Posts

Tires

There's probably no part of Unbound that inspires more questions than tires.  Mostly, which tires?  Below are my reviews of all the tires I've used and how good they might be for Unbound.  They've increased in width over the years.  I highly recommend running the widest tire that will safely fit, because the wider the tire, the more comfortable you'll be.  The more comfortable you are, the faster you'll ride.  And it won't make you slower . There is no perfect tire. For every tire, there's at least one person who got a flat/tore a sidewall/had some other misfortune. Pick your tires and then don't worry about that choice. Many bikes are able to take a wider tire in front than in the rear. Running two different size tires is a great idea to take advantage of that.  Running two different tires works well too. Use one with a smoother tread in the rear and a more aggressive tread in the front. Whatever tires you pick, buy two sets now. Supply chain problems

Training

Image
You have to ride your bike and you have to ride it a lot.  And you should probably do some other kinds of workouts too.  You'll also need to rest a lot, because you're putting a lot of stress on your body. Progress, not perfection.  You won't be able to do every ride you planned.  You won't do every trainer session.  You won't get to the gym as often as you hoped. That's okay, because you'll still get enough training in.  You'll be nervous, but you'll be okay. What should the end of your preparation look like:  I know it's weird to start at the end, but this is the goal you should have in mind for the end of your training.  I highly recommend that you do a ride that's at least 120 miles long 2-3 weeks before Unbound.  You need to see how your body will do at that distance and length of time.  You need to make sure your pacing is realistic.  And you need to test your nutrition for well over 100 miles.  If your stomach can't handle caffeina

What Do I Need?

You Can Do This If you're planning to do Unbound (or a similar event), you can do it.  It's okay to be nervous.  It's okay to get frustrated.  And.  You.  Can.  Do.  It.  I know you can.  And you'll know you can too. What do you need? To ride 100+ miles on gravel you need some gear: A bike that is comfortable to ride for between 8 and 20 hours  Your bike should fit tires that are at least 40mm wide Clothing that will be comfortable for that distance Front and rear lights (depending on how dark you expect it to be, you'll want to make decisions about how bright that front light needs to be) A hydration pack/bladder that will carry at least 50 ounces of water Nutrition to fuel you for however long you expect to be out there A GPS unit capable of downloading a map and guiding you along a route A basic repair kit to keep yourself rolling in the event of minor mechanical problems "This doesn't seem very specific," you might say.  You're right!  But you

Welcome!

Where Are We Going? You're probably here because you've signed up for Unbound Gravel.  You may also be interested in other events like Unbound, SBT GRVL, Gravel Worlds, etc.).  My focus is on Unbound, because that's the event that's I'm most passionate about (and have the most experience with).  But what I hope is that what I talk about here will be helpful for anyone who wants to ride their bike for any distance on dirt/gravel/mixed terrain. Who Am I? I'm a recently-middle-aged guy who lives in Colorado.  I've been riding on dirt roads for a long time, because I grew up on one.  I did my first "gravel race" over a decade ago: The Anti-Epic in 2012, at which I fueled wrong and had to get a ride back to the start after finally calling it off at about 100 miles.  Since then I've started and sometimes finished a number of 150+ mile rides, including seven DK/Unbound events.  I've finished four of those as of 2021 and I hope to finish a fifth i