They need a 10-50 13 speed for us that actually live in a mountain region. 10-46 just isn't enough gearing for us gravel normies. And yes, I know the MTB has a 10-52 but that is only 12 speed. As for the flat, I think that was just dumb luck. You can see a rock rollover as soon as it punctures. I wonder if the rock was partially buried and when you rolled over it, it rolled over as well and a sharp edge got it. But also looks like you went over a flat rock and it fractured in the middle, which maybe caused cuts on both sides. Really tough to see trying to start/stop on a laptop. But crazy rides....8 hours one day, 7.5 hours the next? In that scenery? Lucky!
Absolutely fantastic review as always. Sorry about the tire trouble, but it's also great it happened for the rest of us thanks to your feedback to Goodyear that will likely improve this tire! Also a great reminder to the rest of us to have correct spare tubes as tubeless setups also fail.
Yes, please clean up these components. I need these clean so that I can properly lust over this component set that I’ll never be able to actually ride. 😭 Thanks Ray!
Your puncture story is why I now use an insert as my back up plan. I can always ride that back if all else fails. PS: I agree with many others that that 13 speed group set is way too tall for seriously steep and long climbs.
While I usually keep my tire pressure around 30-33, I run around 38 on chunkier roads because if I’m going to get a puncture, I’d rather get it on the tread than the sidewall. Also, I carry a tire boot or use a gel pack and bring some duct tape
More cassette options are needed, but some good stuff from SRAM as a start. Your breakdown is a good reminder for those of us that swap different stem depth wheel-sets to make sure we are carrying the right backup tube.
Yes, just what I was thinking. Flats happen, even with super strong tires, and having the right tube or at least a valve extender, is crucial especially on remote solo rides. I don't think it is fair to blame the tire, but I am interested to learn what SRAM/Goodyear have to say. From the video, it looked like the tire hit a rock just right to dislodge the rock and skip the wheel sideways. If that's what happened, and the rock had a sharp edge, I can imagine it slicing the tire, any tire. I've had flats happen that way on my gravel bike and MTB.
I don't care how good a set of wheels/tyres claim to be, I run a foam core in all of them so I can always make it home. I made it 40km home on my gravel bike a few weeks back because not only did the tyre puncture, but so did the rim tape. SRAM can make all the claims of durability they want, it's just impossible to know when the failure is going to be more than normal tools can handle.
@@hansschotterradler3772 It can be, but I've learned two tricks: first get the foam core in, and then push the bead to the centre of the wheel as best as you can, since it's a bit deeper. Second, use a tie-down strap and cinch the whole tyre-core assembly down in one spot. Then you don't have to worry as much about losing the bead as you go around. But after the first time the tyre seats, subsequent remountings are easier.
That is the big issue with tubeless. As much as I would love to see it work it quite often doe snot. It is a complete disaster ona road bike with the pressure being too high to hold air even with the sealent after the tire gets punctured. Then there is the thing with installing a tube... those tires are often so snug fitting that taking them off the rim is a hassle. Adding to the mix there is ginan be sticky sealent inside so everything including you will be covered in slime. No issueue if you are at home but when you are somewhere remote then all of the components - shifters, brakes, the frame, your clothes get covered in this slime. I do not have a solution to the problem since running tpu tubes is problematic as weel 0- expensive, fiddly to install, lose air.
Excellent review, as usual! Do you think those 303 XPLR S and SW wheels would give significant advantage over the 303FC to the average cyclist (20-25km/h, not racing, leisure riding, occasional bikepacking)? Thanks!
No. Even at 45 km/h they only claim to save 5W from aero. But aero is non-linear. So at 25 kmh you won’t even save 1 watt. Also, Ray didn’t even begin to cover all the issues with the tire restrictions. You only are allowed to use tires Zipp approves, which is only 4 models right now, because Zipp is violating industry standards. I wouldn’t ride these wheels if they were free because I don’t believe they are safe. So many other good options
@@huges84 I kinda feel the same, especially regarding safety and tyre compatibility, since we are talking about the only thing that actually touch the ground. I'm looking for pair of carbon wheels to make my steel gravel bike snappier and lighter. I thought for a bit about those XPLR, until I realised the issues you highlighted
Can you show the delay between pressing bonus button and ringing the bell? Also, the tire damage was just bad luck. It happens :) And i found stans darts work very good with side walls punctures :)
There is sadly no GP5000 equivalent for gravel tires. Conti Terra uses hard road rubber and is not comfortable, Schwalbe G-One punctures like crazy. The only one that still works for me are the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel but those also puncture relatively easily, just not as bad as G-One - I abuse these quite badly and at least on rocks never had a problem. GP5000 though, was indestructible for me - the protection layer pushed once a big piece of glass to the side, unde the pressure of my weight(straight in the middle and then bent to the side into and under the rubber)…
@12:55 you mentioned you used a 12sp cassette on the trainer and that it was not optimal due to chain and drivetrain losses. Can you elaborate on that? Did you have to micro-adjust the RD to work with the 12spd cassette? I am wondering if using a 12sp cassette on a trainer is a decent lower cost option than purchasing a second 13sp cassette. Thanks!
Ray, any idea whether you can add a FD to this setup? Would that work with the chainline? Did SRAM locked out that option via firmware where the RD won't pair with a FD on that setup?
My 'weekday' bike has SRAM 1x mechanical with a 11-42 on the back and a 50T chainring (that I swapped from the original 42T, because I like going downhill fast 😛). It's great for commuting and casual rides, and the 50-42 combo will get me up most steep grades around London and S.England (although I prefer my lighter 'weekend' bike with it's 36-32 bottom gear when I'm going up Chalkpit Lane / Barhatch / etc 👍)
Didn't know Goodyear made the Zipp tyres. I had some G40 tyres on my bike for a few weeks..not that impressed they did much the same thing as yours did.
The bikerumor article / first-ride impressions of the (wheels +) tires mentions quite similar looking cut(s).. so maybe one wants to stay away from those tires (or gravel) for the time being
I almost think it's kind of funny that you're taking a gravel bike up a mountain, which it's honestly made to do. The funny part to me is that it calls into question the naming scheme, what is a mountain bike if it's not made for mountains? They're for narrow trails right, and jumps. Gravel bikes are like cross country skis and mountain bikes are snowboards. 😂
Tubeless is just not the thing. I ride much better with a standard tube, Anti-Platt ribbon and Flypaper to fix any puncture. With this setup I have much less issues and a quick fix which is working.
Hi, wasn’t sure where to ask this. I’ve recently bought the Garmin Edge 1040 and 4iiii Precision Pro 3+ Dual Sided Power Meter. When I pair it up to the Garmin, it pairs up the left side as Ant+. Then search again and the right side shows up under Bluetooth connections. Now I can only connect either the left or the right. I’ve tried deleting them, turning the Garmin off and on again, but same thing, the only difference now is, that when I turn the Garmin on, it pops up twice that it’s connected to the left hand crank. When I ride up and down the road, the Garmin shows the left and right balance % on my screen. Help please if possible. Oh, on the 4iiii app, both show up as paired.
@@maxmxl Indeed, it does seem like a low pressure to run it at, but in reality, that’s actually the exact recommended pressure for that weight, per SRAM. You can see some of the pressures listed/tested. If I ate less cookies, this tire would be running around 22psi.
@@Dcrainmaker yes, I noticed it's sram recomendation, still very low for my personal experience (I'm 95 kg undressed), I use between 2.5 and 3 bars on 40-45 mm tires, tested sucessfully with Vittoria, Pirelli, WTB.. Curious if they'll admit it or will blame a defective tire.
@@maxmxl yeah, the rims are just designed for crazy low pressures. I uploaded the whole product deck to my site on the written review. they already admitted it shouldn’t have done that. Figuring out why is the piece that’s outstanding. They’ll know more once they get the tire.
I think there is a trade-off between lower pressure (for speed, comfort and cornering), and higher pressure for flat protection. The SRAM recommended pressures may be solving for the former, and for me I would err on the side of the latter.
I'm a bit heavier and run 28psi F / 38psi R on 45's.....have done years of testing and lower is faster. With your bad luck on the tire, it might have been good to switch the rear to front during the evening, since you can be light on the bars to preserve to tire as much as possible
Yeah, I was hesitant to do anything to eff-up the front tire give the wilderness location. Figured at least one viable tire was better than two bad ones.
Excellent presentation. Thank you. I highly dislike 1x. You can add one simple and light chainrain and literally double your gear options. And, at the same time, create tightly spaced options in a narrow space out back. I think the whole 1x "trend" started when SRAM could not make a descent, non-issue, front derailleur to save their lives. They then created 1x and sold it as a feature and used some highly skilled marketing people to convince you it was a good thing. No thanks SRAM, I am not buying it.
Thanks! The main, and biggest benefit, is less things to break in an environment that's less clean than road. And in turn, stuff is cheaper (which, we can clearly see in pricing of their more normal-priced groupsets).
@@chrisgrigsby4475 There are literally double the gear ratios since no two combinations on either chainring exactly matches another. Use them how you want but they are there.
Been riding 2X gravel for 15 years mechanical and di2 and never had it fail or chain drop when set correctly. It is a non issue. This groupset is outrageously overpriced.
Goodyear tires are ass, I bought their gravel tires to try how they perform, my mechanic had em mounted on my wheels only to find out both tires have wobbles (my wheels are completely fine and true), but really both tires? What are the odds yeah? Good thing I was able to exchange them with some teravails to the store where I got them. Just don't even try getting those, they are completely trash. 🗑️
I don't know why you give SRAM kudos for staying with a battery, when they are changing cog counts every 2 years. As far as the flat, I wouldn't be too hard on them. You need to have a tube (that fits...) when running tubeless in the wilderness. You can always get a tear that can't be plugged. But it is times like these that learn us these lessons. There is always the chance of an unfixable disaster.
SRAM introduced 12sp in 2017, so been quite a while. Either way, as noted giving them credit for a battery doesn’t mean I can’t criticize them elsewhere (eg non removable chainrings on road PM’s). If you have all SRAM bikes, then one battery is super handy.
It's great that you also review components. It's hard to find actual reviews, especially when new products are launched.
They need a 10-50 13 speed for us that actually live in a mountain region. 10-46 just isn't enough gearing for us gravel normies. And yes, I know the MTB has a 10-52 but that is only 12 speed.
As for the flat, I think that was just dumb luck. You can see a rock rollover as soon as it punctures. I wonder if the rock was partially buried and when you rolled over it, it rolled over as well and a sharp edge got it. But also looks like you went over a flat rock and it fractured in the middle, which maybe caused cuts on both sides. Really tough to see trying to start/stop on a laptop.
But crazy rides....8 hours one day, 7.5 hours the next? In that scenery? Lucky!
chain rings are always too big for normal people IMO. And what is the point of a 10t cog??
To be fair, it looks like the rock you hit threw the rear end about 10cm to the right, it was a big rock.
Absolutely fantastic review as always. Sorry about the tire trouble, but it's also great it happened for the rest of us thanks to your feedback to Goodyear that will likely improve this tire! Also a great reminder to the rest of us to have correct spare tubes as tubeless setups also fail.
Yes, please clean up these components. I need these clean so that I can properly lust over this component set that I’ll never be able to actually ride. 😭 Thanks Ray!
Great commercial story for Inner tubes!👏👏👏👏👏
Your puncture story is why I now use an insert as my back up plan. I can always ride that back if all else fails.
PS: I agree with many others that that 13 speed group set is way too tall for seriously steep and long climbs.
I would love to get the track of that ride, might want to ride it one day.
That crux would be a dream 😍
Yep. Needs bento mounts and mudguard mounts tho
While I usually keep my tire pressure around 30-33, I run around 38 on chunkier roads because if I’m going to get a puncture, I’d rather get it on the tread than the sidewall. Also, I carry a tire boot or use a gel pack and bring some duct tape
TBH, the bell is why I want a 1050...
Awesome video, as usual!
Great reporting & video, thanks!
As always, amazing review !!
Good story. I guess I need to add back a shim to my repair kit. I am so complacent with tubeless cuz if works so well on the small stuff.
More cassette options are needed, but some good stuff from SRAM as a start. Your breakdown is a good reminder for those of us that swap different stem depth wheel-sets to make sure we are carrying the right backup tube.
Looks like nice trail for MTB bike ;)
Need that presta valve extender in with the spare tube
Yes, just what I was thinking. Flats happen, even with super strong tires, and having the right tube or at least a valve extender, is crucial especially on remote solo rides. I don't think it is fair to blame the tire, but I am interested to learn what SRAM/Goodyear have to say. From the video, it looked like the tire hit a rock just right to dislodge the rock and skip the wheel sideways. If that's what happened, and the rock had a sharp edge, I can imagine it slicing the tire, any tire. I've had flats happen that way on my gravel bike and MTB.
@@mattkavanaugh5623 but really why wasn't there a SRAM employee on a dual sport moto with spare wheels and bikes patrolling the route?
@@jamesgardner7695 LOL... yes indeed another SRAM "failure" ;)
No kidding, I'll be adding that to my gravel bike. That's an easy one in a tiny front zip pocket that I never put anything in.
Thanks mate ✌️ 👍
Another great video, thank you. Just out of interest, what drone are you using, as it looks like you were travelling lite ?
Well this did not take long and leave it to “test it in the DC Rainmaker”. Another good marketing story bites the gravel.
Some of us ride Shimano because we, uh, prefer 2x front derailleurs... so keep it up Shimano. And SRAM could you add 2x to XPLR?
2X makes so much sense in so many real-world ways.
When will the Force/Rival/Apex versions be released? Any historical patterns?
Just because it popped on the smoother terrain it doesn't mean that the damage wasn't done earlier on the rougher terrain.
The rough stuff all actualyl came later. It was super chill up to that point.
Any update on tire failure? Thanks for great review!
I don't care how good a set of wheels/tyres claim to be, I run a foam core in all of them so I can always make it home. I made it 40km home on my gravel bike a few weeks back because not only did the tyre puncture, but so did the rim tape. SRAM can make all the claims of durability they want, it's just impossible to know when the failure is going to be more than normal tools can handle.
Do you have any difficulties with the foam core during the tubeless setup? I'm hearing that this can be a challenge.
@@hansschotterradler3772 It can be, but I've learned two tricks: first get the foam core in, and then push the bead to the centre of the wheel as best as you can, since it's a bit deeper. Second, use a tie-down strap and cinch the whole tyre-core assembly down in one spot. Then you don't have to worry as much about losing the bead as you go around. But after the first time the tyre seats, subsequent remountings are easier.
@@JanGoh-jb5ge being able to limp home on foam cores sounds great; I guess you don't need to carry a spare tubes??
@@hansschotterradler3772 Yup! I have plugs and a pump; the sealant usually works. But when it doesn't, I can ride a long way on just foam.
That is the big issue with tubeless. As much as I would love to see it work it quite often doe snot. It is a complete disaster ona road bike with the pressure being too high to hold air even with the sealent after the tire gets punctured. Then there is the thing with installing a tube... those tires are often so snug fitting that taking them off the rim is a hassle. Adding to the mix there is ginan be sticky sealent inside so everything including you will be covered in slime. No issueue if you are at home but when you are somewhere remote then all of the components - shifters, brakes, the frame, your clothes get covered in this slime. I do not have a solution to the problem since running tpu tubes is problematic as weel 0- expensive, fiddly to install, lose air.
Excellent review, as usual! Do you think those 303 XPLR S and SW wheels would give significant advantage over the 303FC to the average cyclist (20-25km/h, not racing, leisure riding, occasional bikepacking)? Thanks!
No. Even at 45 km/h they only claim to save 5W from aero. But aero is non-linear. So at 25 kmh you won’t even save 1 watt. Also, Ray didn’t even begin to cover all the issues with the tire restrictions. You only are allowed to use tires Zipp approves, which is only 4 models right now, because Zipp is violating industry standards. I wouldn’t ride these wheels if they were free because I don’t believe they are safe. So many other good options
@@huges84 I kinda feel the same, especially regarding safety and tyre compatibility, since we are talking about the only thing that actually touch the ground. I'm looking for pair of carbon wheels to make my steel gravel bike snappier and lighter. I thought for a bit about those XPLR, until I realised the issues you highlighted
Did you do the test ride on “La Via Del Sale”? Epic route
Yup!!
@@Dcrainmakerepic, one of the best rides I’ve ever done! Sorry about the bad luck with the tyre and hope you enjoyed it
Can you show the delay between pressing bonus button and ringing the bell? Also, the tire damage was just bad luck. It happens :) And i found stans darts work very good with side walls punctures :)
You can see it in my Edge 1050 review, in the bike bell section. In short, it's a fraction of a second.
Please reveal your route!!! Where did you go????
There is sadly no GP5000 equivalent for gravel tires. Conti Terra uses hard road rubber and is not comfortable, Schwalbe G-One punctures like crazy. The only one that still works for me are the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel but those also puncture relatively easily, just not as bad as G-One - I abuse these quite badly and at least on rocks never had a problem. GP5000 though, was indestructible for me - the protection layer pushed once a big piece of glass to the side, unde the pressure of my weight(straight in the middle and then bent to the side into and under the rubber)…
@12:55 you mentioned you used a 12sp cassette on the trainer and that it was not optimal due to chain and drivetrain losses. Can you elaborate on that? Did you have to micro-adjust the RD to work with the 12spd cassette? I am wondering if using a 12sp cassette on a trainer is a decent lower cost option than purchasing a second 13sp cassette. Thanks!
Ray, any idea whether you can add a FD to this setup? Would that work with the chainline? Did SRAM locked out that option via firmware where the RD won't pair with a FD on that setup?
It would actually be AWESOME for a 1x Road Setup: 50t chainring & 10/46 in the back? You do everything
I’d run this with a 40 or 42 on the road and be perfectly happy
My 'weekday' bike has SRAM 1x mechanical with a 11-42 on the back and a 50T chainring (that I swapped from the original 42T, because I like going downhill fast 😛).
It's great for commuting and casual rides, and the 50-42 combo will get me up most steep grades around London and S.England (although I prefer my lighter 'weekend' bike with it's 36-32 bottom gear when I'm going up Chalkpit Lane / Barhatch / etc 👍)
Not the first review to mention getting flats with this wheel set. Kind of concerning it keeps coming up
What helmet are you using?
Didn't know Goodyear made the Zipp tyres. I had some G40 tyres on my bike for a few weeks..not that impressed they did much the same thing as yours did.
The bikerumor article / first-ride impressions of the (wheels +) tires mentions quite similar looking cut(s).. so maybe one wants to stay away from those tires (or gravel) for the time being
Very interesting....
I almost think it's kind of funny that you're taking a gravel bike up a mountain, which it's honestly made to do. The funny part to me is that it calls into question the naming scheme, what is a mountain bike if it's not made for mountains? They're for narrow trails right, and jumps.
Gravel bikes are like cross country skis and mountain bikes are snowboards. 😂
Any chance of using 180mm discs?
Tubeless is just not the thing. I ride much better with a standard tube, Anti-Platt ribbon and Flypaper to fix any puncture. With this setup I have much less issues and a quick fix which is working.
Hi, wasn’t sure where to ask this. I’ve recently bought the Garmin Edge 1040 and 4iiii Precision Pro 3+ Dual Sided Power Meter. When I pair it up to the Garmin, it pairs up the left side as Ant+. Then search again and the right side shows up under Bluetooth connections. Now I can only connect either the left or the right. I’ve tried deleting them, turning the Garmin off and on again, but same thing, the only difference now is, that when I turn the Garmin on, it pops up twice that it’s connected to the left hand crank. When I ride up and down the road, the Garmin shows the left and right balance % on my screen. Help please if possible. Oh, on the 4iiii app, both show up as paired.
Just depends how sharp the rock is really.
Did you find 13 gears useful?
the tire damage seems typical of light/low pressure tires
1.8 bar for 90kg guy seems to me very low
@@maxmxl Indeed, it does seem like a low pressure to run it at, but in reality, that’s actually the exact recommended pressure for that weight, per SRAM. You can see some of the pressures listed/tested. If I ate less cookies, this tire would be running around 22psi.
@@Dcrainmaker yes, I noticed it's sram recomendation, still very low for my personal experience (I'm 95 kg undressed), I use between 2.5 and 3 bars on 40-45 mm tires, tested sucessfully with Vittoria, Pirelli, WTB..
Curious if they'll admit it or will blame a defective tire.
@@maxmxl yeah, the rims are just designed for crazy low pressures. I uploaded the whole product deck to my site on the written review. they already admitted it shouldn’t have done that. Figuring out why is the piece that’s outstanding. They’ll know more once they get the tire.
I think there is a trade-off between lower pressure (for speed, comfort and cornering), and higher pressure for flat protection. The SRAM recommended pressures may be solving for the former, and for me I would err on the side of the latter.
"We double validate the quality and compatibility of the tires and wheels" suuure
that’s the same pressure I run on my rim brake hybrid with ghetto tubeless on 23mm external rims.
Are they saying my setup isn’t optimal?
I'm a bit heavier and run 28psi F / 38psi R on 45's.....have done years of testing and lower is faster. With your bad luck on the tire, it might have been good to switch the rear to front during the evening, since you can be light on the bars to preserve to tire as much as possible
Yeah, I was hesitant to do anything to eff-up the front tire give the wilderness location. Figured at least one viable tire was better than two bad ones.
Is the chainring centered withe the cassette? How do they fit 13 gears if they didn’t shrink the spacing?
I would think It's Goodyear's tire and not the wheelset.
This is why I ride 2 inch mtb tires (racekings) with inserts - don't think most gravel tires are really designed for Scottish gravel conditions!
SRAM should sell a firmware upgrade to the 12 speed so we don't have to buy shifters and brakes. Just rear derailuer and cassette.
If you don't a dirty bike for the review did you even use it?
You didn’t watch or pay attention did you?
Huh?
That helmet your wearing - who made that?
Canyon, cheers!
Wer ru riding in this vid?
Jesus is it really £4k. Wth
Fun fact: "SRAM" in Polish literally means "I'm defecating" 😅
I didn’t believe you. But yes, apparently SRAM is shit if you’re Polish 😂 Thank you for your fun fact 🙌
Not enough gears! They just need a 22 speed rear cassette and save themselves a couple of decades of "r&d"
Classified has entered the chat…
Links to the charger?
Doh!!! amzn.to/3ylIzUV
Durability? I have to replace my force axs derailleur every year. No more SRAM.
What on earth are you doing to your FD?
First genuine comment - 😀
so you mean 'tubeless' always requires carrying a spare tube? lmao
Can someone tell me what is that helmet his wearing?
Canyon
Thank you for the reply 🙌
what bike is that? thx!
Crux
Helmet name?
It's not quite officially announced yet, but it's from Canyon....
Excellent presentation. Thank you. I highly dislike 1x. You can add one simple and light chainrain and literally double your gear options. And, at the same time, create tightly spaced options in a narrow space out back. I think the whole 1x "trend" started when SRAM could not make a descent, non-issue, front derailleur to save their lives. They then created 1x and sold it as a feature and used some highly skilled marketing people to convince you it was a good thing. No thanks SRAM, I am not buying it.
Thanks! The main, and biggest benefit, is less things to break in an environment that's less clean than road. And in turn, stuff is cheaper (which, we can clearly see in pricing of their more normal-priced groupsets).
Literally, you do not double your gear options with 2x. There is significant overlap in the gear ratios.
@@chrisgrigsby4475 There are literally double the gear ratios since no two combinations on either chainring exactly matches another. Use them how you want but they are there.
Been riding 2X gravel for 15 years mechanical and di2 and never had it fail or chain drop when set correctly. It is a non issue. This groupset is outrageously overpriced.
Goodyear tires...end of the joke
Goodyear tires are ass, I bought their gravel tires to try how they perform, my mechanic had em mounted on my wheels only to find out both tires have wobbles (my wheels are completely fine and true), but really both tires? What are the odds yeah? Good thing I was able to exchange them with some teravails to the store where I got them. Just don't even try getting those, they are completely trash. 🗑️
Tap here for "before we get into the things that broke" counter
I don't know why you give SRAM kudos for staying with a battery, when they are changing cog counts every 2 years. As far as the flat, I wouldn't be too hard on them. You need to have a tube (that fits...) when running tubeless in the wilderness. You can always get a tear that can't be plugged. But it is times like these that learn us these lessons. There is always the chance of an unfixable disaster.
SRAM introduced 12sp in 2017, so been quite a while. Either way, as noted giving them credit for a battery doesn’t mean I can’t criticize them elsewhere (eg non removable chainrings on road PM’s). If you have all SRAM bikes, then one battery is super handy.
I carry two tubes when riding my gravel or MTB bikes (which are all tubeless). Better safe...
yay hookless rims
You’re riding around the pinnacle of all rocks 🪨.. no gear or brand will protect that