So right now Im registered for a rough gravel race in the single speed category. My plan is to just take my time on the climbs but bomb it down the hills. The gravel here can be chunky so some grippy and thick tires are still preferable. Thoughts?
by spacepbandjsandwich
17 Comments
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Cheap-ish: tubeless and lighter/faster rolling tires like a Conti Race King come to mind
Expensive: carbon fork
Staying single speed or looking to add gears ? Nvm
Add some bar ends for extra hand points. Change rear tire for less knobby
Get your seat height up to proper level so you can pedal efficiently.
Stick on some surly corner bars [or better a cheap and well reviewed knockoff from aliexpress](https://a.aliexpress.com/_mNAa8QQ) these will retain your current brake/shifter setup and allow you some more hand positions and aero profile.
Faster tires, setup tubless; Schalwbe Thunder Burts or Continental Race Kings are actually lower rolling resistance than most all the gravel tires out AND they’ll cushion your ride a bit more than a skinnier gravel tire.
Or just go as you are and enjoy yourself. Money doesn’t win races, crazy fitness does. Trying to lighten a boat anchor of a bike is going to lighten your wallet more than anything.
Depends on how much you want to swap out/spend. Personally I’d:
– swap the cockpit to something lower with multiple hand positions (flat bar + ergon barends & Togs or sq labs inner barends)
– run the fastest rolling tires you can get away with.
– run a larger gear vs whatever you have for singletrack.
What is the terrain like? Most gravel races can be raced on lighter tires like slick 38s or CX 35s. I like to race in clipless pedals, just much less chance of coming off the bike and getting hurt when things get spicy, and you can put down a bit more power in steep grades or if things suddenly speed up. Slam your stem so you can get more aero on the flats and downhill. Good luck!
It’s a surly, I’m convinced they stuff lead bb’s in the down tube to get to their final weights. Carbon fork, carbon rims, cabon seatpost and bars tubeless tires etc will make a significant difference but honestly, you’re starting with a very heavy base weight and you’d be better off just working on strength than putting excessive amount money into this bike. Good luck
This is a little like ordering a diet coke to go with your big mac. You won’t make an appreciable difference in the weight of this bike that is going to make a big difference in how you are able to race it. So focus your effort on other choices instead.
Change your pedals to clips so you are at least transferring the most power you can to the drivetrain.
Smoother tread tires unless the terrain requires this much chunk.
Get stronger. Instead of buying expensive parts for it, get a gym membership or a training plan for the race.
I would change seat tube for carbon, fork for carbon, handlebars carbon, if you can afford carbon wheels. I would consider the tire size. Unbound has some bad sections and the tire size is usually 40-42. The tire size alone will speed you up significantly.
I mean this is like a bar hopping overbuilt mountain bike. It’s not going to be light. I love surly but a Lowside is not gonna feel light on a long gravel ride no matter what you do. I’d just focus on riding at a pace that works for you. Becoming a stronger rider is a much cheaper way of handling this. It would cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars in lighter bike parts to make a significant difference here.
Turn it into a Cross Check. Prest-o change-o.
Is your rear tire on backwards? That would be first change 😉
Making sure toure comfortable with your gearing and Ditching the 27.5×2.8 and Switching to tubeless in 29x2ish would probably be the biggest change.
Ditch the stock bars for an alloy bar.
It’s a Surly. They’re heavy, and you’re going to have to spend some serious coin for modest weight savings.
Swap tires to conti race kings or schwalabee thunder burts.
Anything else is gonna be marginal.
I guess I should have clarified, that I’m only looking for marginal changes that affect the comfort. I have a set of clipless that are going on, and I’m looking at adding some corner bars.
The goal is to survive on the single speed since right now I’m the only one racing in the single speed group
Replace the frame with a carbon one.
Easiest way to drop a bit of weight would be with new bars, stem and a regular old non-dropper seat post. I assume you’re already running tubeless. What kind of budget are we working with here? New wheels and fork would make the biggest difference, but at that point it might be better to buy a dedicated single speed gravel bike.
Now define capable.
Some semi-slick tires would be more efficient on the long smoother stretches, but then you’ll sacrifice some cushion and traction for when you “bomb it down the hills”.
Gearing looks a bit low for all around riding, but ok for climbing. A bit higher could be nice to avoid spinning out on the flat sections of the course.
You’re obviously looking a bit of a challenge or something a bit different than the average gravel “racer” based on your chosen bike for this event. You should just go ride your bike how it is and enjoy the experience.