Craptacular8

I currently spend most of my gravel riding on a 2016 AC Space Horse with American Classic wheels and RH 42 knobby tires. Mostly, this has been just fine for the majority of needs. Each year I do one particular race that has a 10 mile section of 2-4” sized rock. Even with low tire pressure, it’s a miserable ride, lol. This always makes me wish I had ridden my fat bike instead….which brings me to my current quandary, would something like a Surly Midnight Special, with its bigger tire clearances make those really rough sections more tolerable?

Noonievut

Classy looking bike!

I don’t think a bit more tire volume would help much, and all for 10 miles a year...your money!

zen_

Try things like tire inserts with the lowest possible pressure and a redshock stem to make it more tolerable before buying a whole new bike just for one section of one race. I have to ride my MTB with a good air fork + 2.2" tires @ 18-20 psi over a section of railroad ballast (1.5-2" rocks) on a singletrack I frequent, and it's still pretty rough.

Craptacular8

The red shock stem is a good idea, thanks. What would be the purpose of the tire inserts though? I’m already tubeless, and do not have a problem with flats.

mstateglfr 

You can drop pressure even more than you already do with inserts. That does mean you have to ride the rest of the race on goofy low pressure though, unless you get off the bike after the rough section and inflate your tires.



As others said, buying a bike on account of a 10mi section of riding that you do once a year seems like a bit much. In the moment, its probably a miserable 75min though.
Why not just use your fatbike? What do others use during the race? If everyone is suffering equally on the 10mi because the rest of the race overwhelmingly benefits from a 43 or narrower tire for whatever reason, then just stick with what you have.

tFUnK

For that kind of serious chunk you're not going to notice any improvements by going up by just a few mm in tire size. Guessing based on your description, I'm thinking 2.4" or 2.8" tires are needed.

Craptacular8

The MS takes up to 2.35", so definitely on the low end of your suggestion. I probably need another bike like a hole in the head, but..... I do have a vintage rigid mtb that I could throw a Surly Corner Bar on to try. Suspect it maxes out at around 2.35 also. Thanks.

scubaman

Vintge rigid MTBs can make pretty terrific gravel bikes. See elsewhere in these forums for 1000s (!) of examples of such bikes converted to drop bar.

Mtracer

Along the lines of the shock absorbing stem, you might consider a carbon seat post. These will tend to have more compliance. Or of course get an actual shock absorbing seat post.