For tires on the 100 or 200 I’m questioning the weight savings. Sure you’re likely to roll faster, but how much time does one lose to a puncture? So hard to figure this one out because while crossing chunky stuff and blindly bombing downhills into water are high risk activities for punctures, other times it just seems so random…
The bigger issue is if you want the heavier weight PRO tire,they do not have it listed on the website, now your trying to locate something it appears they quit making.
Noticed Silca has a “road to emporia” series following one of their employees on the process of prepping for unbound.
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It’s strange that they would suddenly stop producing such a popular tire. Perhaps a new tires shows up or alternatively a big batch of Pathfinder Pro’s suddenly show up. Things are still pretty squirrelly in this post-Covid world.
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I did Unbound 200 last year on a 42mm Pathfinder Pro up front and 38mm in the rear (clearance issues) and thought it was a perfect setup. Would love to find a new pair of 42mm to run for Unbound XL this year but seems like they are not gonna be possible to find.
I am eyeing the IRC Boken Plus in 42mm as it seems like a very similar tire. About 30g heavier per tire, but tread pattern looks super close, with a slightly wider slick center portion to my eye. However they don’t make them with tan sidewalls, which might actually be the one thing that keeps me from pulling the trigger lol.
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My local shop has a 4 pairs if someone wants the Pros.
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You got me excited and then I saw they don’t have 42s.
I’ve called several specialized dealers. Some have quoted an in-stock date in March. There’s still plenty of time to wait and see if the next batch of 42s will be released in time for Unbound. I’m not too worried right now, but will be by this time in May 
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If it’s a bit muddy what would your tire choice be? Do you go slightly skinnier? More knobby? Less knobby?
I have two sets of tires that are my preferred. The pathfinder pros 42 and the pirelli gravel m 45s.
The pirelli’s are nice but on my lauf true grit they’re a little tight in the back. For dry conditions, I have no worries. For muddy I’d be more concerned with mud clogging up in the back. So I was thinking of getting g the pirelli gravel m size 40 for the rear and then I would leave a 45 on the front.
Suggestions?
Right now I have a new set of Conti Terra speeds I will prob run if its dry. If its wet I will prob run a set of Conti Terra Trails with knobs.
Local shop has a set of pathfinder sworks in stock, I am half tempted to pick them up as I know they were a reliable tire in 2021
Revisiting this with what I have gathered to be the never-ending discussion of tires. The UPPER can accommodate up to 40 mm in 700c and up to 2.1" in 650b. For the 200, can I get away with 40 mm?
For sure. Plenty of people use 40s (or even narrower). I’m fairly certain my friend ran 42mm hurricane ridges in his Upper the last two years and it’s definitely a tight fit but it worked.
If it’s anything like last year it doesn’t actually matter that much. The mud was impossible to clear no matter what.
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I am thinking of doing a 40mm and im 210lbs.
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I think the biggest thing you can do regardless of which tires you run is to work on getting physically stronger in your core/upper body so that your body holds up as long as possible. Sure, wider tires will help, but either way as your body fatigues your position and comfort are going to suffer.
For context, this is the clearance I had in the rear on my Open UPPER with the 42mm pathfinder pro. I swapped it out for the 38mm and with last year’s mud chaos, I am very happy I did
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Oh man. I don’t know if I’d ride that in dry conditions. Mine has a little more clearance with 45s in the rear. For mostly dry conditions, it’s fine. Muddy. Not so much
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Agree. I’m always surprised when fellow cyclists say they do basically zero strength training.
Yeah, it was for sure too close for comfort. The Open is a weird bike for tire clearance, even the 38s were closer than I’d like
That’s why Unbound XL this year is gonna be done on my Bearclaw Thunderhawk with plenty of clearance with 2.2’s
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My question isn’t about comfort—it’s about safety, speed, and avoiding flats. To your point, I get plenty of strength training (2-4x/wk) and I’m a former track and field sprinter with a lot of residual strength from those ~15 years of training.
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The one upside is that you can more clearly see just how much damage/wear unbound does to tires when the clearance is noticeably different by the time you finish!