# IRC Tubeless observations



## ghettocop (Apr 19, 2014)

I have run road tubeless for the last two years or so, and have struggled mightily with a tire that really works for me. Have used Hutchinson Fusion and secteur, Schwalbe one, Bontrager R2 and R3. Really liked the R3's and I work at a Trek shop so can get them cheap. They were great for about a year and a half, until they made some material/manufacturing changes that I am not totally clear on, but now they simply suck. Heavier, slow, handle like crap and are prone to ride ending cuts and slashes. Was really disappointed cause I very much liked the original R3 25's. Was feeling kind of at the end of my tubeless rope, until IRC came to my attention through a review and a fellow employee who was really excited to try them. Let me say, these things have excelled in every way for me and I am very happy and excited about them. Currently have about 550 miles on a set of Formula Pro RBCC 25's. When set up on Belgium pluses, they measure out at 28.6! One layer of stans tape, stans sealant and half a teaspoon or so of glitter. Set up required a compressor with valve core removed, so not the easiest among the others for sure. Once set, beads are solidly locked into place and wont pop off when totally deflated. Rolling resistance and handling is where these really shine for me. Though totally anecdotal, they feel much faster than the others. Very supple and sticky which I thought would drastically speed wear, but so far the rear still has almost all of it's original wear-indicators left. Not a single cut or gouge. The cornering is very, very good, and inspires loads of confidence. Wet road performance is second to none. The big thing for me was the seemingly endless parade of deep cuts that the other tires mentioned would develop so quickly. It was like throwing money away. Either that, or they were slow or heavy, or wore a flat top fast. These weigh 296 grams. Just two grams heavier than the "light" version that my co-worker got. Much to his dismay. The RBCC designation is a concoction of ground rice husks and ceramic formed into the shoulders of the tires, that make millions of tiny "spikes" . almost feels like a very shallow file tread tire when leaned over. There is also some treatment applied to inside casing that eliminates virtually all leak-down. Perhaps 1-2 PSI drop in 48 hours. Also they are made in Japan. Don't see that much.
Highly recommended.


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## crank1979 (Sep 9, 2007)

I have used the IRC Formula Pro X-guard tyres for a few years now and they are great. I have to echo your observations regarding their performance. Puncture resistance is brilliant. 

I noticed the vee tire banner is advertising tubeless ready tyres so I'll try to get these in Australia to try out and compare to the IRCs.


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## 417477 (Aug 23, 2011)

I stumbled on these tires last night. I've been awaiting the Vittorria's Speed Corsa and Schwalbe Pro One's but they never seem to be coming to market. I still have to wear out the tires on my bike currently, but I'm really considering these as well. Everything I've seen has been positive and I like that they are actually true to size if not a touch bigger. I ride a Giant Propel so I'm not looking for a massive tire, but an actual 25c would be nice. That's my only dislike with the Hutchinson Intensives. I've had good luck with them. They are just so narrow.


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## dcgriz (Feb 13, 2011)

imiller said:


> I stumbled on these tires last night. *I've been awaiting the Vittorria's Speed Corsa and Schwalbe Pro One's but they never seem to be coming to market.* I still have to wear out the tires on my bike currently, but I'm really considering these as well. Everything I've seen has been positive and I like that they are actually true to size if not a touch bigger. I ride a Giant Propel so I'm not looking for a massive tire, but an actual 25c would be nice. That's my only dislike with the Hutchinson Intensives. I've had good luck with them. They are just so narrow.


The Vittorria Corsa in 23 and 25mm are currently available from several places.


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## 417477 (Aug 23, 2011)

Not the corsa speed TLR. Forgot the TLR part my bad.


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## crank1979 (Sep 9, 2007)

imiller said:


> That's my only dislike with the Hutchinson Intensives. I've had good luck with them. They are just so narrow.


I've used the Fusion 3s and Intensives a fair bit as well. The IRCs feel nicer on the road than either, especially the Intensives. The IRCs seem to last longer than the Fusion 3s as well. Most of mine have split or delaminated over time where the IRCs have held together much better.


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## 417477 (Aug 23, 2011)

The shop I used to work at in Ithaca, NY was very pro road tubeless. Helps when the owners are personal friends with Stan from NoTubes(The kool-ade was drank and we were drunk off it). We would see that with the Hutchinson's as well. I also have seen them still working fine with almost 5,000 miles on them and many slices.


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## natedg200202 (Sep 2, 2008)

Got a pair of IRC Formula RBCC Tubeless tires. My main criterion for a replacement to my Schwalbe One's was a set that had better wet and overall grip. 










I got the 23c version. I was shocked by the weight. Very light for tubeless: 252 and 254 grams. 










Mounted on a HED Jet 25mm wide rim, they measure about 26.2mm at the widest. Very nice profile. 

Getting them mounted was one serious wrestling match. 

Not much to say about the ride as I only have a single 12 miler on them. They feel very good and will give me my confidence back.


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## cooskull (Nov 30, 2013)

IRC seems to have revamped their line of tubeless formula pro tires this year. Looking at the Alexscycle website I came across this page. Looking at the pics and info, it appears that at a minimum they cut some weight, added a herringbone tread pattern, and changed the graphics a bit.

Anybody have any beta on these? I've consulted the Google but oddly can't find any info about the new model, even when looking at IRC's official english website.

I hope they didn't cut the weight down by sacrificing tire volume/width or tread thickness.


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## crank1979 (Sep 9, 2007)

I'm almost due for a new set of tyres. I'll get a set of Formula Pro X-Guard in 25C and let you know how they go.


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