Predictable. Very good handling in a wide variety of trail conditions.

A bit heavy for a 2.125.

I have one ride in these tires. My LBL and a friend are both very skilled rider/racers. They both feel the IRC Claw Comp Lite is the best all round XC & Trail tire available. They said it does every thing well. The strongest argument supporting the value of this tire is "cornering." The track perfectly when pushed hard in turns. When they begin to break loose they give ample warning and giveway in a controlled manner allowing for correction & recovery. Manny tires just give way and the result is a crash. I haven't experienced them in the mud but their open pattern would leave me to believe they will shed it well.

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Panaracer FirePro.

very good roller for a fat knobby, sticks to absolutely ANYTHING... versatility, period. i've seen good treadlife on these, all things considered.

doesn't accelerate as quickly as many of the fats, due to softer composition.

this is a pretty kickin tire... rating based on front and rear use at multiple psi

i have a feeling that when most riders mellow with age and get over that gram/scale fettish they have, 9 out of 10 will find this to be their new "old favorite".

as mentioned before this tire rates well above average at just about everything you give it.

uphill- a GREAT technical climber, i can't make it slide out. just what you need in a rear tire. it's soft enough that it grips on hardpack and the tread design is aggressive enough that it finds its way through and sheds anything loose.

tight singletrack- you can feel the softer compound on this tire, but it has suprisingly little rolling resistance for a tire with this much machismo. i wished the front drove a better straight line, but it's acceptable as it won't break loose. in many respects the trail seems to steer you through it, rather than the other way around. still, the front leaves you in control and very connected. the rear isn't even an issue, it's there, making contact, no rear slide, regardless of pressure.

downhill- pretty much performs as it does uphill, great braking response, it STICKS on tight turns, front and rear. this one leaves me confident, in all respects.

if you're looking for an all rounder (no pun intended) and believe that it's your talent that gets you through the race, not the latest fad, this tire will get you there. plus outweighs the minus on this one folks. i've got to say, in the 15 years i've been on the dirt, this is the first time since the smoke and dart combo from panracer that i've actually been excited about a tire.

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currently running the gammet, long term panracer fan here.

traction

650 grams

IRC Claw Comp Lite: best traction for 2.1 tyre, at any price.
specialized, richie, michelins were OK
hutchinson python gold wasn't so good

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many 2.1 x 26 tires

Everything

Steel Bead, a little heavy compared to todays tires

Wow, i cant beleive no one has commented on these tires!
I'm 99% sure that they don't make them any more (though IRC still list them on their web site, but you can't buy them off the web site, and my LBS cant get em...) but they are definately tires that I want more of.

The best way to describe these tires is that they are really good at everything, but are perfect at nothing.

A lot of tires will have good climbing performance, then suck at handling, or have high traction, and poor rolling resistance...

The Claws are a beautiful balance of everything. They have good rolling resistance for how knoby they are.
The tread cleans itself out VERY quickly after being in mud, sand, etc.
They corner well.
They are great for both front and rear use.
Since they are non-directional, they perform as well uphill as downhill.

Bottom line: these tires are outstanding, but super hard to find!! I almost cried when I tore the sidewall one one... Then I found another in the bottom of an old box of wheels which I put in the garage like a year or 2 ago, and was overjoyed! it was better than christmas!

If you ever find some, get them! If you dont like them, send them to me!!!

Similar Products Used:

IRC Serac XC, IRC Mythos

Read review below. This is just a KICKA$$ tire, the best in it's class. Flat out the beefiest tire with the lowest rolling resistance.

None that I am aware of, really

Just a heads up to anyone interested, IRC has put the Claw Comp back into production... I'm getting my next set, are you???????

Rolls nice. Good in corners. Light weight.

Gets squirrly in sand.

These tires suck! I replaced my Panaracer Duster Pros with these. In sand, the front tire takes you in directions you don't want to go. In mud, they bind up. On trails, the dual bar tread design picks up small rocks and throws them at you either hitting you or your frame constantly! I don't recommend these tires. I ended up replacing them with Panaracer Smoke/Dart.

2.1 dual use: for front and rear; "snake-bite" pinch flat resistant (I weight 210#, ride a hardtail); easy to change tires; good price: only $25 msrp; knobby & grippy: gives me confidence on desconding on wet rocks and turning on loose switchbackin' singletracks and on steep climbs; fairly light weight for all-conditions XC use & race. Oh, they look good. gives good trail feedback.

not easy to find...
I wish'd IRC sold 2.3~2.5 high volume IRC Claw Comps...

I have used up two sets.
They're fantastic on knarley downhill trails and on fast single tracks.
Great balnce of light weight for a 2.1 and excellent traction & control: I have pulled out of a few near crashes on these tires on the front.
Until I find 2.4~2.5 wide tires of acceptable traction and weight, I'll be turning to the 2.1 IRC Claw Comp Lite
they're only $25, without having to wait for a sale.

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Hutchinson Pyton Gold 2.0, OK in avoiding pinch flats, a fast roller -- but I hate they way the H. Pyton Gold slips around. aslo tried Michelein green Wildgrippers -- eh, not so good: many pinch flats (weak side wall?)

I use this tire as my Benchmark for rating all other tires simply because it is/was the best tire I've ever ridden.

IRC doesn't offer this model anymore, which sucks.

I'm extremely dissapointed in IRC for ditching this tire, everyone who used this tire seemed to rave about it. I'm happy with it and wish I could sell this tire to my customers, it's dependable, predictable and tracks like it's on rails.

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Too many to list

Good traction for the rear.

Tend to have vibration from side to side as a front tire.

When I had the tire in the front, the bike seems to have a little bit of side to side vibration which went away when I replace with Panaracer Dart. This tire seems to be great for the rear in traction department. Rolling resistance is not as good though.

Similar Products Used:

Ritchey Elevader; Panaracer Dart, Cinder, Fire XC; Conti Explorer, Hutchinson Barracuda.