Last week, for Training Tuesday, we helped you start getting your body ready for a long gravel event, but what about your bike? Preparing a bike for a long gravel event takes some planning and preparations as well. For today's Mechanical Monday, we've got five top tips to get you ready for hours of gravel grinding.
5 Tips for Getting Your Bike Ready for a Gravel Race:
Tubeless Tune-Up
So you’ve already got the right tire, set it up tubeless months ago, and have been enjoying a burp-free, puncture-free ride. Don’t make the mistake of thinking the past predicts the future.
Fresh sealant is key, and it might not be there when you need it the most, even if you just topped off a month ago—trust us on that one. Add a bunch of fresh sealant, perhaps more than the manufacturer suggests (many list the same amount for narrow cyclocross tires as 40c rubber, which doesn’t quite make sense).
Once you’ve topped off your sealant, make sure you have a new inner tube or two, especially because sidewall cuts rarely seal with sealant. Add some tubeless plugs, tire levers, and maybe even an extra valve, valve core, valve core tool to be safe and increase your chances of getting to the finish line.
Another looks at Boyd Cyclign’s smart invention – a wingnut tubeless valve nut so you’re not stranded by an overtight nut when you need to install a tube. NAHBS 2016. © Cyclocross Magazine
Also, make sure you have the confidence you’ll be able to unscrew the presta valve nut when you need to. Consider splurging for a larger nut that offers more grip and leverage like the Boyd presta valve nut we saw at Interbike.
Even if you just use the standard nut, don’t secure them with pliers, lest you need to end up with such creative but less-than-ideal solutions:
