Time to find another coach, IMO….she is demonstrating that she is not open to the feedback from her athletes.
What tire works for one person may not work for another in terms of traction, control, etc.
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Anyone the how wide a 2.2 raceking is on a 25mm iw rim?
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Mine measure just over 55mm.
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Get a new coach - that is quite honestly some of the worst tire advice I’ve ever heard for Leadville.
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I really feel bad for one of her athletes running slow tires. She is about 100#’s, missed the twin lakes cutoff by a single minute. She got passed by a zillion people on the rollout (being so light with slow tires), had to walk the entirety of Kevens, then legs were shot. Fast tires and “get on the wheels of the big Florida boys then drop them on the climb” would have been my advice. I was also told my 28t ring was a terrible idea as an 11 hour rider (you’ll be spun out) but as you might guess it was great and I spent more time in the 28x52 than any other gear. Not spun out a single time. Honestly it was 8 months of one fight after another. She’s no longer working with Boundless “values no longer align”. I got my entry but absolutely nothing else other than frustration with the coaching plan. A few other athletes and I have reached out to boundless for some type of closure but so far radio silence. Some of the other coaches seem to really have their act together so it may be luck of the draw.
Sigh……thanks for listening:)
Joe
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Well, at least you got something out of it… Smart on your part ignoring her advice and rolling the 28 ring. There are situations where I might suggest someone pick a slower/grippier tire at leadville, but only if the rider was a really, really nervous bike handler and they understood they are prioritizing grip over quick.
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Thanks!
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I ran a thunder burt rear but racing ray front so right with you there on a grippier front if needed and it was probably the right choice. In Florida TB front can work but on that loose rocky stuff where the edge knobs aren’t always engaged I just didn’t have the guts to go for it. Kudos to anybody in TBs or aspens or similar who lived to tell the tale lol.
Joe
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You need to go 2.2 on the RK for the fast compound which is tough on the clearance side. Im looking at Thunderburt Superground or Ralph superground (2.1), possibly TB back and Ralph front, thinking the Ralph may provide a little better corning traction. I wonder if anyone has tried that combo for gravel, or if traction difference is negligible and should just run TBs front and rear?
I also wonder what a 1-3% difference on puncture score really means on BRR, which is the difference for RKs, TBs, and Ralph.
According to DJ, puncture score from BRR is pretty much useless. He mentioned that in the latest episode of Bonk Bros with some good examples.
BRR uses the same test equipment and method as tire manufacturers themselves. Taking DJ’s comments at face value would indicate he believes that tire manufacturers do not know how to design tires to be more puncture resistant. I’m not adverse to this idea but his example of Challenge tires and logic were not convincing.
The most recent Bonk Bros episodes have shown his, and the crew’s, weakness with respect to the overall BRR testing. So I would take his comments on the puncture test with a grain of salt, as well.
I generally think the BRR test points in the right direction. Punctures are a random event but follow a broad pattern, which can make their applicability at a individual level opaque. This is especially true with MTB or aggressive gravel tires where the knob pattern can effectively double or triple the tread thickness while also reducing the ground contact area.
It’s worth noting that the puncture score is not 0-100, it’s based on force + tire thickness and theoretically has no upper bound. Touring tires routinely score over 100, with the highest 163. I’ve ridden quite a few road/gravel/mtb tires long term that have been tested at BRR, in my opinion the best framework for comparing relative puncture risk; is to only consider broad marginal differences.
If multiple MTB tires are all scored around 30 (26,30,27,29) I don’t consider any meaningful difference in puncture risk. Move up or down 10 points and that’s when an actual difference would be considered.
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I rode both setups on my 2024 checkpoint.
Thunder burt 2.1 superground front+back
Racing ralph 2.25 superground front+Thunder burt 2.1 superground back
Racing ralph in front = a lot more confidence (might be because of the size), even with cut side knobs for clearance
But feels slower on tarmac and quite a bit heavier
Thunder burt front+back is an awesome setup but they are race tire only in my opinion, they melt on alphalt, get small cuts easily and knobs start to fall apart after a 300-400km
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Thanks for the perspective. Bummer to hear the longevity is not great. Those are expensive tires.
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I’ll probably run a super race Rick on the front and super race Burt out back for Rock Cobbler 12 in February. Burt f/r are fast as heck but really not so great for front end confidence.
I remember when I first started cycling after graduating high school in the early nineties (yikes) that having different front and rear mtb tires was the norm. If I recall correctly, I had a dart up front, and I guess it was a smoke in the back. I haven’t don’t even own a mtn bike so I can’t say, but seems like things are coming full circle as far as gravel bikes go.
After doing a recon ride for an upcoming race in my area which is essentially a lot of the same course as BWR SD, I totally wiped out on a flat easy turn. I was riding my 42 mil pathfinder pros at around 35 ish psi and just lost the front end. Needless to say my recon ride proved valuable I just pulled the trigger on a set of knobby WTB Raddlers in a 45.
Anyhow, I’m not running different front/backs but I’m off the pathfinder bandwagon for the current course conditions which is very dry and loose/sandy over hard.
Last time I did Rock Cobbler in 2023, it was variable terrain with plenty of wet sections and hard dry and some sandy sections. I had 40 mm Nano’s and they were great except for getting caked up in mud but pretty much everyone had that issue.
Horrible conditions for Pathfinders, IME…the smooth center section just gives way on sandy over hard conditions. You need some knob to give the sand someplace to go.
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I learned and have the trail rash to prove it…
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Pathfinders are good for smooth gravel with lots of pavement. If more that that I’d beef it up 100%.
Disagree - this was the go to tire for Unbound just a couple years ago, and if you watch LTGP highlights they were still a popular pick at a lot of the events last season.
But for sand, yes, any center slick tire has the chance to dump you.
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Yeah, I rode Pathfinders 47’s for Unbound this year and they were a great choice. I have also ridden them a fair amount in Bentonville and also found them to be excellent.
But for the majority of my gravel riding here (hardpack trail with “kitty litter” / sand over the top), they aren’t that great. Currently on Thundero’s and they do a much better job hooking up in turns on our trails.
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