Schwalbe

Racing Ralph 29in Tire

The Schwalbe Racing Ralph Tire is exactly what it sounds like: a racing tire. This thing is built for pure speed, and — when Schwalbe blew it up to 29er size — it may be the fastest cross country tire on the market. This isn't a jumbo passenger jet, though, it's a fighter jet, and its speed-oriented qualities recommend it only for race day. It might not be durable enough for use as a year-round training tire, but you can't beat Ralph when the only thing that matters is speed.

Ralph's speed comes from Schwalbe's PaceStar compound. It has an easy-rolling base layer with a center strip of mid-durometer compound that lowers rolling resistance for speed in the straights. The shoulders are made from a softer compound to give extra grip while cornering or navigating terrain, but it's still firm. Ralph is made to fly on fast, clean courses.

Depending on your choice, you'll get one of two levels of puncture resistance. The LiteSkin option is, well, light, and tires with LiteSkin instead of SnakeSkin come in a claimed 70 grams lighter per tire. The SnakeSkin option gives much better puncture resistance, especially in the monofilament sidewalls, and the Tubeless Easy SnakeSkin makes for a smooth, hassle-free conversion to a tubeless setup.

The 29er-specific Schwalbe Racing Ralph Tire is available in two variants and three sizes ranging from 29 x 2.10 to 29 x 2.35.