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.
California | N.Carolina | Utah | Kansas
San Diego, California
132 miles
11000 feet
38% off-road
You will have dramatically different tire needs at the California event depending on your distance and goals.
Full Waffle
In partnership with the BWR race organizers and previous BWR champions, we have created the perfect tire for BWR California. This is the only tire in the world engineered specifically for the BWR San Diego course. The Serac CX Sand 700x30 has the same oversize diamond file tread as our regular serac, but in a 30mm width that strikes the perfect balance of volume, weight, and grip tuned for the full 131.7 mile Waffle Course with 50 miles of off-road sectors. Of course this tire has X-Guard, our bead-to-bead cut protection layer. You are going to need it when you are ripping through Hodges and Black Canyon with a fast pack. Limited quantities available.
Shop Serac 30Wafer
The wafer is only half as long as the waffle, BUT it is 50% off-road, including all of the roughest and most technical parts of the course. Even though it doesn’t carry the prestige of the full-waffle, there are still fast riders who race the front of the wafer. Because you will be spending so much time around Hodges, Mule Trail, and Sandy Bandy, and you will not be climbing up to Ramona and back, the fast rider at the San Diego Waffle should ride the SeracCX Edge 700x32. This is an easy recommendation. These are the perfect Wafer tires, striking the difficult balance between grip, speed, and durability that you need to perform at your highest level.
Shop SeracCX Edge
Wanna
So, you wanna try out this BWR thing, but you aren’t sure you have the appetite for one of the longer distances… We recommend the Boken 700x36. Tough, grippy, and fast, the Boken 36 will get you through the treacheries of the course, wthout adding un-necessary weight.
Shop Boken
Asheville, North Carolina
104 miles
12000 feet
50% off-road
North Carolina is perhaps the most difficult course to make tire recommendations for. Initial course recon suggests the 50+ miles of off-road is considerably more challenging than the hard pack at the California event, and you will want to ride a 36mm tire minimum, no matter who you are.
Waffle
The large amount of climbing and 50+ miles of road mean you need the narrowest tire you can get away with. The 50+ miles of rooty trails and gravel roads mean that is a 36mm Boken.
Shop BokenWafer & Wanna
For riders competing in either the Wafer or Wanna in North Carolina, we are recommending they size up to the Doublecross 38. This is still a fast tire on the road, but gives you the volume you crave for the off-road sectors.
Shop Doublecross
Cedar City, Utah
128 miles
6900 feet
80% off-road
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.
Doublecross 38 or 42
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. Choose the 38mm If you are racing the event. If you are riding but not racing, choose the 42. This recommendation holds no matter the distance; Waffle or Wafer.
Shop DoubleCross
Lawrence, Kansas
111 miles
8000 feet
72% off-road
This is a brand new event, but we know these roads well, and we have a tire engineered to withstand the knife-edged rocks of the flint hills.
DoubleCross FOR EVERYBODY
With nearly 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. This recommendation holds no matter the distance; Waffle, Wafer, or Wanna.
Shop DoubleCross
