Am curious if anyone here has a gravel suspension fork like the SRAM XPLR or Fox 32 TC and how you would compare it to a hard tail mountain bike fork?
Am registered for Leadville and started educating myself a bit more about the course, it seems like the best bike is considered a hard tail mountain bike, possibly with road handlebars if you don’t mind having a frankenbike. I don’t have a hard tail, so wondering if buying a suspension fork for my gravel bike would be better than my dual suspension MTB (which also only has one water bottle cage, so will necessitate a hydration pack).
Separately, any opinion on the usefulness of a dropper post for the course?
Hardtail or full suspension. No drop bars, this has been tried by a few like Travis Brown. He said he’d never do that setup again.
I think the best bike is something like the Trek Supercal. Lightweight and gives you a bit more comfort.
Dropper post not needed at all. Pick some good tires, ( Maxxis Icon with sidewall protection have worked for me 6 times with no flats) run tubeless, 2 bottles cages are a plus to me as I don’t like a pack on me.
It’s a long day so a little comfort goes a long way. I’ve done it 3 times on a HT, 3 on a FS. Times were comparable, weather has a bigger factor on times that anything.
Am curious if anyone here has a gravel suspension fork like the SRAM XPLR or Fox 32 TC and how you would compare it to a hard tail mountain bike fork?
Am registered for Leadville and started educating myself a bit more about the course, it seems like the best bike is considered a hard tail mountain bike, possibly with road handlebars if you don’t mind having a frankenbike. I don’t have a hard tail, so wondering if buying a suspension fork for my gravel bike would be better than my dual suspension MTB (which also only has one water bottle cage, so will necessitate a hydration pack).
Separately, any opinion on the usefulness of a dropper post for the course?
Unless your mtb is an absolute tank, you’d be far better off on a FS mtb than a gravel bike with a suspension fork, IMO. One lesson I learned at Unbound last year that could apply to anyone who finds themselves walking either Columbine or Powerline is that you could be walking for quite some time and a hydration pack makes it easy to keep fueling while you’re off the bike. At Unbound, during the first mud section, I was off the bike for 75 minutes and realized afterwards that I went that entire period without taking in fuel/hydration. Can’t really push the bike and sip from a bottle at the same time.
Thanks for the replies guys … will just stick with my mtb and live with the hydration pack. Imagine I’ll be back with more questions as we get closer.
I agree with the others. Unless you are a mtb expert hard tail is not ideal. The descents can be very rough and have a hard tail skipping all over the place.
I rode a Supercaliber and it was awesome. I still struggled mightly on the rough decents.
As somebody who lives at 1000ft above sea level, the altitude hurt me more than i anticipated. I used my 34x50 more than expected and was frustrated that the bike didn’t want to stay in the 50 without me holding the shifter button in. Most gravel bikes aren’t geared for what you’ll be dealing with out there. If i go back, I think I’d run something smaller than a 34 up front.
A full suspension XC bike with lockout would be great.
I ditched my hydratrion pack with my wife at twin lakes aid station so that i could climb Columbine without it. I was originally planning to grab it when i went back through twin lakes, but ended up sticking with bottles after that.
A full suspension XC bike with lockout would be great.
I came here to say this. ^^^
Scott’s twinloc (3 positions) would be phenomenal for a course like leadville. I’m basically a FS w/ 3-position fork/shock lockout evangelist though at this point.
A full suspension XC bike with lockout would be great.
I came here to say this. ^^^
Scott’s twinloc (3 positions) would be phenomenal for a course like leadville. I’m basically a FS w/ 3-position fork/shock lockout evangelist though at this point.
It just so happens my bike is a Scott FS w/ the twinloc!
I forgot to mention in my post above that i would not use a dropper post at Leadville. Truth be told, I’ve never used a dropper post and I’m convinced that the trails I ride would be no faster with a dropper.
I guess one could argue that the descent down Columbine is long and fast enough that you could utilize a dropper to get more aero (supertuck style); however, you also have to remember that people are climbing the same road that you are descending. Going full send in the supertuck there isn’t the safest option by any means.
I can’t imagine that I’d be descending that much faster on any section of the course with a dropper. Maybe a few seconds here or there. I’m still a bit of a weight weenie when it comes to my MTB and I’d rather stick with a lightweight seatpost.
I forgot to mention in my post above that i would not use a dropper post at Leadville. Truth be told, I’ve never used a dropper post and I’m convinced that the trails I ride would be no faster with a dropper.
I guess one could argue that the descent down Columbine is long and fast enough that you could utilize a dropper to get more aero (supertuck style); however, you also have to remember that people are climbing the same road that you are descending. Going full send in the supertuck there isn’t the safest option by any means.
I can’t imagine that I’d be descending that much faster on any section of the course with a dropper. Maybe a few seconds here or there. I’m still a bit of a weight weenie when it comes to my MTB and I’d rather stick with a lightweight seatpost.
I tend to agree with you, but… for a lot of folks who don’t have a lot of experience with long, somewhat rocky descents, a dropper can add a bit of extra psychological comfort with the descents down Columbine and Powerline, without getting into a supertuck.
Thanks for the replies guys … will just stick with my mtb and live with the hydration pack. Imagine I’ll be back with more questions as we get closer.
In case you experiment with trying to ditch the hydration pack, which I couldn’t possibly imagine using on a long day like Leadville, couple tips….
Pirelli SmarTube - incredibly small and compact, but pricey… but they’re so small I carry two on race days as a precaution.
One Up EDC pump - link below.
Then I just toss a bag that attaches to the top tube and toss the tubes and nutrition in there so I don’t have to wear a pack or even put anything on my jersey pockets. Really happy with this setup as a whole.
Reviving an old thread related to a question about Leadville 2025. If I get no response I’ll start a new thread for better visibility.
I’d really like to try to finish the Leadville 100 on my gravel bike (2024 Diverge). I’m definitely BOP material on either a MTB or gravel bike (I’d need an e-bike to be relevant in this race) so I’ll position myself at the back of the start and I’ll be pacing my ride for a 12 hr finish. I’ve watched the youtube video and for the one I watched the trail did not look that bad, IMO. I understand weather will play a huge role, but, if it’s been dry what are my chances to finish this race in under 12 hrs on a gravel bike?
Last year I finished Unbound 200 ~`15 hrs and 10K of climbing. There was probably at least 20 miles of really rough terrain. I’ve ridden my gravel bike in races in Iowa and Arkansas through some nasty terrain so no stranger to single track on gravel bike. I’ll plan on showing up to Leadville with the same or better bike fitness that I had an Unbound last year.
I do have a Specialized Stumpjumper expert FS sitting in the garage but have only ridden it about 100 miles and am ready to sell it as I just don’t ride it.
Besides the distance and terrain I know that altitude is the BIG factor in this race but I believe, for me, that would be a wash between a MTB or a gravel bike.
So, to reiterate, if weather is good, I show up with Unbound 200 fitness, how likely will I be to finish this race in under 12hrs on my gravel bike?
I ended up building a hard tail mtb with drop bars and taking it to Leadville to ride before the race. No bueno … you are gonna have big problems with an unsuspended gravel bike on the descents. Unless you are a true expert at rocky descents or so fit you can give up tons of time on the descents and make it up elsewhere then I’ll predict you don’t finish at all riding a regular gravel bike. Unbound and Iowa gravel races are not comparable.
Full suspension bikes have gotten so good and so light that they should be the choice for all but the highest level marginal gainers. Something like an Epic 8, Supercaliber or Obea Oiz. All can be made into 21-22 lb bikes with the right parts.
