Interloc Racing Design FireXC Pro 29er Tire: Modeled after the FireXCPro 26" tread. Multi-condition tread with supple feel with stiff sidewalls. Dual directional tread, flip the tread to run in the rear. Multi-stepped knobs and specially shaped side wall knobs...
Strengths: Best 29er Tire that no one has. Grips in all conditions so far
Weaknesses: I can't seem to find many bike shops that have them....Thank God for Price Point.
Bottom Line:
So I loved my Fire XC Pro 26er's so much that every bike I've owned has had them. The first thing I did when I bought a 29er was go to Panaracer and see if they had them in 29er size. Sadly they did not, but a phone call to the company steered me to the IRD version. So I bought one, and mounted it up Tubeless on the rear. We all know that moment when you find something that just works in our biking lives. And riding the first single track on this tire confirmed it. Just like the 26ers, Confident is the term I'll use. Confident in cornering, in mud, over rocks, roots logs, climbs, braking descents, all that. I love this tire, everyone here runs Ignigtors or Racing Ralph's and that's fine, but they haven't waited on me to fix a flat or a torn sidewall yet. I'm a big guy 230lbs, and I run em at 35PSI all around and they are perfect for me. Maybe not as light as some tires, but, again, durability and confidence is what I look for. I don't have money to throw away on a new tire every other week.
Find a set, try them out, you will not be disappointed.
Similar Products Used: Kenda Nevgals, Kenda Small Block 8's
Bike Setup: Sette Razzo, King Hubs,
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Submitted by
paulrb02
a Cross Country Rider
from Mobile, AL
Date Reviewed: November 15, 2011
Strengths: Great all around tire. Best tire I've tired in sandy, loose conditions. Faster rolling than Nevegal, with the same amount of grip.
Weaknesses: A little slow rolling
Bottom Line:
I loved the Panaracer Fire XC on my 26". I found out later that IRD bought the rights to make a 29" version. So these tires are the same as the Panaracer Fire XC, just a 29er version. They are the 60tpi model.
If you liked them on a 26" they will work just as well on the 29" Its a great all around tire. There is loads of loose terrain here on the gulf coast and I need a tire that can grip, and these work the best. I've been running these tubeless for about 6 months and they are doing just fine, and very little wear on the tire.
Bike Setup: Pivot 429 with Sram X0/XX build, and Stan's Flow wheels
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Submitted by
Hill-Pumper
a Cross Country Rider
from Willamitte Valley OR
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2011
Strengths: Cheap,good grip, sheds mud well, fairly light for a knobby, runs great tubeless
Weaknesses: Rolling resistance
Bottom Line:
I have used these tires on two different bikes and they worked great on both. They wear like iron and grip predictably. As listed above, they shed mud well, plus are light for a traction tire. With knobs you can't expect great rolling resistance, but I really only notice it on hard pack. Maybe the most amazing thing about them is how well these work when set up as tubeless. They lose only as few PSI over a weeks time. Which is much better then the Specialized tires that were rated as tubeless ready. Honestly a great tire for the money!
Submitted by
Tom
a Cross Country Rider
from Hood River, Oregon
Date Reviewed: January 22, 2008
Strengths: Good performance, good weight, good price.
Weaknesses: None noted.
Bottom Line:
Without a doubt this is the best do it all 29er tire I have in my quiver. Others roll faster (SB8, etc.), and others have better traction (Stout, Rampage), but no other tire provides as broad a range as these. If I'm bringing one set of tires on a road trip of mixed rides, these are the ones.
Submitted by
Bruce Brown
a Cross Country Rider
from Des Moines
Date Reviewed: September 23, 2007
Strengths: A favorite 26" tire now available in the 29" format. Bicycling Magazine's 2004 "Editors' Choice" in the 26" version and the 29" version received a 5 star rating from Mountain Bike Action magazine. Okay, that's fine - how do they roll?
They roll fast, yet provide superior traction due to the aggressive knobs. Hands down, this is a great front tire. And you can run the tread forward or rearward on the rear wheel depending on your needs. Rearward for more bite and climbing traction, or forward for faster rolling (with minimal - if any - loss in traction). This is a pretty good volume tire with the tread measuring 55mm in width making it a 2.2 rather than the claimed 2.1 tire. My pair weigh 708 grams and 720 grams. The knobs and beefy sidewalls are where the weight is when compared to other XC tires in the 500 - 650 gram range.
Excellent tire to use for a tubeless conversion. The sidewalls have enough meat that when running lower psi's you don't get the dreaded squirm like other converted tires. This tire is aggressive enough for riding severe terrain. I used the 26" version for two years, but this 29"er version seems more aggressive and beefier to me. Best tire I've run on my big wheeled bikes in the past 4 years. I've even raced it twice in XC races, but think it's real niche is as an all around XC tire that will put a lot of smiles on faces.
It comes in your choice of black wall or red wall.
Bottom Line:
Mountain Bikers have another winner on their hands here with this tire being available in the 29"er size. Check the reviews on the 26"er size. I ran that tire for two years and loved it. Now I'm in love again with the 29"er version. Cornering is sure footed, climbing provides traction to spare, rolls fast for a tire with such aggressive tread and is top of the heap in all around performance. I've had these tires out and about on buff XC, roots, rocks, grass, gravel, sand, pavement, mud, creek crossings, over train tracks, wooden bridges, logs, etc...and they have not disappointed.
Although they have been available since spring of 2007, I think they are still under the radar and not widely used yet. I have to agree with the MBA 5 Star Rating. You wont' be disappointed in this tire if you give it a try.
