Current gravel bike is set up with Gravel King SKs in 38mm. These have served me well in Central Texas gravel, as well as a tough 110 miler in Virginia. In June I have two races in Arkansas - gravel triathlon national championships and a 100k gravel race. Locals recommended Pathfinder Pros in 42 w/ inserts, but nobody has the Pathfinders. So I put Vittoria Airliners in the GK’s. My questions are:
(1) I’m pretty light (~120#), so tire calculators put me at ~28 psi front/32 rear. With the liners in, should I go down? How much?
(2) I’ve been fortunate w/ punctures so far. I carry the Stan’s Darts. Will these still function w/ the liner in? My understanding is you put the dart in, then rotate the tire so the dart is at 6:00, so the sealant runs down and reacts with the dart material. Will this still happen with the liners in? Am I better off w/ DynaPlug?
You can go down, but you don’t necessarily have to. If you feel that you have needed to run more air pressure than you would like in order to avoid pinch flats, then knock some PSI out and see how it feels.
I used inserts late last year as I was getting ready for Big SUgar, which had some pretty damn chunky gravel. I was glad I had them…but I run pretty low PSI anyway, so just ran my normal PSI but with more confidence I wouldn’t have to deal with any pinch flats. For reference, I ran 45’s at ~20 psi and I weighed ~155 on race day. It was, IMO, a perfect setup for Big Sugar.
Same. IMO run the same PSI, unless you’ve raised your preferred pressure to decrease the likeleyhood of pinch flats or burping the tire. You dont really have to worry about that anymore.
In stock here. I ordered a pair last week and now have them in my possession.
I found Stan’s dart to be worthless - at least for MTB. In one attempt, the plastic needle broke when I was trying to penetrate the tire. In the next attempt, the fabric things ripped off and just left the naked plastic spindle.
I’ve successfully used Dynaplugs on a big tread hole, and smaller hole by the bead (MTB). I was impressed.
Wow. That’s low. I’m 165 lbs and that’s what I run on my 2.4” MTB tires! Will be running high 20s on 47mm tires for Unbound.
I’m 185 and have run 22psi on 33mm tires for cross 
Take out 5 psi and just live with the added comfort and traction. 
I’d try bumping down 1-2 psi on your next ride and see how it feels. Should be a little less rolling resistance with the drop.
Good info. Thanks for the replies!
DaveWh - I had them on backorder with Jensen for a month. finally canceled the order yesterday b/c I was afraid I wouldn’t get them in time.
Not a chance! I don’t want to risk a pinch flat. The 47s at high 20s psi feel very smooth on rough gravel vs narrower tires I’ve ridden over the years. Lower pressure isn’t worth the increased risk of pinch flats for Unbound, IMO.
That’s half the point of the inserts though. The foam keeps the tire from slamming into the rim.
I get it….but I ran 45’s at Big Sugar at 20 psi (with inserts) and had zero issues.
IMO, the gravel was chunkier overall in Big Sugar vs Unbound. High 20’s on 47’s just seems excessive. At least try it before race day and see how it feels….especially if you are running inserts.
I’m in Austin area as well and grabbed a pair of 42’s at the specialized store in the domain last week. They said they are hit or miss (mostly miss lately), but that is the second time I had good luck with that store having something that’s been out of stock online (and it’s a tiny store with hardly any stock).
damn it. that never even occurred to me 
I’ve had great luck with the GK’s so far. the first race is on a “well maintained forestry service road”, so I’m hoping what I have is sufficient