At the end of last winter I changed tires on the KH29 from the Panaracer Rampage 2.35 – which had been an excellent winter/wet weather tire – to the Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.4. With its much tighter tread I hoped it would suit the dry summer conditions. As Autumn now heads towards the next Winter it’s time to swap tires again and look back at how the Racing Ralph has performed over summer.

The KH29’er is always a hoot to ride off road – it’s just so dang light! For XC/Forest riding the Racing Ralph has been a perfect match for the 29’er and the dry summer conditions in the forest. The tire itself is crazy light for a 2.4″ coming in at 626 grams. It’s dead fast with little rolling resistance, but still ample grip. A hoot to ride!

If there’s a catch it’s that the sidewalls are thin and durability is questionable. It’s not really a tire suited to smashing around on stuff, but that isn’t what I used the 29’er for (though that may change somewhat with the new Freeride rim).

All up, I’ve enjoyed riding on the Racing Ralph over summer.