events. But the Rick XC would also work for bikepacking events or ultras.
I also rode the Mezcal XC-Trail in direct comparison to the Rick XC. It wasn’t as fast as the Rick XC, but had a bit more traction.
Bicycle Rolling Resistance will soon be presenting the test results for the Rick XC Pro. Then you can also see the measurable properties of the tyre in comparison with others.
In terms of puncture susceptibility, however, the Rick XC has nothing to hide. I rode it ruthlessly and it didn’t have a single puncture in 1,300 kilometres. It also holds its air pressure well and I only had to pump it up once.
The carcass has a thickness of EPI 67.
To be able to categorise this:
The density of the carcass fabric is given in EPI or TPI (Ends per Inch, Threads per Inch = threads per inch). There are, for example, bicycle tyres with 20, 24, 37, 50, 67 and 127 EPI carcasses.
Generally speaking, the tighter the weave of the carcass, the higher the quality of the tyre. A fine carcass is important for low rolling resistance and good riding characteristics. At the same time, puncture protection is improved because carcasses with a high thread density are more difficult to puncture.
This is only no longer true for the extremely fine 127 EPI carcasses. Here, each individual thread is very thin and therefore more vulnerable. The optimum compromise between low weight and robustness is 67 EPI.
Schwalbe.com
However, the abrasion is already noticeable and reminds me of the G-One Ultrabite. I know that many tyres are not designed for a particularly long service life, but I would still like to see at least 4-5,000 km. I’m going to keep riding the Rick XC tyres for now.
Let’s see what happens after 2,000 km and how high the wear is then. Maybe I’ll swap the tyres from front to back. But with such low mileage, you have to change the tyres every 2-3 months. That’s ok, but it’s quite wasteful. At least then I can have them recycled.
And if I may be so bold: the Rick XC Pro is actually also a very good gravel tyre that would fit perfectly on the ever wider rims of gravel bikes and their tyre clearances. (Paul Voss, for example, rode a Zipp rim with a 32mm inner rim width at the Gravel World Championships). On the other hand, it runs very fast and is perfectly adequate for most applications.
According to the manufacturer, the Schwalbe Rick XC Pro costs 69 euros RRP. It is available in 2.25″ and 2.4″ width. Two compounds are also used: Addix Speed on the Tanwall tyres and Addix Speedgrip on the black tyres.
