Answer
Of course! Who doesn’t?
In fact we have 4 cycling-related pages:
1. Fire Road 100: Which is focused on this race in particular;
2. Gravel Grinder Cycling: Which covers all our mixed-terrain events;
3. Planet Ultra: For all our roadie-only friends;
4. Hoodoo 500: Catering to our über-ultra racers.
Please Like and Follow us on one or all. On occasion the same post will appear on each of the pages; but generally speaking you won’t be inundated with stuff on your newsfeed because honestly, we’re out riding our bikes.
Oh yeah, we’re on Instagram too!
Q: Which bike should I bring?
Answer
For those of you stoked to have N+1 bikes and actually have a choice, a gravel bike, adventure bike, cyclocross bike or hard-tail mountain bike are all fine choices. Entirely up to you. Make it part of your strategy.
That said, a full-suspension mountain bike is not needed or recommended; but if that’s all you’ve got, bring it.
A road bike would be a big mistake. Seriously.
Q: What gearing should I use?
Answer
This race has over 7,200′ of climbing, some of it very steep; all of it on dirt. The highest elevation is over 9,000′.
Unless you are well acclimated to elevation, you can expect to have to upshift at least one gear more than you’d normally climb with.
The largest gear we’d attempt for this race is 34×32. Our personal bikes are actually 34×36.
If your gravel/cross bike has the traditional 36/46 cyclocross chainrings and 11×28 cassette, unless you’re a pro, you’ll regret not changing gears.
If you’re bringing a mountain bike, you probably already have sufficient gearing, especially if you have a double or triple crankset.
If you’re running a 1x, especially if your bike is set up for cyclocross or cross country racing, we suggest you seriously consider downsizing the chainring one or two sizes.
Q: Which tires should I use?
Answer
That’s a tough question.
Everyone has different skills and comfort level on the bike. But we can say two things for sure:
We highly recommend tubeless; and we would NEVER attempt the race with slicks.
For most riders with decent skills, we recommend a tire with file tread or a more gravel oriented tire like a Clement X’plor. For a mountain bike, a XC racing tire should suffice.
Q: What should I carry during the race?
Answer
Water: 2 bottles or a Camelbak. Your choice. One bottle is NOT enough.
Repair: At least two tubes and either a pump or several C02s. We’ll have lot of support on the course; but as all seasoned riders know, invariably you’ll flat just after SAG passes you, or as far from an aid station as possible. So please come prepared to change your own.
Gravel riding can be hard on your bike so bring a multi-tool as well. Be sure your tool has a bit for every fastener on your bike and that it can reach them!