Don,
Im doing landrun this weekend and Im planning on running gravelking mud 35s. They are 37+ wide on enve g23 rims. I hope they are fast.
PF

Definitely recommend the Maxxis Rambler, especially considering the weight of the 38C

How is the Rambler in mud. I have a set but thought the gravelking mud might be better.

Uhm, how does 'fast' matter with mud? Isn't grip a bigger consideration?

700c or 650b???

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"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."
Hunter S. Thompson

I read it as point A to point B quickest, not necessarily lowest rolling resistance.

There's isn't much in "Gravel sizes" that have appropriate tread.
Many in the CX width of 33c.

Ultimately It depends on how much grip you think you need.

WTB Resolute and Schwalbe x-One Bite (35c - Microskin TL Easy) may be the best "All-around" tubeless tires.
Treadpatterns ought to be managable in the mud and both have Tubeless casing that appear to be fast.

If you go down to a CX size, running the Challenge Baby Limus with a latex tube may be the fastest rolling option, with great grip. Drawback being that you have to run the tube and it's a 33c.

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The race I'm most concerned about is Rasputitsa in Vermont. There are chances to make up significant chunks of time on some of the paved sections. Maybe I'm looking for something that does not exist. If the thaw really kicks in traction, when it gets steep and muddy, maybe the only important factor.

Side note: If you live in the Northeast and like gravel riding/racing this is a must.

I would go with the Muddrunner 1.

Thanks. Baby limus might be perfect for this race.

Then you might have to pick grip or rolling resistance as primary consideration. Often that’s the choice: playing to your strength or weakness. if it’s highly technical and you favor control then go for a tire with best grip. If an easy course or you’re a confident bike handler then give up some tire in favor of rolling resistance. But ultimately you’ll wish the setup was different at some point on course.

Personally I think ST’s fascination with rolling resistance on gravel is a bit off. Durability, grip and volume relative to the route’s demands are much more important, IMO.

Tim J and TK are buddies and have said great things about Rasputitsa. There’s an announcement forthcoming about another new gravel event this summer in the NE.

I wish they'd bring back the Dirty Forty..

What bike is it going on? Landrun mud is a different type of mud. It's like riding through peanut butter. It balls up and sticks to everything. For Landrun mud, you pretty much want to maximize the amount of clearance you have between tire and frame. Narrow is better than wide. 37mm on a MTB frame might be ok, but on a typical gravel frame or CX bike, i would suggest 33c max.

Clearance and mud shedding should be the top priorities at Land Run this year. Protection and grip are probably equal, and next priority. You don't need something with monster tread, but you probably don't want to be on a slick or file tread. You don't need ultra protection because the rocks aren't sharp, but tires cut easier when wet, so protection is always at least somewhat important in rain. There's also the occasional big rock you might hit, so you don't want anything fragile. Rolling resistance is less important.

If it was dry, these priorities would be totally different.

I think you're on to something here. I was pretty impressed with the X One tires for CX the last two years and Schwalbe seems to generally make fast rolling tires. If it wasn't muddy enough to run PDX tubulars, I was almost always on X Ones. I haven't seen the X One Bite in a 35. The Bite is a serious tire though. Gravel mud is probably different than CX mud conditions. Lateral grip might not be as important. A mixed conditions CX tires could be a good gravel mud tire. A Bite would be for a pretty epic gravel event with how long and spaced those knobs are.

My X Ones on Stans rim (21 mm inner diameter) measured right at 35 mm after a few rides. If a 35 could be found, that might sneak it out a bit more to 'gravel' width. The Specialized Terra Pro in a 38 is a knob monster and it seems that people have a hard time flatting on those things if that's a concern for OP.

I ran a file tread last year and that was perfect. The dirt roads were frozen really well. The chicanes rolled nice on both the pavement and dirt. I have a spare set of rims and though it would be nice to have another option for this year. Could be snow, ice, mud, or crazy combination of everything. I tire that could ride parts of the siberia sections over hiking could be a plus.

Thanks for the insights everyone.

rob_bell,
I'm running an Open Upper, Sram AXS 10-33/46-33, Enve G23s. I'm a little concerned about the distance between the AXS front derailleur battery and the tire with mud running the Panracer Gravel King Mud 35s, which on the rims is a little wider than 37. I've heard that in mud you should go as wide as you can, which would generally keep me from going as low as a 32/33. From descriptions, I have read folks regretted going lower than a 35 with the type of gravel at Landrun. I did Reputitisa last year on Schwalbe G-One all around and it worked fine. I was in the top 10% of the race until I did an extra loop on the unmarked course. but I think landrun is going to be very muddy. Rain and thunderstorms yesterday and today, with the bombcyclone passing through Oklahoma City and Stillwater today and temps not getting above 51 Thursday and Friday. I am planning on sticky mud.

I'd be interested in hearing 650b options, since many tires (e.g., Vittoria Terrenos) aren't available in 650b yet. thanks in advance!

 



ultimately it depends on how much "mud" you're going to face but generally speaking this is exactly the opposite of what you should do. In the Land Run, as has been mentioned, you're more likely to get bogged down with awesome sticky clay shit. you need as in NEED mud clearance to ride as long as possible before having to scrape the stuff off so that you can roll on. Secondary would be the ability to hopefully sink through the surface mud and hook up with a more solid surface underneath.

not my bike but this is the general idea of what you'll likely be enjoying this weekend. Good luck and have a great time.

Man, that looks terrible. Thank you for the advice. Its very much appreciated. Clearly I still have some thinking to do.
Best regards,
PF

Keeping your rear derailleur & brake pads alive is going to make a much bigger difference than the specific tires you're running.

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Steve

"If you ain't first, you're last." Reese Bobby Talladega Nights

So for a fast 650B tire I'd look at the Schwalbe G-One and for a more "adventurous" tires I have the Schwalbe Thunder Burts.
Really and good skinny 27.5 tire would be an option.

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"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."
Hunter S. Thompson

I now realize that I did not know what mud is:)

I'll second the Thunder Burts in 650b, they're fast tires. Maybe not the best if there's a ton of pavement, but super fast on any dry dirt surface.

For the type of mud we have here in Oklahoma, more clearance is better. I've raced in other areas (like Barry Roubaix in Michigan) where a wide tire works well in the wet, because it basically floats over the top of their sandy wet dirt.

32s are a bit of a balancing act. You have to run them at a higher pressure than ideal so that you don't pinch flat. So, you lose a little speed because of the high tire pressure, but you would make up a lot of time riding through mud rather than walking.

The year I won land run (2017) i was on an exploro with 32s. My teammate and I rode the first mud section without a problem. I think every other person in the lead group had to stop because they didn't have enough clearance and their bikes clogged/locked up. I'm 99% sure I will be running 32s again this year.

Stillwater got less rain than originally expected, and the winds are howling today. That's a good thing, because it will help dry the course. I still think there will be some nasty sections where you'll be happy with narrow tires.

Rob_Bell,
Thank you! That is really helpful advice. Congrats on 2017 win. What tire will you be riding this year? I'm a back of the packer, just hoping to finish, but wanting to walk as little as possible.
Regards,
PF