BWR - IRCbike.com

The official Tire of the Belgian Waffle Ride

Whether you are racing to win, or just trying to survive the day, IRC has a tire for you.

The Belgian Waffle Ride is treacherous. The courses are designed to test your body, mind, and equipment to the limit. Tire choice is critical. IRC has worked with the organizers and a stable of experts to recommend the right tires for YOU. Scroll down, or click your event to find the race-day tire recommendations for your event.

San Diego, California

130 miles
10000 feet
47% off-road

Tire choice at the original BWR has always been a devilish choice. The course in 2022 was rougher, with more dirt that ever before, but still includes 70 miles of road and 10,000ft of climbing. As such, we have two recommendations for both Waffle and Wafer that let you optimize slightly for the tarmac or for the gravel.

The realities of the new BWR course means 32mm is now the minimum size most riders will be comfortable running. The course can be completed on 25mm road slicks, but it is not an optimal setup.

Road optimized

The new and improved SERAC CX Edge TLR was designed for use in sand, gravel, and multi-surface riding. The oversize diamond-file tread pattern handles great in the dirt and is still super-fast on the pavement. The 32mm wide TLR tubeless-ready casing gives you that extra cushion and confidence to attack the dirt segments that can make or break your day.

BWR tested and approved, whether you are on gravel, pavement, dirt, or single track this tire performs.

Diamond Tread Rolls Fast on Pavement and Hard-Pack
Side Knobs Allow For Aggressive Cornering
Optional X-Guard Protection Layer

Shop Serac CX EDGE 32

Gravel optimized

If you want to optimize your setup for the off-road sectors, which are rougher and more numerous than ever before, choose the Boken 36. The oversized diamond-file tread grips on the hardpack so prevalent in San Diego County, but doesn't slow your roll on the road. The Boken 36 strikes the difficult balance between grip, speed, and durability that you need to perform at your highest level.

Shop Boken 36

For the UNDER-BIKER

If you are an un-curable un-derbiker who wants to run the smallest tire on the un-roads of the BWR, we have a tire for you. The SeracCX Sand 700x30 BWR Edition. This tire was built for those who want to honor the spirit of the BWR by riding their road bike across the Hell of the North (county).

Shop Sand 30 BWR Edition

Scottsdale, AZ

DoubleCross 42

Details on the course are scarce but the organizers have told us definitively that you want the DoubleCross 42 for this course. No questions asked.

Trust the Intel

Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Boken 36?

Initial recon suggests you can do this course on a Boken 36; but you might be better off with a DoubleCross 38. More details to come.

Boken 36

Asheville, North Carolina

~120 miles
~13000 feet
~55% off-road

THE TIRE FOR (ALMOST EVERYBODY)

The North Carolina course has more climbing than any other BWR, but you will want to ride a 36mm tire minimum, no matter who you are.

Whether you are in the break or riding with the grupetto, the Doublecross 38 is the best tire for the North Carolina course. This is still a fast tire on the road, but gives you the volume you crave for the off-road sectors. This burly tread is ready for anything Mother Nature throws at you as you ride 120 miles through a rainforest.

Shop Doublecross

The Climbers Choice

Although we think the Doublecross 38 is the best tire for MOST riders, we should talk about the Boken 36. The Boken 36 doesn’t have quite the traction or durability of the Doublecross 38, but it saves a little weight and has slightly better aerodynamics. For those riders concerned with shaving every gram on those 13,000 ft of climbing, this is it.

Shop Boken 36

Cedar City Utah

130 miles
7860 feet
~75% off-road

DOUBLECROSS 42 (or 38)

The Hell of the South (Utah) is the first true gravel edition of the BWR. The course features a wide range of watt-sucking terrain from deep sand, to chip-seal, to double-track and single-track. You need a tire that can do it all.

Instead of a road race punctuated by off-road sectors, the Utah course is a gravel race punctuated by paved sectors. The IRC Doublecross was made for this kind of race. It handles incredibly well in the dirt, but still rolls fast on the pavement.

The fastest riders overwhelmingly choose the 42, but the 38 is a great choice for riders who want to save a little weight on their setup.

Shop DoubleCross

LAWRENCE, KANSAS

111 miles
8000 feet
86% off-road

DOUBLECROSS FOR EVERYBODY

The BWR course has a distinctly different character than other events in the region. The course designers have gone out of their way to find as many hills and water crossings and snake farms as possible. Fortunaelty for you, we have a tire engineered to withstand the knife-edged rocks of the flint hills region.

With over 3/4 of the course off-road, the go-to tire for BWR Kansas is the DoubleCross. This tire was engineered specifically for the terrain in Kansas. Choose the 38mm If you want a little more up-hill speed. Choose the 42 If you want a little more comfort. As with Utah, our sponsored riders overwhelmingly choose the 42.