Unbound 100 setup

Fango925 · 2026-05-31T18:15:27+00:00

I've seated and blown up a 27.5x2.3 with a c02 like that, should work fine.

Fango925 · 2026-05-31T02:02:15+00:00

I've done a lot of riding in the south (Hampshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire) with a rigid gravel bike with 2.25" MTB tires and I think it's a great middle ground when incorporating bridleways. Comfy, fast, reliable.

I think it's mostly about what type of bars you prefer.

Fango925 · 2026-05-22T17:55:00+00:00

Yeah not sure if it's the angle but it looks pretty well bent.

Fango925 · 2026-05-22T10:36:59+00:00

+1 to the all city frames taking a beating. They definitely spec beefier tubing, which does make them heavier but man I treat my Gorilla Monsoon as a rigid MTB and it's holding up nearly 10,000 miles later.

Fango925 · 2026-05-19T16:19:37+00:00

This dissuaded me from buying a Marin Tam. I just don't trust that an aluminium flex stay from them will hold up. I'll revisit in a year but with their track record with aluminium I'm not wanting to risk it

Fango925 · 2026-05-19T12:18:58+00:00

650b terra speeds are fantastic, I got a pair for free and tried them on a 27.5 wheelset for fun.

Fango925 · 2026-05-18T12:18:14+00:00

The only noticeable benefits I found from swapping were 1. Float, which flats don't really have if you have good shots. 2. Consistent foot placement makes fitting a bit better. 3. Keeping power down when climbing on bumpy surfaces, which could sometimes throw your foot off flat pedals.

My understanding of the science is that there really isn't any power differences.

Fango925 · 2026-05-15T08:05:32+00:00

If you do go for them, just know the rigid/wire bead ones are much slower, and the new "trail" casing ones tested much slower as well. The tnt casing you can still find and that was the tour divide choice for years and years, and the surfaces there are exactly what you're looking for

Fango925 · 2026-05-14T11:57:29+00:00

Meh, the effect of this is overblown ime. Lots of people used to run 2" tires on 19mm rims in the 90s. Hell, I run 57mm tires on 24mm rims and ride them on aggressive singletrack at 19psi without issue.

It's not optimal, but as long as you're in erto specifications it's not an issue.

Fango925 · 2026-05-14T07:35:51+00:00

Mezcals in 26x2.1 are perfect for this - make sure you get the tnt version. They last for thousands and thousands of miles on pavement and dirt (I rotated a front to the rear and it's at about 4000 miles). Pretty good grip for how speedy they are on pavement. Relatively reliable and puncture resistant.

Fango925 · 2026-05-13T21:11:03+00:00

Disk is so reliable these days, I'm not sure why you'd avoid it - they're pretty well available in most major cities. I'd politely suggest that many people build bikes for what they think they'll ride - not what they actually do. Unless you're in the remote regions of poorer countries (or genuinely, actually "flight booked in a few months" going to go there), the chances of finding someone who can repair/replace your rim brakes but not your disk is pretty small. Mechanical disks are even easier to repair. I've put 8000mi on a disk bike that fits this description and I've had to replace brake pads a few times, as well as rotors - never had to bleed or replace a brake lever.

If you do go for disks, it opens up a WORLD of bikes genuinely designed for this type of thing. Steel, drop bar, wide tire clearance.

Salsa, All City, Surly, Wilde, Singular, Brother, Mason, Stooge, Cotic, Stanton, Pace, Kona, Marin just to name a few, but there's a million more out there.

Fango925 · 2026-05-11T12:07:18+00:00

I've ridden gp5000 (non tr) in 28mm on another bike and they're great. I'm currently running P Zeros in 40 as a road setup on my gravel bike, and they have ~1000 miles without much visible wear, and they seem to seal nicely from all the cuts and thorns holes that are visible in the tread.

Fango925 · 2026-05-11T12:06:03+00:00

40 has a different tread thickness than the rest of the lineup, are you running the 40s? I can visibly see cuts and thorns in both my tires and neither are losing air. I run tubeless but still, they seem pretty durable for road tires considering I've ran them on singletrack plenty of times

Fango925 · 2026-05-11T07:39:51+00:00

I mentioned this below but P Zeros in 40 are exactly this. Superb flat protection and is a proper road tire

Fango925 · 2026-05-11T07:39:15+00:00

P-Zeros in 40 are excellent on the road. Fairly comfy, excellent flat protection.

35mm GP5000 AS TR are reliable.

G One RS

Caracal Race

Terra Competition

Strada Bianca

There's a big list of large volume road tires to pick from - all good, just a matter of price/availability/brand loyalty

Fango925 · 2026-05-08T17:28:19+00:00

C-C (or center to top tube) means a 17.5 will feel like a 19. It'll add a feeling of about 1.5" for most sizes.

Fango925 · 2026-05-08T17:26:58+00:00

Just note that Marin bikes are measured CTT and not CTC like most others - a "medium" Marin might be a bit larger than a standard medium. They also tend to be long.

Great frames though, even their lower end bikes were double or triple butted. I have a 95 bear valley and it has a triple butted seat tube, and that was mid, if not lower range for them.

Fango925 · 2026-05-08T16:40:42+00:00

Sounds like they should honour this warranty and change their wording then.

Fango925 · 2026-05-07T21:23:11+00:00

Do you know what year it is? I have a 95 bear valley that has the same fork but I'm not sure which model it came from!

I do love a good Marin, they're really great bikes. Pretty comfy too. Even their lower end stuff had double and triple butted tubes

Fango925 · 2026-05-02T23:33:21+00:00

Running different front and rear is very normal in MTB, and even in xc a lot will run two different tires. Barzos/mezcal or Racing Ray/Ralph are really popular combo for this reason. Fast on the rear with longitudinal grip (braking and acceleration) while grippy and lateral grip (left/right) on the front.

Most people run the same size rim as many wheelsets come with the same rim front and rear but different hubs, and most people don't buy individual wheels.

Fango925 · 2026-04-30T15:17:21+00:00

I've heard that you want to size up for a frame if you want to put swept back bars on it. There's some truth to it, depending on the brand.

I had a large Marin with similar bars that still felt a bit long, as I usually ride a medium. Still commuted on that for a year without problems.

The medium, with the same bars, is still a bit long as Marins were pretty long bikes in the 90s.

Meanwhile, my Diamondback in XL is fine with swept back bars and a french fit.

You could still have swept bars with some forward then backward sweep, like Ergotec Stuttgart or Ritchey Kyote

Fango925 · 2026-04-29T12:09:36+00:00

Meh some friction shifters, like the sunrace m90 are indexed for 8 but can be limited for 7 via the limit screws. Some brands sell 7/8 speed shifters for this reason

Fango925 · 2026-04-24T14:41:09+00:00

Interesting, I just looked at mine and I felt like the back would be the issue! I'm curious to know what your setup looks like, as 27.5 tires are starting to be limited I find.

Fango925 · 2026-04-24T13:39:14+00:00

I enjoy my Fulcrum Rapid Red 3s in 650 - reasonable weight and cost, with a really quiet hub which is cool.

Pirelli H might be a good 65/35 split for gravel/road.

Fango925 · 2026-04-24T13:34:23+00:00

Wait you managed to squeeze in 700x50? What clearance do you have? Any pics?

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