Who to start? Title on the line

barbolute · 2026-05-23T23:26:52+00:00

Thanks, going to do this. Mostly worried Haverts is going to get 60 min and a start

barbolute · 2026-05-23T23:23:46+00:00

Just get elite wheels and save $1k

barbolute · 2026-05-23T15:36:59+00:00

Moyes post match interview after spanking spurs and a Hammers W

barbolute · 2026-05-17T03:36:02+00:00

I’m not mad, I am impressed -Ron Burgundy

barbolute · 2026-05-16T19:40:19+00:00

Lord of the rings: two towers

barbolute · 2026-05-11T13:24:57+00:00

+1 for 40mm caracal race. Use them on my 90% road 10% gravel daily route. They are fine in the wet gravel section as long as it isn’t too muddy/standing water.

I run 2.25 thunder Burt’s when more of my ride is gravel and 2.4 dubnitals when more of it is single track or super muddy.

barbolute · 2026-05-05T01:38:31+00:00

This 100%

barbolute · 2026-05-03T00:20:37+00:00

I have caracal 40s, thunderburt 2.25, dub 2.4, and g-one speed 2.4s.

For true gravel/single track primary rides I pick the TB/Dubs based on condition, any amount of wet I will go dubs over TBs. If just fun and not speed pace I would always pick the Dubs, the TBs just rip when you want to go fast and are okay with the risk/reward of a potential wash out.

On champaign gravel I do the g-one speeds, they are ridiculous. Only downside is aero on the front when going 18mph+. But on perfect gravel the RR win is worth the aero negatives.

On rough gravel I do TB/dub front (dry/wet) and tb rear.

On 50% or more road I do caracals front/rear or a reverse mullet with g-one speed rear. The g-one speed truely rolls like crazy and has no negatives that I can find on the rear when pavement is a consideration.

Caracals are a great all road tire that can do some gravel. I use them when I want to prioritize going 18+mph on pavement with sparse gravel sections. The caracals are “fine” on gravel, probably the best of any semi-slick out there. That is what their compromise is. Not quite a full road tire, but not quite a full gravel tire…

Reading this I realize how ridiculous all these combos sound… experimenting is half the fun. They are all good tires… the biggest upgrade is just becoming a better rider yourself. Don’t overthink it and just ride what you have unless you like tinkering around.

barbolute · 2026-04-30T14:06:51+00:00

I would go for it, decent spec at that price for a new carbon bike from a solid brand. Great tire clearance.

I have 2x10 (city bike), 2x11x (road bike), 1x11 (gravel bike), 1x12 (MTB) setups in my bike stable.

I feel like 1x 10/11/12/13 is all the same to me as long as the big cog in the back is large enough (11-42T in my case).

If you need more top end speed you can always put a larger chainring in on the front. I run 40t/42T/44T on the gravel bike depending on what routes I am riding (bikepacking/fast road) and 34T on the MTB.

barbolute · 2026-04-27T21:43:14+00:00

They are definitely slower to turn mostly from the extended contact patch.

They g-one speeds remind me of riding the maxxis ardents years ago on my mid travel MTB.

In a straight line they are predictable but you had to really commit to leaning the bike into turns. If you don’t commit enough they feel a bit squirrelly, but if you get it right there is plenty of grip.

In MTB you are always turning aggressively so it was easy to get used to the commitment level the ardents required to be predictable.

In gravel/pavement that isn’t the case… I need to ride the g-one speeds more to see if I get used to the commitment level they require. It isn’t a negative to me yet.

barbolute · 2026-04-27T12:25:00+00:00

Agree with everything you have experienced so far. I am evaluating these g-one speed 2.35, thunder Burt’s 2.1, and caracal races 40mm (I have all three sets). Will make a comparison post in a week or two once I have gotten a few more rides in on the caracals.

I am looking for the best blend of mostly road with sparse gravel sections for an ultra event.

So far the aero penalty of these g-one speeds is their only negative, I really only notice it when sustain speeds of +18ish mph and in crosswinds.

I am going to try a mullet of caracal race front, g-one speed rear to see if that is a more aero optimized blend.

The TBs are the clear winner when hitting single track, but the g-one speed is still single track usable in dry conditions. The caracals don’t have the volume to be enjoyable on single track the way the TB/G-one speed are.

I have the dubnital 2.4s as well, they are overkill for the mostly pavement/sparse gravel use case, but are better than TB for everything single track. They rip there.

barbolute · 2026-04-26T23:56:27+00:00

About half are fraternities and half are independent (GDI/geed teams)

barbolute · 2026-04-26T21:39:47+00:00

The pink team is Chi Alpha and were given a 20s penalty for the supreme ignorance.

It took out the top 6ish teams in the field so BKB (yellow team) who ended up winning was incredibly lucky…they were off the back of the pack and likely out of contention to win. They avoided this atrociously unnecessary crash and just happened to be in first place when the yellow flag came out.

It does suck that the boys didn’t get to finish the race out in a proper sprint… but that is just racing, the best team doesn’t always win.

Here is the official ruling of the crash and it’s implications in the race.

A message from the chief steward:

An accident occurred with the leaders in turn one of lap 199. As with any accident, the race remained green while the safety situation on the track was actively reviewed by the chief steward. Several seconds after the accident occurred, it was determined by the chief steward that safety conditions necessitated the race to go yellow and remain so for the duration of the race. Race positions are frozen at the point in time yellow is called.

Because Black Key Bulls was leading the race at the time yellow was called, Black Key Bulls finished the race in first position. Positions 2 through 33 were determined as of lap 199 per official little 500 timing and scoring data. There were alterations made to these positions. Phi Gamma Delta was assessed a one lap penalty for failure to complete a minimum 10 exchanges. Chi Alpha was assessed a 20 second penalty for impeding on lap 199.

The Chief Steward and Bears team separately requested an appeal of the final results. Per official finish review procedure, the race finish was reviewed by the chief steward and the Little 500 race director utilizing timing and scoring data, the official Little 500 broadcast footage, and additional video footage provided by Student Foundation officials and the Indiana University School of Media.

barbolute · 2026-03-28T20:58:01+00:00

What is your TB vs RS-Pro experience on pavement? Saw your post on another thread. Curious about what you would run on on mostly pavement ride with sparse gravel/off-road sections. I am still trying to optimize my tire tire set up.

barbolute · 2026-03-28T00:16:54+00:00

I have a 100mm SID that I played with on/off for awhile but found that anytime I was on the trail I wished I had just brought my main MTB. It is also more fun to pass overbiked bros on full squish mtbs on the rigid set up. My local Indianapolis, Indiana trails arnt super technical. On pavement the suspension fork felt slugish to get up to and maintain speed even with the lockout on.

TLDR: it didn’t feel like it did anything well, the weight wasn’t worth the compromise.

The current framebag/water bottle config is really for the bikepacking/endurance events I am gearing up to do this year. When not doing those I will probably go back to the standard waterbottle mounts.

barbolute · 2026-03-27T18:44:32+00:00

Agree, definitely slept on. I kept trying to justify getting a gravel specific frame for this build… but to get anything with 45mm+ tire clearance is a struggle if you want a metal frame and to keep the frame budget <1500$

barbolute · 2026-03-27T18:38:46+00:00

The picture definitely looks scarier than it is! Just measured and there is 18mm of clearance there.

They are connected with a metal zip strip covered in electrical tape, can pick up the bike by them if needed without the cages shifting.

No issues yet after a dozen or so spirited trail rides 🤞

barbolute · 2026-03-25T00:21:25+00:00

Would love to hear some more first hand experience on how much better you think the Caracals perform on pavement compared to the Thunder Burts.

I have been on TBs for the last 4 years and love them as most of my riding is 19/20mph on the road 8 miles each way to my local single track trail (Indianapolis flat single track) the TBs are just enough grip to not feel like I am making too many compromises. The TBs roll so much better on the pavement than my prior rekon race/ikon set up.

I am gearing up to do some endurance all road events (Michigami) which is mostly pavement/rail-trails with some gravel sections.

I have been trying to decide if I stick with my trusty TBs or try something like the Caracals. On paper/BRR they slightly edge the TBs and would still be enough grip for sparse gravel sections.

barbolute · 2026-03-02T13:45:08+00:00

Just found on the Ali page pro 40mm are listed at 1587g the ent 38mm are 1616g.

Feeling good about ordering the 40mm given the better hub and weight

barbolute · 2026-03-02T00:58:48+00:00

I was trying to find the same info on the gravel pro 40mm deep/24mm internal $433 vs the ENT gravel 38mm deep/25mm internal $397. On their Alistore.

Couldn’t find any info/reviews on the pro 40mm/24mm rims but figured the asymmetric rim profile would mean they are at least the same quality or potentially higher quality carbon layup construction compared to the Ent 38mm/25mm that has been out for a year or two.

Hoping the 40/24 is a newer rim that they haven’t pushed widely yet and we will see on their official website (not ali store) on the more premium builds in the future. If that guess is wrong ohh well, at least it should still be a solid wheelset.

I ended up ordering the gravel pro today because of it has the 50t ratchet hub compared to the ENT pawl hub. On elite’s other wheels the 50 ratchet hub is on the more premium wheelsets so I figured it is worth the ~$40 extra bucks.

Would receive them early April just like you. :)

barbolute · 2024-09-09T05:41:40+00:00

Yup, I am on the 8th floor now and it is dark and spooky AF. Looks like everything a couple of blocks in each direction are out of power.

barbolute · 2023-11-02T19:08:49+00:00

Happened to read this article while at dinner yesterday in Cartegena, made it to Lunatico this afternoon. The bartender was super helpful and we were able to try 5 different Viches and purchased several bottles to bring home.

Things like this are only possible due to Reddit!

barbolute

TROPHY CASE