Will be participating at BWR in Bozeman at the end of June. I haven’t done any riding out there and wonder if anyone has thoughts on tire choice? Any comments on the surface types we will see? I have several 38mm Vitoria tires now, (zero, dry, mixed) and have been generally happy. I am also considering the 40mm (max size for frame) Cont Terra Speed. My set up is tubeless, but would consider inserts if necessary.
Thanks for your insights
I use to live in Bozeman. This was several years ago, but dropping the street view cam on several of the gravel roads it seems like it’s pretty similar to how I remember. It should be mostly category 1 and 2 gravel. Paved road quality can be hit or miss in Montana based on how rough the winter was and when the last time they took care if it. Some are really nice, some make you wish you were on gravel
Which Vittoria tires do you have? The Conti Terra Speed has pretty good rolling resistance and depending on what model Vittoria you have may be faster. I put a few thousand on a pair and they worked fine for me. I think they would be a good fit for this course. Not doing it this year but if I was I think I would either run the Terra Speed or maybe the Hutchinson Caracal Race TLR 40 (I have not used these yet but they are 4 watts faster per tire than the Terra Speed and look like they might have just as good if not better grip and puncture resistance per BRR). I personally wouldn’t bother with inserts.
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Thanks for the reply. I have a set of Terreno Zero’s, Dry’s, and Muds. All 38’s. Should I assume conditions will more than likely be dry? Thanks for the recommendation on the Hutchinson, I will check them out! The RR on both look superior to the Victoria’s
Having used 35 and 40mm Terra Speeds and 40mm Caracals, the Caracals feel faster. However, they lack the grip on looser terrain when cornering. If you’re doing a gravel race with technical single track, especially loose over hard, or if the gravel route has a lot of descents that are technical or include high speed cornering, you may find Caracals end up being slower.
I destroyed my almost new Caracal (first sliced, then added a 7-8mm puncture) and swapped to new Specialized Tracer TLR in 45mm. I find it feels just as fast as the Terra Speed on paved stuff, but a slight touch off of the Caracal. On loose stuff, there’s just no comparison - TS grips, I can climb steep/loose stuff reasonable, and have no issues descending (at least none introduced by the tire vs. my own handling skills, or limitation thereof). They also are supposed to wear a lot better than the TS, which I can confirm is the case so far after about 1500km.
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Yes, most likely it will be dry conditions
I am going to run Terra Speed 45’s with Orange Seal.
Its what I have been riding this and last season. They get good grades for being fast and do well in most conditions.
I don’t think we are going to get much info on the course till right before the race.
Thanks Mike. Good luck out there!
Ran across this on a quick Google search: Ride with GPS | Bike Route Planner and Cycling Navigation App
As always, it is unofficial so take it with a grain of salt, but looks to be the likely candidate.
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