Hey all! I am entered in the LR100 and this event typically gets the craziest weather possible. This often results in mud. I have a bike with limited clearance for mud. Therefore I am looking for good ideas to remove mud mid race to prevent any issues. Preferably while still riding. I am open to any ideas.
Sidjournell wrote:Hey all! I am entered in the LR100 and this event typically gets the craziest weather possible. This often results in mud. I have a bike with limited clearance for mud. Therefore I am looking for good ideas to remove mud mid race to prevent any issues. Preferably while still riding. I am open to any ideas.
It really depends on the mud, and what it gets caught on on the bike.
Sometimes, just picking up the bike and bouncing it on the tires a few times will shake some mud loose.
If it's thick, peanut butter mud, there really isn't much you do if your brakes or frame get jammed but stop and pull it off by hand. Having a stick, or something to poke and scrape might help.
I don't know what your experience level in mud is, but I did the LR50 last year in about 9 hours, with ~35/50 miles spent alternating between coasting down hills and then cleaning out mud as I pushed/carried my bike up the next hill. I also did the 2015 DK100 with the 3-mile mud carry. I'm a rider who goes to to finish and not to race, for what it's worth. My advice is to eliminate the potential for mud accumulation before you start the ride.
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\nSome thoughts from my perspective:
\n1. Run the skinniest tires that will clear out peanut butter mud. If they're 30mm or 32mm, go for it! Running 40mm and 45mm on a frame that clears a 50mm and 55mm tire wasn't enough for me.
\n2. Look at what works for cyclocross, not gravel. I ran a Panaracer Gravel King in back and a WTB Riddler up front. My bike (Surly Cross Check) has clearance for those in "normal", short-term muddy conditions. But not for 35ish miles of it.
\n3. If I were to do LR again, I'd look at smooth or file-treaded tires that "shouldn't" pack up with mud, such as WTB Exposures (34mm) or Specialized Trigger Pros (38mm), and/or do more research on the cyclocross tubeless clincher options (32mm-ish).
\n4. If your tires pack up with mud, they will dump it straight into your chainrings, chain, cassette, and derailleur. When the mud packs up on the chainring, it will repeatedly toss your chain off, and you'll need water and a brush to get it both out of your chain and off your chainring if you want to keep moving under pedal power. Keep your driveline as far away from the mud buildup as you can.
\n5. If you come up with something that clears mud as you ride, run a chain guard, because it will scrape mud off of your tire and into your drivetrain.
\n6. See if you can look at the photos from last year's finishers (via Facebook, webpage, etc.), and see what tires or contraptions other folks were running and that appeared to work.
