as a rear tyre for summer, what would you have out back? it will be accompanying a hans dampf up front, id like it to be fast but still have a decent amount of grip should the summer turn sour and wet and slippy!

shall i get a racing ralph for the next few months, then when it gets gloopy near october time stick a nobby nic on the back then??

would probably get UST versions for extra piece of mind on the back, weight not an issue really, unless the carcass is going to be the same as the tubeless ready one of my hans dampf (which is snakeskin and feels as robust as a UST tyre, if thats the case, id have the NN or RR in evo snakeskin too)

Snakeskin racing ralph all year round here with no complaints.

You haven’t sad what type of riding you are doing I have used all but the RaRa

Hans is a fantastic tyre but unless you need the volume and beef it is a bit much for trail / XC IMHO especially as you have said you want something fast rolling

I have been running NN tlr snake skins (lots of tyre shreading flint here) and they have been great, going to try some RoRo tlr snakeskins next.

The NN grips really well as do the RoRo although the later I only rode in non snake skin and it got so many punctures and tares it was aweful, hence movig to SS this time round (and I also run tubless so punctures are not an issiue.

RaRa on my mates bike just looked to bald for my liking fine on hardpack but with a random shower turning the top bit of soil to slush you need something that can dig down a bit

I say NN snakeskins f+r for a safe bet (and a pound of weight saving over 2x dampfs)

cheers feisty

its peak district area on a 140mm all round bike…..i still want plenty of a protection from rocks, but would like a nice bit of speed climbing etc

i run a X King last year with a Rubber Queen up front, but the x king ran out of tread in super fast time so not going there again

id guess the racing ralph is very similar to a x king in terms of speed (and the name suggests its fast), but is the nobby nic much slower rolling? and does it grip that much more out back than a RR?

Nic Snakeskin Pace Star compound. From ze Germans.

hd fr + nn rear here – first class for trail riding imho

cheeres folks – The lecht rocks, did you run a HD on the rear first? is the NN much quicker rolling than the HD??

i think the safe bet for a AM bike is a nobby nic just so long as it rolls nicely!

I’m not a massive fan of Nics – they’re no good in the mud still an they’re slower than a Ralph. They’ve got exactly the same lugs on the shoulders, so cornering grip’s the same. IMO the Ralph is a much more capable tyre than folk think.

Once it’s too wet for a Ralph, a Dan or something is better IMO. Not used HDs.

i’d never run the HD on the rear – way too much tyre for anything other than chairlifted descents imho.

cheers njee/T_L_R

yeah ralphs do seem similar bar the middle tread, njee would you say its a similar tyre to the conti x king if you have used that?

i think a racing ralph on a am bike sounds a bit wrong, especially when paired with a HD up front, but as T-L-R says its just too much tyre for a rear for general riding

Ralphs at both ends here. Gatestar snakeskin (c. £22 from ze germans).They’re no worse (maybe better) in mud than Nics (which don’t clear) and faster everywhere else IMO. Tubeless set up on Crests is also piss-easy.

yeah ralphs do seem similar bar the middle tread, njee would you say its a similar tyre to the conti x king if you have used that?

Not used the Contis I’m afraid. Ralphs and Rons are great though.

cheers – are the snakeskin versions still quite thick? ala hans dampf thickness? (i know thats a more robust tyre though) or would the UST be the better version for the peaks?

think i may just get a RR for the summer and into autumn, then if it gets that bad again i can always stick a NN or even a HD on the rear if its that bad a winter

Racing Ralph on the rear hear. Constantly amazed at what it can do, even in the winter. It does squirm in wet mud, but it pays back in spades with speed and half decent edge grip.

I punctured the hell out of my rear ralph (snakeskin) but it was good while it was holding air. And didn’t seem to go off as fast as Nics do.

nice one, ill defo be getting the UST version of the Ralph, Northwind what do you mean didnt seem to go OFF as fast as nics do??

Ah, sorry. The nics lost the edges off the blocks pretty fast and lost a load of grip. The ralphs seemed to hold together a bit better.

cheers NW – i think ill try one out back for the summer, seem like at least they will be mega fast! they must have at least as much grip as the x kings i was using before id imagine, and they cant be any worse fast wear wise than them!

I use a Racing Ralph on the back – mostly ride round the Surrey Hills, so nothing particularly challenging in terms of terrain but it’s a bloody quick tyre. There’s often a slip of mud around the hills and through the wooded singletrack and it manages ok. But then it’s a rear tyre and it tends to go where it’s pointed.
I ripped a hole in it somehow and patched it up, but other than that it’s not punctured.
Quick on the road too if that’s a concern? I tend to do 15 miles on the road just getting to the trails so it helps to have a low rolling resistance tyre.

I’ve got a Ralph on the rear. Obviously bloody fast on most terrain, but it will try to spin out on loose uphills at the slightest provocation. Been very good for my climbing technique in terms of not trying to stamp my way out of anything steep.

cheers – are the snakeskin versions still quite thick? ala hans dampf thickness? (i know thats a more robust tyre though) or would the UST be the better version for the peaks?

I thought the HD was the same carcass as the Nic/Ralph? The Rpn is lighter, same as the Fred/Dan.

ive ordered a racing ralph!

i figure as njee says, its gonna be grippy enough for summer stuff, and should winter arrive in abundence ill just stick a set of mud tyres on, or even stick the HD back on the back

figure this racing ralph will be just as grippy as my x king was, and i ran that till nearly december last year in the gloop

looking forward to something fast on the back though now

I’ve had ralphs, nics and conti x-kings on the rear. Nics the slowest in my experience, ralphs roll and corner nice but sidewalls made of sweet wrappers (even snakeskin).

X-King ProTection rolls like a ralph but less prone to death by pointy rock. X-king is my preferred rear all year round (ralph is second). As others say, more capable tyres than given credit for.

All run tubeless btw.

its peak district area on a 140mm all round bike…..i still want plenty of a protection from rocks, but would like a nice bit of speed climbing etc

I used to run Ralphs on the back pretty much year round. They’re fast, but I really don’t rate Schwalbe’s rubber compounds in the Peak, just unreliable at the point where you really want them to grip.

I know it’s not what you asked, but honestly, a 2.25 Ardent with the EXO sidewall makes a brilliant Peak tyre, grippy enough, tough enough and fast enough, though not as fast as a proper race tyre like a Ralph. Or if you really want more speed – are you racing? – fit an Ikon instead, though the EXO version is stupidly expensive.

Don’t get me wrong, I use Schwalbes in various versions for racing, but as a trail tyre, no thanks. All imo, ime, ymmv etc, blah… 🙂

i had x kings last year stimpy – a ust one, it was non black chili as they dont do a black chili ust x king – within 5 months it was more or less bald on the tread 🙁

id have stuck with that combo for sure had it been black chili and worn better, so thats why ive changed over to schwalbe, figure it cant be any slower than a x king really (road/climbs) and should last just as long worse case scenario

BWD – i agree ive run ardents before with UST, im a UST only boy, (first time ive had a TLR is this hans dampf im running now up front), so i have ordered a UST racing ralph, it weighs more than the standard evo snakeskin, so im guessing has more rubber, ive never ever ever had issues with any UST tyres in the peak TBH, were your ralph’s UST???

if it fails it fails, but from what njee said the HD has the same carcass as NN/RR so should be similar bulk, and with the added UST they usually strengthen the tyres too

and as said im running a HD up front, so that is my grip tyre descending, as long as i get some grip on the back climbing i can live with that especially given its going to be a fast tyre too, the x king id imagine is very similar so hopefully its at least on a par with that

BWD – i agree ive run ardents before with UST, im a UST only boy, (first time ive had a TLR is this hans dampf im running now up front), so i have ordered a UST racing ralph, it weighs more than the standard evo snakeskin, so im guessing has more rubber, ive never ever ever had issues with any UST tyres in the peak TBH, were your ralph’s UST???

if it fails it fails, but from what njee said the HD has the same carcass as NN/RR so should be similar bulk, and with the added UST they usually strengthen the tyres too

I used to wear through the sidewalls of RRs and NN USTs for fun – first they get a bit bald there, then the carcasse goes fluffy, then the inner wall bulges through like a hernia and it’s game over. The Snakeskin ones are a bit better. I think it’s the nature of Peak riding, say you hammer it down potato alley, your tyres inevitably get nicely sanded by those cheerful gritstone boulders, particularly the rear.

And then there’s the weird pressure dependence – run them slightly too hard and they bounce off everything, slightly too low and they’re a wobbly, squidgy mess. There’s a range of about 0.5psi in the middle where they work pretty well. But like I said, I just think the standard Maxxis rubber compound is just so much more reliable when you really need grip.

But that’s just my personal take. Style and preferences vary and you may be a less clumsy rider than me, though I think a certain amount of rock abrasion is a just a fact of life round here. Let us know how you get on anyway.

I seem to have turned into an ultra-conservative tyre Luddite. Maxxis work for me in various combinations, so I don’t really see the point of looking elsewhere 🙂 I do wish they’re do a proper EXO-walled and slightly larger 2.35 Minion DHF though…

Thinking about it, maybe I’m just not a good enough rider for the Schwalbe options.

cheers for the input BWD – im a fairly light rider TBH, i only weigh 11stone ish, and my riding mostly is the white peak (not as rocky as dark), 9/10 i ride the white peak at the moment (which is still rocky in places but not constantly like dark), and then every so often take a trip to the dark (which is alot worse for tyres in general at speed)

im guessing you ride there all the time? ive used nobby nics many many many years ago (circa 08ish) ust and never had any issues (and was riding the dark peak wayyy more), i had a feel of the sidewalls yesterday (i still have them even though they are worn tread wise) and it doesnt feel as thick as my current hans dampfs, but not much worse than my x king UST i was running before

maxxis sidewalls are defo the thickest UST wise to me and easiest to get up, they have great rear tyres like ardent, crossmark but i could never get a decent maxxis to run up front along side it, thats why i ditched them

ive defo given my x king USTs a good hammering (which is pretty racey)and similar low tread profile and never had issues, so im just hoping this is going to be at least that durable, i probably dont ride as hard as you (given thats your play ground), but the white peak is alot of road with occasional rocky sections, and plenty of FP’s that are none to rocky

Minion DHF EXO 2.5 converted tubeless on a Flow works up front for me. And yes, I guess I do the bulk of my riding in the Dark Peak, seeing as it’s where I live and I possibly ride quite a lot. But I don’t weigh much more than 11.5 stone, so I don’t think that’s a factor.

I don’t think it’s about riding hard or not, it’s just that gritstone rubble and babyheads has a tendency to rub through rear sidewalls in particular with regular use. I used to go through the sidewalls on Schwalbes, even UST ones, before the tread was half worn, which was expensive and frustrating.

I fine the EXO Maxxis walls on the Ardent and Minion DHFs hold up pretty well. Ditto their UST versions. But anyway, I get what you say about the White Peak side of things being less rocky generally though there’s still some interesting rockeries thereabouts…

As the sun looks like it might stay out for a while, I am about to swap my NNs for Ralph’s for the first time – front and back. It will be interesting to see how they compare! I had run standard bontragers on my trek for 7 years before trying the NN last year. Took a while to like them, but now they seem perfect.

yeah its still rocky dont get me wrong, but its not insanely rocky for all of the ride, sure i can make a route that does that, but i dont as its usually always piss wet through!

will just have to see, ive done a few of the classic white peak descents on the hans dampf (which are snakeskin TLR both f&r) and they both felt exactly as strong as any UST maxxis ive used

im just hoping its the same type of carcass as the the hans dampf, and also the added protection of the UST over normal tyres, that said ive got mates who just run normal maxxis tyres in the peak both white and dark and never had much of an issue

ill report back defo with the thoughts of it, just to sum up though BWD the nobby nic and racing ralph will be basically the same in terms of strength casing wise?? the ralph isnt any weaker than a nobby nic in general? (ust version of course)

I ripped most of the tread off a nic in the mild surrey hills in about 4 months using it as a rear if durability is of any concern. It was the pacestar compound as well.

OW, Im running a Hans Dampf up front with a Racing Ralph on the rear at the moment and I have to say im impressed.
Been riding the Hans up front for a year now and love the levels of grip it offers. I’ve just put the Ralph on the rear has really sped the bike up and still offers good grip in all but slop and thick mud.

I have found that Schwalbe tyres rip up quite easily on the rear from new but if you use them on the front for a few rides then swap it to the rear then the rubber tends to hold up better. Maybe it needs to bed in in some way a little??? I may get some internet hate for this but that is just my observation 😀

Tried some NN’s on a demo bike, utter heap of **** for proper riding let go far too often compared to an ardent.

bigyinn – Member
OW, Im running a Hans Dampf up front with a Racing Ralph on the rear at the moment and I have to say im impressed.
Been riding the Hans up front for a year now and love the levels of grip it offers. I’ve just put the Ralph on the rear has really sped the bike up and still offers good grip in all but slop and thick mud.

nice words there bigyinn 😉

not that i want to just hear positives, its all taken into account! where is your riding based? sorts of terrain? which version are you running bud?

im really looking forward to something fast on the back, i genuinely cant imagine its any less grippy than a xking or crossmark ive run in the past (and equally as fast as both)

when it comes to winter this year im just gonna stick a pair of spesh storm control tyres on i think!

but for the rest of the year i reckon a HD up front and RR rear could be a good combo! both speed and grip wise

danw – duly noted, i will keep an eye on it, i must say after 3 rides my rear HD doesnt show any signs of wear unlike ive heard people say too

Im on the Isle of Wight, so there’s a bit of everything down here, fast flinty trails, sandy stuff, grassy singletrack, MUD (obviously, but its drying out!).
Im keeping the HD because it grips very well and I like frontal grip! Think its the pacestar one I’ve got (£23ish from next day tyres last year).
The RR did slide out on one left hander but it was a bit damp, felt predictable in general. It gripped more than I expected.
Erm version? 2.25 26″ round black one. They were £30 for two from merlin so went halves with a mate on them.

cheers bigyinn – doesnt sound to different to what id use them for 90% of the time, maybe just a few more rocks! will have to try and pick my lines better!

though to be honest, my front is a HD like you and that seems to just plow through things without a thought, so hopefully that will soak up any hits before it reaches the rear tyre 🙂

I went from a steel beaded Conti Baron to the RR at the back, my god what a difference! Both in terms of speed and weight.

yep can imagine – the HD on the back is a bit tractor like, great grip but just tooooo much for general trail riding i think – its hard finding something inbetween, as too fast = too flimsy, and too grippy = slow and painful climbing

im really looking forward to trying it on the back, it weighs 700grams the UST one im getting so its as equally as beefy material wise as my X king 2.2 ust i was running – again was fine sidewall/strength wise!

fooooooooooooooooooooooooook me! racing ralph is bloody seriously quick out back!!

what a tyre, it grips everything, loose rocks/gravel/grass/dry sandy terrain etc

its got a lot of braking grip in these dry conditions, its grippy on loose climbs, loose gravel, rocky climbs, grass etc, woodlands, dry roots etc (pretty much everything) never felt undertyred in 19 peak miles last night

and on the road sections it just flies, seriously is one of those tyres that just carries your legs, it feels effortless and doesnt give my legs that ‘heavy’ feeling

im well impressed with it, also saved me around 150grams of weight id say (Even though its a UST) one, it feels a bit more comfier too, probably as im only light, i imagine if you were a heavier rider it may feel a bit squirmish, but it didnt for me

seriously chuffed with the RR rear and HD up front now, no idea how the RR will compete when it turns back to wet damp summer, but its definitely got as much grip all round as my X King and i ran that all last summer (wet!!!!)

to sum up, its a very very very very fast off road tyre (great on the road too), and seems absolutly great for mixed stuff in the dry i did last night, which included all terrains possible i reckon! (well 99% of all the stuff i ride!)

have heard a few reports of wear being really really bad on them, but on inspection last night my brand new one still had the pointy rubber bits left on most the tread – no chunks or bits missing even going down rocks etc