Bike was built with Maxxis Ramblers at 40mm. I know it’s not an uncommon tire in Emporia, but from what I see people talk about, I’m thinking about switching. Thoughts? My OPEN theoretically maxes out at 40mm.
Great pics, where are they from?
In 2019-ish, that was THE tire to use…but we are also 4 years past then and I think gravel tire tech has evolved a lot since then.
I think it is a very safe choice, but maybe not the “best” choice". As noted, I really like the Goodyear Connector Ultimate, which you can find in a 40 pretty easily.
The Pathfinder Pros may be an issue for you as you would have to choose either a 38 (don’t give up volume) and a 42 (would it fit your OPEN?).
Schwalbe G-One RS seems to be getting a lot of love these days…could be worth checking out.
I think maxxis ramblers are fine tires. I had them for awhile and never had issues with them. I don’t think they’re high up the performance ladder but it just depends on where your priorities lie.
I’ll be running either pirelli Cinturato M or pathfinder pros. I’m not quite decided yet but have ridden both tires a lot. If it’s muddy definitely the pirelli’s.
Upper Valley in Vermont. Inspired by the Dirty Prouty course.
Here’s what I’m working with currently:
I used 42cm double cross in 2021 unbound. 0 issues. I was forced onto some pretty bad lines early in the race due to how tight the packs were and survived some pretty hard impacts going downhill.
They feel like they roll slow on the pavement, and BRRs review of them would confirm that. But I also feel like they roll fast(er) on the gravel. I did 2021 in around 12:15 moving time on 200 watts NP, but was using aero bars.
I was finally able to get 2 good outside rides this past weekend. About 6 hours total and 90 miles. It’s been really hard to get any outside riding (live in Wyoming). Planning another weekend soon to get back to back days in the 6-8 hour range each day. Feeling somewhat last minute with all of this, but it is what it is at this point.
Hah! I knew that looked way too familiar - I’m over in Washington County on the original Muddy Onion course. The mud picture could have been my road. Looks like a lot of rain this week and next, too. Should be a fun Rasputitsa!
I own an Open UPPER and ran it for Unbound 200 last year. My clearance in the rear with the 42mm Pathfinder was about the same, and I made the call to switch to a 38mm as I was worried about mud clearance. The decision turned out to be a very smart one, as the insane mud sections last year would have done even more damage to my frame with the larger tire.
I would honestly run a smaller tire in the rear than what you’ve got right now. If there is any mud, you’ll be having a bad time
+1 on smaller rear tire. I’ve run the ramblers a good bit in the past and much prefer the pathfinders. It’s hard for me to judge rolling performance over gravel surface, but the ramblers are noticeably sluggish on tarmac and I suspect slower on really smooth grave/dirt. They do have better traction for technical/loose terrain, but that’s not a great tradeoff on most courses.
I also had a successful weekend of training and dialing in my setup for the XL. The photo is pretty much going to be my exact race day setup, 1.5L bladder in the frame bag, 2L in USWE on my back, with a small bottle at the BB for emergencies. I ran the 42mm pathfinders, but will likely swap to the 47s for the big day.
Goal for the ride was to spend as much time as possible in the aero bars, and to keep average speed above 18mph. Was successful in both, spending roughly ~90% of the ride in the aero bars, with the only times I came out being on the climbs. Also managed to keep 18.2mph average speed for 125mi/5500ft of mixed surfaces
Overall, feeling strong for long durations, but it is quite daunting that I am pretty much gonna need to do 3x yesterday’s ride in one go in a month and a half 
very impressive! I have the same aero bars but can’t manage to hold the position nearly as well. Not being able to shift from them doesn’t help I don’t think.
Are you running external battery (for lights/head unit) and carrying extra food in your frame bag then?
Yeah, the sram wireless blips are so dang clutch! Definitely don’t think I would be as consistent with the aero position if I had to come up to shift, I’m a picky cadence guy so shift fairly frequently.
And yup, I am going to run the Outbound Detour light out front plugged into a large USB battery bank inside the framebag. I will also be starting the ride with as much food as I can inside the bag, as having a large supply of food I know I can comfortably stomach for long durations will be great. Depending on how much space I have, I might keep an entire spare tire in there as well.
Watching Dylan’s Johnson’s latest video on aero gains, I’m also considering running a larger seat bag but will need to make sure it plays nice with dropper post. Between the full frame bag basically being a fairing and potential aero gains from a larger bag, I’m hopefully gonna be pretty slippery
Goal is 24hrs, which comes out to about 14.6mph for the day including stops. Next thing to work on is dialing in gas station protocol to be in and out asap, I think I like to shop around looking for tasty things too much lol
Does anyone have extra space in Emporia to crash? I’m solo and trying to figure out travel arrangements. I would be happy to pitch in if it means I don’t have to drive into Emporia the morning of! I’ll bring a sleeping pad and sleep on the floor if necessary.
I potentially will have some extra space in my Airbnb, but I am also staying over an hour outside of Emporia as the 3pm start for the XL means I don’t have to wake up crazy early to make the start line
Discovered a nice lil comfort bonus today while out on an easy recovery spin. I’ve got the 100mm AXS dropper post on the bike which I love for descents (both off-road and paved). I realized today however that I can drop the seatpost to about half of its full height, and my aero position becomes much more relaxed.
Like I said earlier, the position at full seatpost height is comfy for me for long durations, but being able to mix it up and relax the neck and back will be great over the long 350mi. Leg extension at bottom of pedal stroke shortens of course, but doesn’t seem to bother me at low endurance power. Plus, I think it is likely a faster position overall, as frontal area lowers. Will try to spend some more time testing it on long rides.
+1 for Dynaplugs as the best tire plugs available. I pinch flatted my MTB rear tire today. One hole in the tread, and another right by the bead. The hole in the tread required the big Dynaplug, and the one by the bead one of the regular sized plugs. Sealed, and I was able to continue riding. Quick fix too - was able to seal the holes before the tire fully deflated, despite having the dynaplug in my frame storage. Highly recommended.
Having Dynaplugs in a hydration vest pocket or easily accessible in a bento and getting the puncture even partially sealed asap can save a lot of pumping.
what are people’s thoughts on frame tire clearance if it’s Monday?
My bike can handle 45s. Front has plenty of clearance. Rear has about 10mm of clearance between seat tube and tire but only about 4mm between tire and chainstay on each side which seems a bit close if it’s muddy. The 45s are pirelli Cinturato Ms which are nice and I like the size.
If it’s muddy I was considering using a wtb resolute size 42 on the rear.
Any downsides to running a smaller tire in the rear?
I could also just order a pirelli size 40 to throw on just in case but if it’s muddy I don’t feel like it matters much and I already have the resolutes. Only downside to resolutes is not quite the puncture protection of the pirelli’s
UPDATE: Muddy NOT Monday. lol
Mondays are a bad day for tire clearance. Tuesday’s are much better 
I plan to ride with 47s. I have about 6mm of tire clearance at the rear chainstays. I’m good with that. I think there will be more benefit from having a more comfortable, less jarring ride for the the majority of the course, vs having a little more mud clearance.
4mm is starting to cut things a little closer … but I still think a bigger tire in the long run is better.
Last year, it looked like most people were walking the really bad sections anyway. So not sure a few additional mm of clearance helps that much. And this year, they have said they are going to avoid those really bad sections of road.
This all said - I have not ridden much in mud - thankfully! So my take could be wrong. I’ll bring a pathfinder 42 with me just on case - although things will have to look really bad for me to swap out tires a day or two before the race.
