Gravel Bikes for DK200

I picked up a Breed 20 on the weekend. I wanted bento mounts, fender mounts, a threaded 30mm BB (so T47), and my preference was to start out with 650b tires to see what I thought. Ticked all the boxes, and I liked that it was a close geo to what I ride a lot of the time.

So far really happy with it. I had asked my bike shop about fenders and they threw on a pair of Bluemels which are doing a good job in the weather.

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Looks like a smart bike, I love the white.

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Nice ! Congrats! Looks like you went with the power2max too. Sweet! I have the same bento box too. Matches perfectly! I ended up with blackburn side mounting bottle cages. I found the bolts to be in awkward locations. I couldnā€™t get my tall bottle out of a normal cage on the seattube. And I felt the lower downtube bolts had me reaching too far down low. I now use the upper bolts, with the lower bolts saved for perhaps storage, or a third bottle I donā€™t need to access while riding.

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More tire data: Blather 'bout Bikes: Time to Share Some "Gravel Fun"

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Thanks! Yeah, went with Power2Max, and have white accents to put on it. I also have some Supacaz neon purple bottle cages coming and Iā€™m excited to try those out.

I can reach the lower bolts fine while riding, so Iā€™ll be curious to know how bottles fit (I usually ride small bottles, and a Camelbak if itā€™s long and far away from gas stations). I also have a small 2.5l Apidura race frame bag that goes in the front of the triangle which should be useful for more miscellany when on longer fast rides (jacket, more food, battery for lights if weā€™re talking real endurance stuff)

The other thing I have coming to try out are the new Time Cyclo gravel pedals. Have the MTB ATAC mechanism I like but with a bit of a road platform.

All in all, should be a fun whip for hooning around when all is said and done. :slight_smile:

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Nice ā€“ I too am interested in the cyclo pedals. Unfortunately they continue to be pushed back. I was waiting for February but now they are pushed back to ā€œmid-to-late springā€ according to Time last week. :neutral_face:

Tom added the Conti Terra Speed on the link above . +10w on the best of the best road tire, but -10w on the Vittora Dry.

I have the Apidura mini frame bag too. I like it a lot. 2.5l is the smallest id go on a bag like this. I replaced the straps with silicone button ones off amazon and tried to secure the side flaps down (fail). Be sure to get side exit bottle cages like the Elite Cannabal/Rocko

Honestly, the fact that youā€™re looking at ā€œonlyā€ +20 watts for a big gravel tire over best-in-class tires like the GP5s and Spesh Turbo Cotton at 30km/h is pretty amazing. Tack on a bit for aerodynamics, and I find that a pretty reasonable cost.

( especially given that I am a /lot/ further away from any theoretical max FTP for myself, and itā€™s so fun and jammy right now to zip around on the new whip! )

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To me, the challenge gravel grinder TLR looks really good on this list.

For tires with some tread and protection itā€™s fast and itā€™s 44c.

Would this be a good tire for DK?

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From a tread perspective, I think that would be a great fast tire for DK. Minimal middle tread, ample knobs on the sides for cornering.

That said, I have heard some claim that for DK a fully-treaded w/ tightly spaced knobs is a better choiceā€¦simply because the knobs give you extra cut protection from the flint.

Very little knobs in the middle of the Challenge tire means a sharp edge goes directly into the casing, as opposed to between or into knobs.

Intuitively, that seems to make some sense.

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Good luck keeping air in them.

Nys started the Dirty Kanza on a set of Challenge 700c x 38mm TLR Gravel Grinder tires. Unfortunately, the Kanza gravel gods had nefarious plans in store for the ā€™cross legend that not even his bike wizardry could protect him from. Nys flatted on the first big climb when the side of his tread received a 5mm gash from the sharp Flint Hills gravel. Nicol said a number of other riders in the lead group suffered a similar fate, so Nys was not alone in his misfortune. Flats (and worse) are nothing new at the Dirty Kanza, after all.

Looks like a good strategy, besides loading the tires up with goo and running the tire at a low psi so theres nothing for sharp things to push against, it is to have dense texture in the tire and sideway. to fend of sharp objects.

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The word at last year was that veterans advised him not to go with those tires, that he did anyway and had some difficulty because of it.

For reference, hereā€™s what some riders of note ran last year:

Colin Strickland, last yearā€™s winner: ā€œI never considered anything less than 42c tire for Kanza, nor would I ever,ā€ he said.ā€ Specialized Pathfinder Pros, 700x42

Amity Rockwell, last yearā€™s winner: Schwalbe G-One, 700x38

Amanda Nauman: Vittoria Terreno Dry 700x40 front, Vittoria Terreno Zero 700x37 rear

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So what tires do you run at DK? Iā€™m so confused! :smiley:

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This isnā€™t a ā€œride this tireā€ answer, but this may help with the meta question. Hereā€™s advice from coaches & prior-year winners at the camp in Emporia last year, plus my own observations after a few years at DK.

  1. Ride tubeless with sidewall protection. Period. Still carry at least 2 tubes.
  2. Whatever you ride, run the lowest pressure possible to avoid pinch flats and slices in the rocky washes at the bottom of the rollers. Pick your lines carefully.
  3. Run at least 38s. Take 40s, 42s, or greater if you expect a long day and want to prioritize comfort.
  4. Default to small file tread. Evaluate your skills, and go for larger or smaller side knobs based as needed.
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I still need someone to tell me what tire, :laughing:. Thatā€™s good advice though.

The tires that Iā€™ve picked out in that category have apparently been bad ones because of past people with flats!

Does anyone know if Colin Strickland haD good luck with his pathfinder pros? Iā€™m guessing he did because he went so fast.

Iā€™m assuming those are some fast tires because of the tread pattern. That middle smooth strip looks extra thick and the other tread on the outside of that strip looks deep.

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Colin won, and didnā€™t flat, so although I didnā€™t see him discussing them in media Iā€™m guessing he liked his choice. :stuck_out_tongue:

Oh wait, he flatted twice :joy:. Thatā€™s such a long day that he still set the course record!

Iā€™m beginning to think there is no best tire and to just prepare for flats.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IOFWMQW/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_ox2tEbGYDZQ1X

Wonā€™t flat and dirt cheap. Why are the longest lasting tires always the cheapest?

There is no ā€œbestā€ā€¦there is ā€œgoodā€ and ā€œbetterā€. Too many variables to determine a ā€œbestā€.

Pick a proven tire that has been shown to work for a large number of people - Ramblers, GravelKkngs, etc. Get at least a 40c, make sure it is 60 TPI (cut protection), slam some sealant in them and roll the dice!!!

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Itā€™s looking more likely every day that we wonā€™t be riding DK this year, but Iā€™ll post the bike I built up for it anyway. I just got it together, and Iā€™m loving it. It seems as comfortable as the 853 steel it replaced, accelerates much better, and has clearance for 50mm tires. I think Iā€™ll be escaping corona lockdown with solo forest rides often.

Niner RLT 9 RDO. DT Swiss 240 w/Nox Citico rims. Easton EC90 SL crankset & power meter. Di2 hydraulic GRX levers. 160mm rotors. 1x with a RaceFace chainring up front, XT derailleur and XG-1180 10-42 cassette in the back. Vittoria Terreno Dry 700x38c tires. Including pedals, cages, & bolt-on top tube bag itā€™s about 19.75 lbs.

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