🚵 Firecracker 50 Tire Picks – Fast, Grippy Combos for this Breck Classic

Published: 5/27/2025

Tags: firecracker50, tire pick, race setup, breck epic, tire

Don’t forget anything! - Run through the Firecracker 50 checklist ↗️

Firecracker 50 Tire Picks

This course overlaps heavily with Stage 1 (Pennsylvania Creek) and partially with Stage 6 (Gold Dust) of the Breck Epic. I haven’t raced the Firecracker 50 itself, but I pre-rode Pennsylvania Creek last year (the stage was rerouted on race day due to weather) and raced the Gold Dust stage as Stage 7 so I’ve ridden almost all of this course.

Conditions Overview

Climbs: Starts up Boreas Pass Road — a long, sustained fire road climb.
Tech: Climb to Little French is steep, loose, and partially hike-a-bike. Descending off Little French has shale, loose dirt, and some exposure.
Dirt: Dry = very loose; Wet = grippy (especially punchy trail sections after Little French).
Finish: Some fun, rocky descending into town with high-speed lines.

My Recommended Tire Combos

Depending on the weather and how things feel closer to race day, here’s what I’m considering:

Conditions	Front Tire	Rear Tire
Mixed	Aspen 2.4 WT	Aspen 2.4 WT
Dry & Loose	Rekon 2.4 WT	Aspen 2.4 WT
Wet	Ikon 2.4 WT	Aspen 2.4 WT
Confidence	Rekon Race 2.4 WT	Rekon Race 2.4 WT

Tire Pressure Plan

Very loosely planning on running (for reference - me, my bike, and my gear weigh about 86kg):

~13.5 psi front
~15 psi rear

If I get flashbacks of the GJ rim strike, I’ll likely bump front pressure to ~14+ PSI.

Use the SILCA tire pressure calculator ↗
Add a few psi for especially rocky descents or sharp shale like you’ll see off Little French.

I’ll be running Vittoria Airliners, which let me push pressures lower without risking rim strikes or burps. These descents can punish sidewalls and rims — inserts are a must for me here.

Why Not Big Trail Tires?

I’ve ridden these trails on Specialized Purgatory front / Ground Control rear with trail casings. They gripped like hell, especially descending in the loose stuff — but felt agonizingly slow up Boreas Pass. Seeing those big knobs spin on a smooth climb was a mental beatdown.

If you want confidence on the downs, that combo works. But if you’re racing for time, I’d rather use the pressure and insert combo above to get the best of both worlds.

Past and Future Testing

Previous test setup: Purgatory / Ground Control trail tires
Upcoming pre-ride: I’ll be in Vail on June 29 and hope to pre-ride the Firecracker 50 course (with camera in hand).
Will update with final tire call based on weather and course preview.

Other Notes

I’ll be using this race as a dry run for Breck Epic Stage 1, which includes a longer version of this loop.
I typically aim for 100g of carbs and 1L of fluid per hour on this kind of course. See my hydration and nutrition picks.
Look for photos of this setup to land soon — I’ll shoot on the pre-ride.

Spotted on Course

In past Firecracker 50 coverage — including a YouTube video from Macky Franklin — I’ve seen riders running a Rekon Race up front, likely prioritizing low rolling resistance with good front-end grip in dry conditions. That setup is fast, and it’s actually what I’m likely to run up front — it offers a bit more bite than an Aspen while still rolling very fast on hardpack and fire road.

Final Thoughts

This course has it all: Long fire road hauls, loose hike-a-bike grinds, and shale-lined descents. It rewards confidence and grip, but also punishes poor rolling efficiency. I’m betting on a low-pressure, fast-rolling combo with inserts — and will update here after I get boots on dirt again in late June.

📷 Page will update with course photos post pre-ride. Stay tuned.