Without going into details, my first gravel race of 2024 is coming up in April. Because of the terrain and technical gravel descents, I’m considering Continental Race Kings 29 x 2.0 on my gravel rig. Thoughts on a comparitive 700c tire? The race has some pavement segments, steep ascents and gravel segments that are rugged and rocky. The extra cushion is a must.
What frame are you using? Not many gravel rigs can accommodate that wide of a tire.
Pathfinder Pros in 47 immediately spring to mind as an option, as well as the the TUFO Thundero in a 48. The Goodyear Connector Ultimate is also available in a 50mm option. That is a great tire, but maybe not as fast as the other ones.
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2022 Giant Advance Revolt. I can get 50mm in the frame. 
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FYI. I did the race on an XC mtb last year so that I could bomb the decents. A mechanical kept me off the podium.
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As long as it’s the faster Protection build and not the slower construction. And it’ll fit the bike, of course. For very technical courses, a 2" mtb tire is a solid choice. The other option to consider is the ThunderBurt.
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Yup…no issues there!
I really wanted to pull the trigger on a Revolt this year, but couldn’t get the geometry to work for me. To get the reach I needed, the stack was too high…and to get the stack I needed, the reach was way too short.
What race is it? Maybe someone has ridden it and can share their experience.
I can’t find a full side view, but every time I see Lacjlan’s crazy stem setup on that bike, I think of Pantani’s TT bike from the '98 Giro…the bullhorns came out from the fork crown. Outside of starting // coming out of turns, it was essentially an unusable position when riding.
If your really racing, Pirelli Gravel XC 40 or 45mm depending on your weight. That said you might choose something corse specific it it has known sections with specific difficulties
J
If the race kings fit and it’s a chunky course, run them. I’m not sure what you mean by comparative 700c tire, the race king will mount on a 70c rim (29 and 700c are basically the same). I run 700c road/gravel tires on my mtb rims all the time for training (and when I raced it on gravel). My gravel bike won’t fit 2.0’s, so no way I could fit race kings. 47 pathfinders are about as big as I’d run on my checkpoint to leave soem room for mud clearance.
What year and level (SL, SLR, ARL) Checkpoint do you have? I have a '22 SL and was thinking about going fatter (from my 40mm TerraSpeed race tires and 42mm Resolute training/JRA set). I’d love to run a 2" RaceKing or ThunderBurt, but sounds like that might be a bit too fat? I wouldn’t be too sad with the 45mm TerraSpeeds, just wish somebody sold them state-side - shipping from EU can be pricey.
Mine is a 22 SL as well. Per Trek, it’s only rated for up to 45mm tires, but I’m thinking that might be with 2x setup because 47’s fit with a good bit of clearance to spare. I run mine 1x.
I’m running Force AXD Wide 2x. I guess I need to see where the FD goes, not sure the Wide buys enough space to let me go to a 2". Stupid bikes, never easy. 
Which race is this you are talking about?
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The official line from SRAM on max tire width for Wide 2x is 700x45c before it gets too close the battery. I was originally considering a 2x Wide set up for my Giant Revolt (Advanced Pro), but ended up going with a 1x Wide (Force/XO1 mullet set up) because of this. Turns out it’s one of the very best gear decisions I’ve ever made.
It feels like cheating doesn’t it? That said you do pay for it on the flats.