When speed off road is the goal, Protocol RCG-1 is the go to option. The first ever gravel tire that was developed around modern sizes first. RCG-1 is the fastest option available for the biggest races.
Unfair advantage? Maybe. SILCA’s new Protocol RCG-1 tire pairs the rolling speed of a hardpack slick with the high-volume compliance of an XC race tire. From Cat 1 and 2 Gravel races like Gravel Worlds or SBT GRVL, where tempo and comfort are paramount, the RCG-1 tire is designed to push the limits of fast gravel racing by balancing speed with control. It’s also at home on mixed surface rides that regularly transition between tarmac and dirt.
Look down the center and you’ll see a low ramped directional tread transition for forward rolling efficiency with a braking surface that bites hard when slowing down. Approach a loose, high-speed sweeping corner, and its elevated, elongated side knobs engage to maximize surface area to deliver grip and stability. It is a dual-personality tread that rolls like a slick in a straight line, yet delivers cornering confidence the moment you lean the bike.
FEATURES:
- RCG-1 Architecture: Look down the center, and you will see a low-ramped directional transition built for forward rolling efficiency, with a braking surface that bites hard when you slow down. Approach a loose, high-speed sweeping corner and the elevated, elongated side knobs engage to maximize surface area for grip and stability.
- Testing/Performance Data: Measured against the Schwalbe Thunder Burt and the Continental Dubnital, the RCG-1 rolled fastest in controlled lab testing at 25.8 watts, ahead of both at 27.0 and 29.6. It also comes in 125 and 85 grams lighter per tire, beating the leading XC benchmarks on speed and weight at the same time.
- Ideal Conditions: Cat 1 and 2 gravel races like Gravel Worlds, SBT GRVL, and Dust Bowl, where tempo and comfort are paramount. They're equally at home on mixed-surface rides that regularly transition between tarmac and dirt.
- Pulsar Compound: A high performance rubber and silica race compound engineered to hold rolling efficiency, grip, and durability in balance rather than trading one away for another.
- Race Casing: A race casing architecture developed around modern tire pressures, so the tire keeps its shape and its ride quality at the pressures wide rims actually run.
- CarbonBead BeadLock: Carbon fiber bead technology that keeps the tire dimensionally stable across its whole life, so the width you measure at installation is the width you keep.
- Ghost Shield: Our proprietary ply angle 120tpi casing offers puncture protection at higher volumes without the need for breaker layers. We suggest using the highest-volume tire your bike can safely fit.
- Tubeless Ready: Engineered for modern tubeless systems from the bead out, so sealant, valves, and lower pressures all work the way they were meant to.
SPECS:
- 45, 50, 55mm options
- 460g in 45mm, 510g in 50mm, 535g in 55mm
- 20 TPI
- GhostShield Protection
- Fastest Pulsar compound
- Width as measured on a 25mm rim after 24 hours
- Designed for the fastest of gravel courses such as Gravel Worlds, SBT, etc
- Ramped center tread for increased grip and decreased rolling resistance
- Side knobs for increased grip in loose over hard conditions
- Race Casing for flat-out speed