Thinking of going tubeless on my carbon hardtail
I have a pair racing Ralphs (came with bike) which are fast but way too flimsy or Nobbly Nics which are too draggy and only used in winter

never been tubeless and want a good fast rolling grippy all rounder set up and don’t want /cant be arsed with faffage of changing tyres once tubeless set up

Continental Trail Kings are an option but im not a rubber expert – nor do i have wedges of cash to try different tyres

I use the bike for everything, but mainly fast XC

any recommendations appreciated
Cheers
Jon

Snakeskin Ralphs

^^ The man speaks the truth!

Amazed you find the Ralphs “fast but way too flimsy”, and the Nics “too draggy”, they’re exactly the same carcass, virtually the only thing that’s different in the tread in the centre!

Nics tread is very draggy in comparison imho

I only ever use a Nic on the front & stick with the Ralph on the back all year round.Never ripped a sidewall on one either

I have had a lot of tubeless failure with my 29er Nic Ralph combo but never had any problems running the same as tubeless 26″. Any idea why?

I use Rocket Rons front and back for year round racing and general riding. I ride Exmoor and Dartmoor quite a lot (rocky in places) with no issues with sidewalls. In 26 in mode I could never use Rons as a general tyre but in 29 er they seem fine.
My faster, racier mates swap the Ron off the back for a Ralph as a go to race combo

Ive had Rons in 26″ and they did struggle with mud but were great on most other things – could be an option as will probably be better grip in 29r

I have had a lot of tubeless failure with my 29er Nic Ralph combo but never had any problems running the same as tubeless 26″. Any idea why?

No,Both me & mate use this set up & have no problems.Only problem I have is the tread doesn’t last very long on the Ralphs,wore two out this year !

Spesh Fasttraks are ok. I’ve used them almost exclusively for Xc for a couple of years. They’re cheaper and last longer than Schwalbes, roll fast enough but they are a bit heavier. While they cope surprisingly well with mud, they do bung up a bit and have less grip than something more open like a Rocket Ron