IRC Roadlite Tubeless road tyre

The IRC Roadlite Tubeless tyre is designed for training and endurance riding, with a high level of durability and good wear rates. It rolls quickly, too, so you don't need to sacrifice huge amounts of performance for the sake of reliability.

The biggest factor determining whether you go for the Roadlite Tubeless is likely to be how wide you like your tyres. With 28mm becoming the norm on many disc brake-equipped road bikes, and even 30mm now coming as part of a standard build, the maximum width of 25mm for the IRCs might not be big enough for some. For me, 25mm is plenty on the tarmac, and these Roadlites have been fitted to my T2 since autumn and are still going strong as we head into winter.

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Higher thread counts in a tyre's construction normally mean a more supple ride, as the carcass can deform to the surface easier. This is why you see some of the open tubular clinchers on the market having numbers up to around 350TPI (threads per inch).

The Roadlite has just 120TPI in its casing but still manages to be fairly supple, offering plenty of feedback and comfort, even at the higher pressures I tend to ride.

Rolling resistance feels impressive, too, allowing you to tap the miles out at a decent pace, and with impressive grip levels in the wet and dry you don't have to back off much for the bends.

The IRCs give a surefooted ride on all of the conditions I encountered, and I see no reason for that to change as the road surfaces get colder.

The compound feels slightly tacky to the touch, which suggests it should still be supple in really cold conditions. I'll come back and let you know if that is the case in the winter.

I've been using this pair of tyres for around six weeks now and they are showing no signs of wear or damage. Considering the variation in weather and testing coinciding with the hedge cutting season that's pretty good going.

As well as the models on test, non-tubeless versions are available if you want to stick with tubes. Fitting these tubeless ones to a couple of different rim sizes (18mm and 21mm internal rim widths) was quick and simple, and they inflated easily using just a track pump to seal them onto the rim.

IRC uses a butyl coating on the inner walls of its tubeless tyres which give an airtight seal, so once the sealant is added and the tyre inflated you won't see it leaking out through the tyre carcass. It means only weekly top-ups of air are needed.

Priced at £45 rrp, the Roadlites compare well to offerings from the likes of Goodyear with its Eagle F1 Tubeless tyre, priced at £50. Reading Jamie's review, I'd say the IRCs have a nicer ride feel.

Hutchinson's Fusion 5 Galactik road tyre is only available up to 25mm too, and is a very good performance tyre. It sacrifices some of the puncture protection of the Roadlite but that is shown in the weight – 233g compared to the IRC's 339g. The Hutchinson costs £44.95.

> Buyer’s Guide: All your tubeless tyre options

Overall, the Roadlite Tubeless is a solid all-rounder. The performance is good, as are the grip levels, and from what I've seen so far I'd have no worries about running these throughout the year.

Verdict

Solid and reliable tyre that doesn't skimp on performance