🗻 Breck Epic Tire Picks – What to Run for 6 Stages of High-Alpine Racing

Published: 8/20/2025

Tags: breck epic, tire, tire picks, race setup, colorado, stage race

Updated August 20, 2025

Dropping into the Wheeler descent at Breck Epic 2025.

📸 Eddie Clark Media – Dropping off Wheeler Pass at 12,500 feet.

I just wrapped up all 6 stages of the 2025 Breck Epic — dry, dusty, loose, rowdy, and fun from start to finish. Zero rain all week meant no mud tires required, but it also meant traction (and rim protection) were at a premium.

This year I ran a two-wheelset strategy:

Dry / Fast Setup: Rekon Race 2.4 120TPI EXO ↗️ front / Aspen 2.4 120TPI EXO ↗️ rear
Rowdy Day Setup (Stage 5): Ikon 2.4 120TPI EXO ↗️ front & rear

Both with Vittoria Air-Liner Light inserts ↗️ and final pressures at 16F / 18R after a couple of rim strikes at 14/16 on Stage 1. At those pressures I had zero issues the rest of the week.

Quick Tire Picks

Option	Conditions	Front Tire	Rear Tire
1	Dry + Fast	Rekon Race 2.4 ↗️	Aspen 2.4 ↗️
2	Technical / Rowdy (esp. Wheeler)	Ikon 2.4 ↗️	Ikon 2.4 ↗️
3	Wet / Variable	Ikon 2.4 ↗️	Aspen 2.4 ↗️
4	Muddy / Sloppy	Karma 2 Pro ↗️	Karma 2 Pro ↗️
5	Max Confidence (my 2024 setup)	Purgatory 2.4 ↗️	Ground Control 2.35 ↗️

Notes

Option 1: My go-to for 5 of 6 stages in 2025. Fast, light, efficient for Breck’s long climbs and loose singletrack.
Option 2: Perfect for Wheeler or any stage with long, steep, loose descents. I swapped to these in 2025 and was glad I did.
Option 3: Balanced option if rain threatens — extra grip up front without killing speed and the Aspen sheds mud well in the rear.
Option 4: Didn’t need these in 2025 (zero rain), but a solid insurance policy if Breck turns into a mudfest.
Option 5: In 2024, trail tires were slow on climbs but gave huge confidence in the wet, on Wheeler’s descent, and plowing through rock gardens. For many riders, this could be a solid one-combo option.

✅ If I only brought one combo, I’d pick Aspen 2.4s ↗️ front and rear with inserts ↗️ . But swapping to Ikons for Stage 5 Wheeler gave me the confidence I needed on the rowdiest descents of the week.

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Stage-by-Stage Terrain & Setups

Stage 1 – Pennsylvania Creek / Little French:

Loose, dry, and steep up the infamous Little French hike-a-bike (2 HAB sections for me on this climb). In 2024 this stage was shortened by rain, and I ran trail tires (Purgatory / Ground Control) that gave tons of grip and confidence in the wet. In 2025, it was bone-dry — I ran Rekon Race ↗️ / Aspen ↗️ at 14/16 PSI, but rim-struck a couple times and bumped up to 16/18 for the rest of the week. Fun and familiar stage for me - a little test of what the body was up to after Leadville the day before.

📸 Trabold Photography – Splashing through a creek on Stage 1.

Stage 2 – Colorado Trail:

Endless singletrack with plenty of techy, rooty climbing. In 2024 I didn’t race this stage, but in 2025 it was a highlight: loose descents where an Ikon ↗️ in front would’ve helped, but I stuck with Rekon Race ↗️ / Aspen ↗️ which felt great on the climbs and offered enough grip on the descents. I’d estimate that were only 3 miles of non-singletrack riding this day. After a conservative effort on Day 1 - I pushed hard on this day and my tires held up for the effort without much thought.

📸 Trabold Photography – Carving through loose singletrack on Stage 2.

Stage 3 – Guyot:

A massive alpine climb into thin air, then the legendary rocky Guyot descent. Not a ton of corners on the top of this descent - it just keeps you on your toes. Near the bottom there are some techy rock gardens to be navigated - this is where wide and/or more agressive tires shine and those with lighter casings must choose their lines wisely. In 2024 I was thankful for big, grippy trail tires when the lower section was wet and greasy. In 2025, dry conditions made it loose — I managed fine on Rekon Race ↗️ / Aspen ↗️ , but the rock gardens were a bit of a handful and this was one of the few stages I might’ve preferred Ikons but I also felt very quick up the subsequent smooth, big climb of the day making the Rekon Race / Aspen the right overall correct choice for me.

📸 Eddie Clark Media – Locked in on the Guyot descent.

Stage 4 – Aqueduct:

The long but fast day. In 2024 it was a welcome breather after Guyot — the trail tires rolled slower but gave me total security. In 2025, Rekon Race ↗️ / Aspen ↗️ felt perfect: fast, snappy, and efficient. Loose corners were a little sketchy, but short of running full-blown trail rubber, no tire setup was going to magically fix that.

Nearing the finish on Day 4.

Stage 5 – Wheeler Pass:

The queen stage (Stage 3 might be considered a Queen stage as well) — a massive hike-a-bike above 12,500 feet, then the steepest, loosest, most exposed descents of the week. In 2024, my heavy trail setup kept me safe and confident especially with a storm that blew through that morning. In 2025, I swapped to Ikon 2.4 ↗️ f/r and it paid off — the extra tread gave me braking and cornering confidence to stay upright and quick on the terrain. This day really made me realize how excellent the Ikon is for rowdy descending. This was probably my favorite day of the week and the Ikons were partially to thank for that.

📸 Eddie Clark Media – Dropping off Wheeler Pass at 12,500 feet.

Stage 6 – Gold Dust:

A grinder up some singletrack and then Boreas Pass Road followed by fast, classic Breck singletrack. In 2024, the big tires got me through, but they were very slow on the long climb (the most steady, smooth climbing all week). In 2025, Rekon Race ↗️ / Aspen ↗️ felt like the perfect closer — quick on the climb, controlled on the loose, dry, fast, descents, and the ideal way to wrap up 6 (7 including Leadville) days of racing above 10k feet.

With my coach, Mike Durner, at the finish of a long 7 days of Lead Epic!

Pressures, Inserts & Durability

Final pressures: 16F / 18R (rider + gear ~86kg)
Inserts: Vittoria Air-Liner Lights f/r ↗️
Durability: Zero flats all week, zero tire issues. Inserts likely saved me on Stage 1 at lower pressures. Topped off the Orange Seal ↗️ twice during the week.

Who Should Run What?

Rider Type	Recommended Setup
Speed	Rekon Race front ↗️ or Aspen front ↗️ / Aspen rear ↗️
A bit more balanced	Ikon front ↗️ / Aspen rear ↗️
Prioritizing confidence (but keeping it XC)	Ikon f/r ↗️
Maximum Confidence	Purgatory front ↗️ / Ground Control rear ↗️
Mud / wet forecast	Karma 2 f/r ↗️

Final Takeaways

Rekon Race ↗️ / Aspen ↗️ carried me through 5 stages without issues — fast, light, and efficient.
Ikons ↗️ were the star of Wheeler. They over-delivered on steep, loose, rowdy descents and are my “don’t-leave-home-without-them” tire for Breck.
Bring options. Course conditions change and weather changes year to year. Even though I didn’t touch my mud tires, having them in the gear bag gave peace of mind. I also don’t like running Rekon Races in mixed and especially not wet conditions (great tire for dry conditions only IMO). Having extras like the Aspen ↗️ and the Ikon ↗️ to fill the gap between full on slop and dry as a bone was key.

If you’re heading to Breck, plan for durability, traction, and confidence over six days. A fast tire might save you minutes on smoother stages, but the wrong setup on Guyot or Wheeler could cost you the whole race. With attrition such a big factor, lean toward the more conservative choice — you won’t be disappointed.

Epic 25 - Stage 1 creek crossing on Pennsylvania Creek / Little French.

📸 Trabold Photography