Okay, so in contast to all the fat tires that “hog” the attention, this here thread is for the little guys, skinny is the new fat!
I recently swapped my Knard (29 x 3") for a Racing Ralph EVO 29 x 2.1", this is the redesigned Racing Ralph with a directionless tread. At first glance/feel, the new RR appears to be a little more “robust” in the casing, volume is on par with most 2.1" tires; it ain’t that big 
I mounted my skinny RR on a Velocity Blunt P35 rim (35mm), which fit quite nicely and would be great for tubeless, but for now I’m running a tube.
The first ride ended up being an epic, ~seven miles of up and down single track with a two mile DH section, a few miles of gravel, and a few miles of road. Of course the road and gravel sections were easy to roll, but what suprised me was how well this tire handled real muni.
A narrower tire is lighter and more agile than a fatty, so it was really easy to ride, a nice climber, and I had no problems negotiating root bundles and rock gardens. I ran the RR 2.1 at ~ 25psi, which was firm enough to prevent casing fold while still providing a nice cushion.
On the downhill I was convinced I’d be walking drops and/or popping the tube, but the RR contd to amaze, handling drops, water bars, rock gardens, and too many chicken head sections to count. I didn’t suffer any sidewall fold and I never flatted.
So who says you need fat, I say go skinny!
