What I'm riding for Unbound XL
The "why" behind my setup and how it all came together
Apologies for the radio silence. It has been a busy few weeks here! I’m in Empora for Unbound, my most important race of the season!
Unbound XL is a unique beast. On paper, it’s 350 miles on relatively straight Kansas roads. In reality, weather can change the event into either an oven or a 24-hour ride through cement. 2023’s edition taught me my lesson about the latter. When it gets muddy in the Flint Hills, especially if it’s at night so the mud starts to solidify but does not have sun to dry it, you’re in big, bug trouble.
One thing can help (a little) with this: ample tire clearance. I don’t mean clearance to fit tires barely. I mean lots of clearance to spare. At the same time, the Flint Hills are rugged. You need a large-volume tire.
After my lesson in 2023’s mud fest, I realized that there was only one type of bike I’d ride during my next Unbound XL: a hardtail MTB. This realization kicked off a few years of gradual progression toward what I have now: a drop bar hardtail with a 100mm suspension fork and a 42t chainring.
This was the first time I’ve done a complete build from the ground up by myself, including brake install and bleed (traditionally, what I could not do). It’s been a fun, though also time-consuming project. With the direction I’m headed in racing, I think this setup will keep getting used a lot more! I did a test race 2 weeks ago at Wild Horse Gravel and it was VERY fun!
Thank you Pat, Lisa, and Tiffany at Pivot, Tom at USE and Exposure Lights, James at Tailfin, and Steve from USWE for the help with this!!
Stay tuned to BikeRadar for a podcast and written piece on this!
The Timeline:
2019: Got a hardtail as a training bike. Initially ran a 36t chainring then switched to a 38t. I ran this same Fox Factory fork on it.
2022: Moved to an alloy frame and rigid carbon fork to minimize maintenance.
Winter 2024: Switched to a XL Pivot Les SL with a 40t Garbarug using the same crank and power spider as I have now.
Winter 2025: converted the bike to drop bars with the USE GR24 and a 35mm stem
Spring 2025: downsized to a large frame to make the reach work better (remember, hardtails are designed for flat bars, not the reach of drop bars). Switched to a 60mm stem, USE GR12 bars, my 100mm fork. and 42t ring, and the other changes mentioned below.
Here’s a breakdown of the component choices and why I picked them.
Full specs:
Frame: Pivot LES SL Size large (I'm 188 cm and downsized from an XL to make the reach more appropriate with drop bars). The hardtail allows me to run a wide tire with ample tire clearance to spare. The LES SL technically fits a 2.4”, but I’m pretty sure you could run wider if you want.
Fork: Fox Factory SC 32 100mm. This is a 2019-era fork, but aside from weight, it's still a great option. I run it at about 125PSI (near the max) given the use case in this situation. I’d ideally like to put a lot of volume spacers in the fork to have it supple up top but with a fast progression. This would make it more like a shorter travel fork.
Shifters: SRAM Force. If I could, I’d run the new Red E1 shifters and brakes because the ergonomics and braking performance are incredible.
Brakes: SRAM Level 2-piston with 160mm rotors and organic pads. These are a solid option I run on my Mach 4 SL MTB and have run on this hardtail for years.
Crankset: SRAM XX SL Cranks (170mm) with a Quarq 4-bolt power meter spider and 42t Garbaruk ring. The reason for this is that the XX SL cranks have a 55mm chainline while maintaining a 168mm Q factor, so I have more space to play with to get the larger chainring to fit. I spaced the cranks out 0.5mm further to the right than normal to accommodate the ring and spider. Garbaruk is the only brand that makes a 104bcd 42t ring with 0mm offset. If I had a choice, I would run the new XXSL threaded power spider with the new Red XPLR rings, but those have a 6mm offset so won't fit. There is apparently a pro-only version that has 0mm offset, but alas, I am not sponsored by SRAM. 42x10 is not ideal in terms of chain efficiency, but my max speed in the last 2 UBXL races I have done has been 35 MPH, and I have plenty of gearing for that.
Derailleur: GX AXS. Sometimes, you don't always need the nicest stuff. This has previously been a training-only setup, and the only difference is weight.
Cassette: GX 10-50t. Again, it does the job, and this race absolutely wrecks components, so it’s not always worth running the nicest when it comes to wearables.
Chain: XO1. Tried and true.
Lube: FAAST Drip Wax lube. This is a small company, but they have been nailing the formula and are always looking to keep developing it. It runs super clean, and is thicker during application than other drip wax lubes, so more wax stays on the chain.
Pedals: Shimano XT. I had Shimano PD-M520 on here because they were cheap, durable, and perfect for training, but they are getting a *bit* worn (just a bit) so I stole the pedals off my Mach 4 SL.
Stem: 60mm alloy.
Bars: USE Escape GR12 carbon in 40cm width. These have 12 degrees of flair and good clamping space for aero bars, which is awesome
Bar tape: ESI RCT wrap, which they have discontinued. I love their MTB grips, and this tape is super thick and has the same feeling as their silicone grips. It also has no sticky surface on one side, soit is easy to wrap and unwrap.
Wheels: Maple XCR with DT 240 hubs. These are from a small brand based in New England. They have 29mm internal width (I usually race these on my Pivot Mach 4 SL full sus MTB). These are around 1200 grams for a set, and since they are hand-built, they are always dialed. I like the DT hubs because they are durable, easy to service, and don't have a ton of drag. I don't really like high-engagement stuff for racing.
Tires: Vittoria Terreno Zero 2.0" (these measure 2.15 on the wide rims) with Air Liner Light Gravel inserts. These are transitioning to their new name system as the Terreno T10. I love these because they have a thick casing for puncture protection, and the large volume allows a big contact patch for grip. Tread is not as big a deal in Unbound because there is not as much cornering, and the rocks are large enough that tread does not really dig in. I value durability over everything else.
Sealant: Parkside custom blend. This is a small, CA-based brand, and I worked with them to make an extra-high latex formula. This means it will dry out fast, but seal better. I only need it to last a few days.
Seapost: Woodman GT2 450mm alloy post. I needed a super long post because of downsizing frames, the sloping TT, and my long legs, and this company makes some wild stuff.
Bags: Tailfin Prototype frame bag and 3.0L top tube bag. This allows me to carry ample food and spares and even a water bladder in the frame bag. Their bags are nice because they are relatively rigid so don't flop around and are easy to open and close with one hand. There also are holes in the front for hydration tubes and power cables, and I use the separators they provide in the top tube bag to have sections for food, my battery pack, and a few key spares like AXS batteries and CO2s. I store other spares in the left compartment of the frame bag (paint stick for mud, spare dynaplugs, zip ties, tire boots, etc) and the lower compartment.
Aero Bars: USE TR2 bars with 40 degree bend extensions. These have a lot of fit customization, which is nice. I have SRAM wireless blips on them.
Lights: Exposure SixPack on the bars (and Diablo on my helmet) and Boost-R Reakt + Peloton. The battery life on these is absolutely wild, and that's while still running them bright. I mounted the SixPack using an accessory mount which allows me to mount the light further forward because of the short stem.
Computer: Hammerhead Karoo. My main screen has the map, upcoming elevation, distance, and total time. I then have another screen with a larger upcoming elevation graph, then a few more with things like battery life, time to sunrise, and power data. I also will likely run the new Epic Ride Weather extension which will show upcoming weather and wind along the route.
Pack: Not bike related per-se, but I'm running a USWE Rush Pack with a 3L bladder. I usually run the Outlander Pro 2L, but the larger pack will allow me to carry more water and food.
Questions? Leave a comment or send me a message on Instagram!