Grinduro: My Experience and the Gear That Got Me Through It
by Chris Lind
I raced Grinduro. It was fun. It was hard. It was an experience that was a long time coming. Here are my thoughts.
What is Grinduro?
Part race, but mostly party, Grinduro uses MTB Enduro style timed segments, broken up across the course. Coming in at 2 lengths, the full Grinduro (52 mi / 7,300 ft) and Grindurito (28 mi / 3200 ft), it is very accessible to all types of riders and bikes (but wider tires are recommended).
I've done plenty of racing on the road and cyclocross, but this was a whole new thing for me. Even my girlfriend, who only recently got her first gravel bike took the plunge and did the Grindurito, an ambitious endeavor for someone fairly new to off-road riding. At the end of the day, I was only "racing" for 1 hour, in what was a 7+ hour day from roll out to finish line. There is so much support along the way with aid stations, you can't help but stop and enjoy the refreshments, the scenery, and the community.
Beyond the actual "race", it was a weekend of camping at the Quincy Fairgrounds, with plenty of food, beer, (but no free coffee) and entertainment to keep you occupied while you weren't on the bike.
My Setup
For the last year, I've been riding an ENVE Mog equipped with SRAM Eagle AXS shifting. I'm running a 42t chainring along with a 10-52t cassette, and needed every tooth to get up some of the steep climbs. My tire of choice, because I haven't been able to find a match to my lonely Thunder Burt 2.1 (stock coming in soon, supposedly), was the Specialized Pathfinder Pro 47mm. They don't have much tread, but I like how fast they roll, and generally, I'm not whipping around gravel corners where I would require a knobbier tire anyway.
How it Went
I'll be the first to admit that I am a competitive person, especially when it comes to bike racing. Having come to Grinduro with my friends, my first objective was to beat them. After the first two stages, an uphill climb and a rolling gravel road, I was in a good spot and felt confident about my chances. But it was on the third stage that things sort of fell apart for me. It was a downhill dirt road, with plenty of rocks and ruts that required some navigation. While descending, I could feel my tire bottoming out and not wanting to destroy my rim or overall race, I pulled over and pumped my tire twice, poor timing for a mechanical. It wasn't until after the segment was over and at the aid station that I noticed a small cut in my sidewall, so I popped a Dynaplug in and made sure the tire held the same PSI for a bit before rolling on.
After lunch and a slog up the last untimed climb (where I passed a lot of people because it didn't matter), came the final stage, a 5.6 mile descent of over 2,200 feet. At this point, the party had thinned out, people were taking their time at the final aid station, and I felt like I had a good buffer before and after to not have to pass or be passed by anyone. I love under-biking, riding MTB trails on the Mog has always been fun, but I had never done a descent like that before. I probably rode the brakes too much, but I wasn't willing to take major risks and let it go after what had been such a long day. I was doing everything I could to not have to pull over and give my fingers a break. I ended up having to pull aside three times to let riders with more capable skills and bikes fly by me. 25 minutes. Not my best, but I kept it upright.
What Worked
160mm cranks - Spinning is winning
I have short legs despite being average height. I've been riding 170mm for the longest time, and made the switch this year to 160mm cranks. I'm grateful for this pro trend, because the availability of crank arms in shorter configurations is really taking shape. I've found myself being able to spin up steep climbs that maybe once required me to get off and walk. I'm certainly not fitter, so I'll attribute it to the 10mm difference of being able to turn over the cranks.
Dynaplug - Saves the day
I carry two Dynaplugs with me on every ride. One in my ride wallet (more on that in a later blog post), and one in my saddle bag (or in the case of my Mog, in the downtube storage). If the sealant doesn't do it's job, a quick jab and I'm on my way. Putting a tube in is a last resort, and I avoided that once again.
Wahoo Roam 3 - Lightning fast setup
One of the sponsors for Grinduro was Wahoo. I've been using a Wahoo Bolt since 2017, I was a big fan of using a phone app to set up everything, rather than poking around on a device itself. I was able to demo the Roam 3, I've been considering the upgrade. It's got a touchscreen, better maps, a bell, among many other upgrades that intrigue me. I had it set up within minutes, it connected to all my on-bike sensors, and easily incorporated Ride w/ GPS to get the Grinduro route loaded onto the computer itself. Big fan, I still have some more thinking to do, but it's on my radar for sure.
What I Would Change for Next Time
Overall, my experience at Grinduro was amazing, but there is room for improvement, and I'm already thinking about the future, and what I can change to perhaps have an even better result (without getting fitter).
Suspension would be nice
Grinduro is not explicitly labeled as a "mountain bike" nor a "gravel" race. Based on my observation, more people seemed to be on gravel bikes. While it was great for the MAJORITY of the ride, in the parts that it mattered, namely the two downhill stages, I really would have appreciated the comfort of front suspension. I was running 47mm wide tires, around 28 PSI, and for the first downhill segment, I dropped the pressure a bit going into it. I flatted due to a small sidewall cut, that I plugged after the fact, but I am pretty sure I would have been able to rip it a little harder if I had wider tires and a suspension fork that hardtail MTB would provide. I don't own one, but it has been on my mind for a few years. A Specialized Chisel might do the job...
Self sufficient high carb mix
While well supported with aid stations along the route, I never went thirsty nor hungry. But I am particular when it comes to fueling. I like high carb drink mixes, and the aid station coolers had what tasted to me like they were stretching the bags of electrolyte mix to the max. I barely carried any food, but I would definitely bring my own packets of Skratch High-Carb Mix to make sure I was actually filling my bottles with 50g carbs.
A WELL lubricated chain
I am a fan of Silca Chain Wax, a good middle ground for not wanting to do the full immersion wax and having moved on from oil-based lubricants. While we had not put in the amount of miles that would have warranted a fresh drip of chain wax, it was dry, it was dusty, and my chain was squeaking by mile 40. I relented and used some oil at the final aid station, kind of pointless for the last downhill, but I can't tolerate squeaking.
Final Thoughts
It was an amazing weekend, certainly enhanced by coming down with friends and my partner. Grinduro has piqued my interest for years, it was great to finally partake and it did not disappoint. The riding in Quincy was absolutely stunning, a testament to all the work the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship does in the area. Will I be back? Probably. But I'm bringing a mountain bike. ✌️
