Tire Picks for Leadville Trail 100 MTB
Published: 8/20/2025
Tags: leadville 100, tire pick, race setup, colorado, tire
Crossing the finish line after 100 miles — 9:14 later, same air in the tires I started with.
🛠 Updated August 2026
I raced and finished the Leadville Trail 100 MTB in 9:14 in 2025 (dry, loose, smoky, and very chunky conditions) on 
If Leadville is dry, I’d now choose the blistering fast
Best Tires for Leadville Trail 100 MTB
If you’re lining up in Leadville this August, what are you rolling on for those 105 miles? You need something that:
- Rolls fast at high altitude
- Holds up to sharp fire-road granite
- Keeps air in your tires when others are flatting out
This is a race defined by flats, fatigue, and altitude-induced carnage. Putting some thought into tire choice can go a long way.
My 2026 recommendation:
- Dry course:
- Other fast dry pick:
- Wet / mixed or confidence-biased pick:
- What I raced in 2025:
Vittoria Airliner Light inserts ↗️ .
2026 Rolling Resistance Snapshot
| Tire | Weight (g) | RR @ BRR Low Pressure ↗️ | Casing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pirelli Scorpion XC RH ↗️ | 637 | 16.7w | LITE |
| Schwalbe Thunder Burt ↗️ | 701 | 17.3w | Super Race |
| Schwalbe Rick XC ↗️ | 768 | 19.0w | Pro Speed |
| Maxxis Aspen ST 2.4 Team Spec ↗️ | 685 | 26.7w | 170 TPI Team Spec |
These are measured test weights and low-pressure rolling resistance figures from Bicycle Rolling Resistance. The RR gap is why the
Race-Day Setup (What I Ran)
- Front & Rear:
- Pressure: 13 PSI front / 14 PSI rear (at ~10k ft, ~85kg system weight)
- Inserts: Vittoria Airliner Lights ↗️ (front & rear)
- Bike: Specialized Epic 8 (120/120mm, RockShox Flight Attendant ↗️)
- Result: 9:14 finish, no flats, no rim strikes, no tire drama.
Rolling into the start line feeling confident in the setup, but still plenty nervous.
How It Rode at Leadville
Climbs
Plenty of grip on the punchy, loose sections — I just made a conscious effort to keep weight on the rear tire when accelerating. The STs felt secure, even on the steeper bits of Kevins, Columbine, and Powerline. That experience is part of why I still think
On the way out to Columbine — the STs felt great on both loose climbs and chunky descents.
Columbine Upper
The rougher rocky stretches near the top were where the 2.4s shined — just point them and they track straight.
Columbine Lower Descent
It’s steep, smooth, and full of loose-over-hard corners. Riders were washing out.
- The STs gave me plenty of braking traction, but you had to respect the speed.
- Because of two-way traffic, you can’t hit perfect lines, so carrying momentum safely was about braking hard into corners, then accelerating out.
- If it had been just a little wet, you could’ve ripped these corners with a lot more speed. This was the only place I thought, “a
Kenda Rush ↗️ would be nice.”
Other Descents
On chunky fire roads, the tires felt predictable — I stayed relaxed and let the 2.4s soak up the hits.
Conditions
2025 was reportedly the driest, loosest, and chunkiest Leadville in memory. While the race is known as “not technical,” at speed these conditions made it feel technical in places. You certainly couldn’t just switch off — especially on Columbine and Powerline.
That distinction matters for 2026. In a similarly dry year, I’d be reaching for the sheer efficiency of the
Cold morning light at the bottom of Powerline.
Results
- Time: 9:14 - just outside the big buckle cutoff, but on a day with smoke and loose, and chunky trail conditions, I’m proud of the ride.
- Tire Outcome: No flats, no rim strikes, no plugs. Tire choice played a role here — Maxxis casings may not always win on rolling resistance charts, but they hold air and avoid race-ending issues.
Outward Bound return — looking/feeling a little cooked.
Leadville Tire Lessons from Keegan
Lots of riders base tire choices on hardtails. I was on a full suspension 120/120mm Epic 8, which gave me margin to run lower pressures.
In 2024, Keegan Swenson ran
👉 For mortals: run inserts and err on the side of more puncture protection and wider tires. The few watts you “lose” are nothing compared to the time lost fixing a flat at 12,000 ft.
Should You Use Tire Inserts at Leadville?
Yes. Leadville has a reputation for flats — especially on Powerline, Sugarloaf, and the high-speed fire road descents.
I run Vittoria Airliner Lights ↗️ in both tires. They weigh almost nothing, don’t affect feel, and add peace of mind at low pressure. There’s really no penalty in my book.
What the Pros Ran in 2025
Seeing the mix of setups was fascinating this year:
- Kate Courtney:
- Russell Finsterwald:
- Alex Wild:
Specialized Air Trak 2.35 (Flex Lite casing) ↗️ — FS, flat bar, Epic World Cup
- Keegan Swenson:
👉 A lot of pros went full-suspension this year, reflecting how chunky the course was. Widths ranged from 2.25s (speed) to 2.4s (security). My own
Alternatives I’d Consider
-
-
-
-
- Aspen 2.4 ↗️ — better mud shedding than the ST if weather gets interesting, though I’d still lean Rick XC in genuinely wet conditions.
TL;DR: My 2026 Leadville Picks
- Dry pick:
- Other fast dry pick:
- Wet / mixed or confidence pick:
- My 2025 race setup:
- Pressure: 13/14 PSI
- Inserts: Vittoria Airliner Light F/R ↗️
- Bike: Epic 8 ↗️
- 2025 result: 9:14 — no flats, no regrets
If Leadville is dry, the
If I wanted a little more confidence without giving up much speed, if conditions are uncertain, or if wildfire route uncertainty pushed me toward a safer call, I’d personally run
🎯 Not sure what tires to go with?
Use the RaceDaySetup Tire Selector to get personalized recommendations based on terrain, riding style, and your goals.
Try the Tire Selector →👉 Next up: I swapped setups entirely for Breck Epic (the very next day). See my Breck Epic tire picks ↗️.
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