I’m doing the Unbound gravel 100 in June and trying to find the toughest and most puncture resistant gravel tires. Right now I have WTB Riddler 700x45s. Are there better tires I should ride for this race or will the Riddler’s be ok?
I recommend you subscribe to the Unbound Gravel 2023 FB group. The most popular threads in that group relate to tire selection. You never know weather-wise what you’re going to get. Last year, it was a mud fest, but it could be a sweltering and very dry ride.
As a data point, last year, I rode Vittoria Terreno Dry 38s and suffered no punctures on the route. I will probably ride the same tires this year, only new ones put on in early May.
Feel free to DM me. Good luck.
Thanks! That is definitely one of the tires I’m looking at. I’ll check the FB group.
The majority of the FB group agree that the sweetspot for Unbound tires are 42s. The thing about the Terreno Dry 38s is that they actually measure about 43cm sidewall to sidewall. I didn’t realize it until I was riding with a friend side by side and he had 40s and I could tell mine were appreciably wider.
Also, remember to think about clearance in your selection. Last year, many people were stuck having to remove mud because the mud didn’t have enough room to be cleared out from the frame in the heavy rains.
I haven’t done Unbound but I’ve been very happy with Rene Herse Hurricane Ridge tires, riding everything from pavement to single track around Boulder.
I’m doing the Unbound gravel 100 in June and trying to find the toughest and most puncture resistant gravel tires. Right now I have WTB Riddler 700x45s. Are there better tires I should ride for this race or will the Riddler’s be ok?
Do you use Gatorskins for TT’s?
Ivar Silk won Unbound 200 last year on Schwalbe G-ONE RS which have minimal puncture protection.
In 2019 I was freaked out about flats, and ended up riding Donnelly MSOs in 650x42. Bomber tires and I didn’t have any issues, though they are heavy compared to other options. I agree about frame clearance. '19 was a dry year, so no issues for me on that front then.
I flatted 2x on first 200, 1x on second 200, then 0 on third and a 100. Ted King didn’t flat when he won the first time and then had 4 the next year. So a one-off anecdote about Ivar’s luck wouldn’t mean much for my selection.
To the OP, a 42-45 is typically a good width. I’d only go for a tire with reinforced sidewalls or bead-to-bead puncture protection (believe the Riddler has this) to help avoid sidewall tears. Been riding the 42 Specialized Pathfinder Pro since last summer and put it through abuse worse than Unbound. It’s easily my fav gravel tire. It has reinforced sidewalls and a center strip, which I don’t think the S-Works version if speed is a bigger consideration for you.
Choosing a tire based on “toughest and most puncture resistant” is a terrible way to pick a tire too.
Why not just use solid rubber, or maybe ride a MTB or fat bike then?
I rode the DK200 in '19 on Specialized Trigger Pros 700 x 38. No flats and I certainly saw a lot of them that day. I was riding a Diverge so I had some shock absorption in the front. My ass was sore after that ride but I don’t think tire size had everything to do with that.
Is picking a tire because it rolls well on a metal drum that has little in common with Emporia roads a better idea? What tire have you ridden at Unbound?
Btw, the Pathfinder Pro gives away 3.5 watts to the RS but demonstrated ~40% more puncture resistance in BRR’s test.
Choosing a tire based on “toughest and most puncture resistant” is a terrible way to pick a tire too.
Why not just use solid rubber, or maybe ride a MTB or fat bike then?
Terrible for whom? 95% of Unbound riders are looking to get a decent time and finish strong. Not optimize to get 5W extra to finish in 14:13 instead of 14:17 or something.
There are some sections with sharp-ass rocks, and dealing with a massive sidewall slash is just an awful way to have fun.
Ivar Silk? Sure, if you’re going all-in for the win and have done the recon to avoid all the sections with the razor-sharp rocks, sure, send it on the racey tires.
A 40K TT is an awful comparison to the Unbound 100/200/350.
I know it’s hard to predict the weather but I would go with the 42mm Pathfinder Pro if dry and your current WTB Riddler in 45mm or Panaracer Gravel King SK Plus in 43mm if rain in the forecast. Good Luck.
Never ridden there.
But I don’t know why people wouldn’t ride a hard tail
Mtb with a rigid fork with 2.1 inch tire. Thunderburts have Lower crr than the fastest gravel tire
Per the brr website.
A big volume tire seals better, rolls better on gravel and doesn’t leave your ass as pained. I think many gravel cyclist underestimate the penalty that micro shocks have on you.
Choosing a tire based on “toughest and most puncture resistant” is a terrible way to pick a tire too.
Why not just use solid rubber, or maybe ride a MTB or fat bike then?
Terrible for whom? 95% of Unbound riders are looking to get a decent time and finish strong. Not optimize to get 5W extra to finish in 14:13 instead of 14:17 or something.
There are some sections with sharp-ass rocks, and dealing with a massive sidewall slash is just an awful way to have fun.
Ivar Silk? Sure, if you’re going all-in for the win and have done the recon to avoid all the sections with the razor-sharp rocks, sure, send it on the racey tires.
A 40K TT is an awful comparison to the Unbound 100/200/350.
Congratulations on missing my point.
Here it is again: Puncture resistance as the only criteria for picking a tire is bad. I made the comparison to TT’s because this is a triathlon forum and I’ve seen too many triathlete’s put Gatorskins on pricey aero wheelsets.
Here it is again: Puncture resistance as the only criteria for picking a tire is bad.
Why? If you don’t care about losing 2-10W or something. Unbound is a predominantly recreational event. Hand-wringing over a few Watts just isn’t worth it for some. If you followed all the pros who don’t win, a shocking number of them spent a ton of time at the side of the road. If you’re not going for the win, then the risk of spending time at the side of the trail just isn’t worth it for many.
triathlon forum and I’ve seen too many triathlete’s put Gatorskins on pricey aero wheelsets.
The odds of flatting in a triathlon are low. The odds of flatting at Unbound are high. There are literally sharp flint rocks all over the place. There is no comparison.
Why? If you don’t care about losing 2-10W or something. Unbound is a predominantly recreational event. Hand-wringing over a few Watts just isn’t worth it for some. If you followed all the pros who don’t win, a shocking number of them spent a ton of time at the side of the road. If you’re not going for the win, then the risk of spending time at the side of the trail just isn’t worth it for many.
Might as well ride a fat bike then, just to be extra sure. Time doesn’t matter, right?
Might as well ride a fat bike then, just to be extra sure. Time doesn’t matter, right?
Now you’re just being silly. Yes, our only choices are the thinnest possible racy gravel tires or a fat bike. 
That said, yes, I’ve had a fantastic time on a few gravel races with a hardtail MTB. Though since I wasn’t being hardcore racey at the time, I did stop to help a few people fix their flats. Including a pro who’d burned through both of his CO2 cartridges.
That’s a red herring. Nobody said choose a tire ONLY based on puncture resistance. My suggestion was be sure a tire has an adequate amount and sidewall protection or a bead-to-bead belt because flint rock has a habit of shredding them.
What tires have you had experience riding there?
Nobody said choose a tire ONLY based on puncture resistance.
Really? Reads that way to me:
trying to find the toughest and most puncture resistant gravel tires