Didn’t see a thread yet, if I missed it I apologize.
Just put these on (free) to test on some local chunky sections ahead of lining up for BS in a few weeks.
My go to tire in Texas is the S-works 42s pfinder. The 47 pros ride softer because of lower psi, otherwise they ride pretty similar to the 42s, didn’t notice a whole lot of extra traction, so I’m not 100% on them for the race yet. There’s still lots of room on this frame ('23 Crux).
Anyone else gonna be there? What setup after you bringing?
I’ll be there. It’s just an off-season fun race for me (no real training since July), so planning to ride my FS XC mountain bike for comfort and reduced stress. I’ll max out the chainring w/ a 38t and run 2.2 conti race kings. Still debating aero bars or not (hard to pass up that free speed even if I’m not being competitive).
If I was racing hard, I’d be on my gravel bike w/ 47 pathfinders, mullet drivetrain with 44t chainring, and definitely aero bars. I’ve never done big sugar, but I have ridden the gravel around bentonville a bit and there is legit chunk on that course. I’d recommend the widest tire your bike allows. Course also includes a good bit of punchy climbing, so it’s a good course for mullet gearing IMO.
It’s my A race but it’s just me vs me, I will fight hard for podiums at local events but I figure with over 1000 riders I’m just trying to put in my fastest gravel century yet. I will be on that exact setup, wolf toothe 44t x 10-52.
I’ve been looking for a fast-ish 2.1’s to run on my MOG for Big Sugar. I have some thunderburts but the traction when cornering just isn’t working for me. They puncture pretty easily too.
Just checked rules (from last year’s athlete guide) and they are not allowed. Thanks for bringing it up, I just assumed they were fine since Lifetime allows them at Unbound. I’ll just run my leadville setup and add some bar tape (and wireless blips) near my stem for a more aero position.
I raced it 2 years ago and ran Maxxis Ramblers in 45 w/ inserts…zero issues. Since then, I have ridden a fair amount down there with a number of different tire setups - pathfinder 47’s (which measured 45), 650b w/ a Thunderburt 2.1’s and even tubed Panaracer Gravel Kings in 32 (While I had zero issues with this setup, it is definitely NOT recommended for race day. )
As noted above, just run the widest tires you can. Anything above a 42 will be fine.
My biggest tip is for the descents…don’t watch the riders in front of you and make sure you are looking through the turns. Lots of riders get radar lock on the outside of the turns…especially the off-camber ones. They end up going wide and into the other side of the road. Keep your head up and look through the turns and to where you want to go. If you watch other riders, you will almost certainly go off your preferred line and once you do, you have no choice but to just ride it out, which will mean also crossing to the other side of the road.
Have a blast…it is a great race and Bentonville has become an awesome town.
Appreciated! I’ve ridden up there 3 times now, I’ll never forget my first trip up I went out with a spicy group and while I was plenty strong enough to keep up, the J street drop first thing out of town caught me off guard for sure! I was pretty nervous for the remaining 40 or so miles of that ride but we never ran into anything quite like that the rest of the way.
Power13 is spot on. This year is my third year on the line and while like you it’s “me v me” I have something to prove. I didnt feel right the previous years and I think it was the bike setup. 40s on my old bike just made me feel way too under-tired on the descents. New rig rolls up to 50s but I will likely be on 45 Rambler silk shields. See you out there and have a great race day!
Big Sugar is a great event. The weather will have an impact on the day, so hoping for great fall weather. In year 1 it rained a bit during the race but otherwise was nice, but two years ago there was a brutal headwind that made the ride south back to Bentonville in the last quarter of the race quite a slog.
I’ve never seen more flats than at Big Sugar, and that includes Unbound. In Year 1 there were people at the side of the road fixing flats from the moment it hit the gravel. After that it was a steady parade of people fixing flats the whole time the race was on the gravel portion. In Year 2 it was a little better and many attributed to the dry conditions that year and all the dust that covered the rocks. Maybe people got smarter with tire choices too. Last year I didn’t do the event.
In Year 1 I ran Rene Herse Hurricane Ridge 42s in Endurance Casing. Had one flat a mile or two before the second aid station. Was able to fix with plug/sealant. That year Pete Stetina had enough tire problems that at Aid Station 2 he stopped and had a beer…
Year 2 I ran Pathfinder Pro 42s with inserts. No flats. Tire was good on the course but I hadn’t tried the 47s at that time yet.
This year I’ll run Conti Race King 2.2s, no inserts.
From what I remember most of the more technical stuff is in the first half. There is a pretty long paved roll out from town, but when it hits the gravel it’s on. There are some fast descents with tight turns in some of the early bits and I saw numerous crashes. In Year 1 Ted King crashed out early and broke his arm in one of these section. Famously Floyd Landis stopped to help him after.
There is also a huge variability in the skill of the riders which is important to keep in mind. There were a lot of “roadies” who were really upright and stiff legged on the descents, but they are usually pretty easy to spot and avoid. It’s mostly an issue early before things start to get stretched out. Two years ago there was someone riding with a solid disk rear wheel and real skinny tires, so you’ll see a lot of interesting set ups.
It’s a great event, great terrain, and great town. Should be a ton of fun again.
The Pathfinder Pro 47s are mounted with fresh sealant… I’ve heard from several buddies that live up there that it’s dry, and appears it will stay dry, so I think they will be a good tire. I may order some inserts just to be safe, but I’ve never ridden a true knobby tire on my Crux and I don’t want to overthink it and make a drastic change this close to the race. I’m shooting for under 7 hours, I don’t care to ride with a pack, I’ll take the descents at a safe pace as I’m from North Texas and we don’t get the opportunity to send it down long steep gravel often. I’ll have my wife and 3 boys with me so I’ll need both collarbones after the race. If I could fit Conti 2.2s I would, I can fit the 2.0s, but I hear they’re not nearly as good as the 2.2s.
Ill be there for the 100. This is my first time doing this one and Im too cheap to buy new tires for it, so im on 42mm cannonballs. Maybe next year when I replace them ill go to 45s.
I am curious if my 42t oval with 11-40t rear will do fine on all the hills. Just when things hit like 18% or more with loose terrain I will have trouble with. Was tempted to get a 38 or 40 but eh
Bit curious on what I have hard are some sketchy descents. Had one this year that for some reason really spooked me, super steep and loose but handled it fine while yelling “im gonna die!” then proceeded to not die. Just feels weird when the bike sloshes around on loose crap and after lots of riding and racing I still have no idea how to feel comfortable when it seems the bike wants to go on its own, but I dont go that hard if I run into that issue.
You’re not alone. I’ve been racing gravel for about 2.5 years now and descending on loose terrain is just unsettling, I would presume this applies to most of us, but some of us have been doing it for decades and know what to expect more than others. The biggest thing I try to remind myself is look where I want the bike to go, and remember that as long as I keep the front tire weighted and point the bike where I want it to go the bike will do most of the work. It’s never going to feel stable because you’re on a surface that is moving against itself while your bike tires move against it… I try not to think about that aspect as much LOL.
Yup…you’ll definitely have those at Big Sugar. As noted earlier, and @TexanDad said, is to look where you want to go. That will usually mean NOT watching the rider(s) in front of you…because someone ahead of you will get radar lock on the outside of the turn and everyone else will follow because they are watching the riders.
Once you get off your preferred line on those descents, it is tough to get abck on it because hey are so loose. So stay focused on where you want to go and don’t worry what others are doing. Keep you head up and look through the turns, weight back and covering your brakes.
Weight back but still in the drops, I see a lot of people grab the hoods thinking they have more control. Most gravel bars are widest in the drops and you can get your hands popped off the hoods really easily and then guess what your front wheel is gonna do…
Also stay calm and loose, I know it’s counterintuitive but worrying about falling isn’t going to do you or anyone around you any good.
Lots of good advice already provided, but I’d also say bike geometry and fit have a big influence. I used to race gravel on a Trek Domane (which was Trek’s gravel bike before they released the checkpoint). While it was really tall and slack for a road bike, the geometry was aggressive by gravel bike standards. Coming from road racing background, I thought I wanted a gravel race bike with a somewhat aggressive position and “sporty” handling. And it was great on tamer gravel courses, but scary as hell on technical descents and not great on singletrack sections.
Ended up switching to a checkpoint and also went up a frame size and it’s been a total game changer. Night and day difference. Long, slack, and stable are the way for gravel in my opinion. A slacker and longer geometry doesn’t reduce pedaling efficiency or speed, but makes for a faster bike when things get chunky and steep. I don’t claim to be a great technical descender and I err on the side of safety, but I do OK on the checkpoint and I’m not generally getting dropped on tech sections in gravel races. When I was racing the domane, I’d have guys flying by me on tech descents.
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