SBT GRVL gear test: gravel wheels, tires, and hydration options

What is the best gravel tire? Well, that depends on the course and the rider. In this video, I tell you about the tires - and external tire modifications and internal add-ons and pressure - that Keegan Swenson used to win the 2022 SBT GRVL Black Course. I also tell you about the wheels and tires I used to win the 100-mile Blue Course.
With its 3,000 slots selling out in less than 10 minutes, SBT GRVL is one of the hottest gravel races in the world. After doing the 140-mile Black course last year, I did the 100-mile Blue course this year. Lessons learned from last year informed my gear choices this year.
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Links for information (not affiliate links!)
SBT GRVL: www.sbtgrvl.com/
Reserve 25|GR wheels: shop.reservewh...
Schwalbe G-One Speed tires: www.schwalbeti...
CamelBak Chase hydration vest: www.camelbak.c...
USWE Outlander Pro hydration vest: uswe.com/en-us...
SBT GRVL FinisherPix: www.finisherpi...
My power file and analysis: fascatcoaching...
My Cyclingnews tech gallery: www.cyclingnew...
2021 SBT Bottlegate: www.velonews.c...
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Thanks to Linda Guerrette for the thumbnail photo and for being such a joy to be around.
www.lindaguerr...
And thanks to Devon Balet for the photos of Keegan's bike.
www.devonbalet...

[@0RANGOTANG]

Nice win! I agree with the other commenter that it’s great to see you doing your own thing now

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Thanks very much. And cheers for the patience with my video editing as I learn that aspect… 🤪

[@stevenspevere2217]

I like the USWE pack. I've been using it for a few years and it's very comfortable.

[@syiqayd]

My wife just bought me a gravel bike a week ago. Subbed to see more gravel bike info!

[@rosscads]

Fantastic result! It’s great to hear such informative reviews from someone who’s competitive too. 👏🏻

[@Acousticmarine678]

Catching up on some of your videos and your comment at the end about "keeping it fun" hits the nail on the head. I could have a good time on my 1981 Schwinn varsity if I still had it, which I used to commute for work way back when. We live in the best of times for recreational activities :)

[@marcuslay2604]

Great to see that your doing your own thing now. Keep up the good work.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Cheers, Marcus. Thank you.

[@rab0309]

I believe Ted King and others have used USWE (I have one as well 1.5 liters) to win races like unbound.. personally I like it.. sits up higher in your back to not block your jersey pockets

[@cycodre]

Congrats on the win Ben! I raced the blue course last year and as a mountain biker kinda bummed on the short amount of single track but still had a blast. I enjoyed hearing you on some podcast last year(I forget which one) and was pleasantly surprised to find you here on KZbin recently. Keep up with the informative content!

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Hey, thanks very much. As a mountain biker, what's your favorite gravel event?

[@cycodre]

@@TheRidewithBenDelaney Haven't found one yet but I'm signed up for Spirit World. I'd have to say there's a fine line between the two and cross it on the wrong bike and your day could be miserable.

[@PatrickJamesKiernan]

Good for you, Ben! Not just talking the talk…though the insights here are fascinating.

[@davidarthur]

Looked like fun. Hats off for the wins boss!

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Thanks, David!

[@ljhoule3394]

Ben, good information thanks. Love Steamboat GVL however, cycling in Croatia in ‘23! Appreciate the critique on tires as I’m in the market. Well done! And remember “it’s not a race!”

[@markflolid5930]

Great win and excellent presentation on "How the Race was Won!" Like to hear a little more about your race strategy. Positioning on the climbs and in the pack. Again great stuff.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

I will do something like that going forward. Just general tips for any event. Thank you.

[@gja2000]

Congrats on the win. Also glad I ran into your YT channel. I have seen and read some of you previous previous material. Enjoying the content.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Thank you on both accounts. ✌️

[@jazzechos1372]

Kegian's tire looks a lot like the old Continental Double Fighter mtb semi slick form the late 90's....I loved that tire. If Conti still made that exact tire tread today and with the skin wall that they had then I would still be running that tire.

[@beecoal]

Congrats on the win! I regret not using my (USWE - it’s great) hydration pack for SBT this year... Game changer.

[@rkv3681]

Thanks for sharing your tire pressures and Keegan's! Always interesting to hear what riders are running.

[@joshuajohnsification]

Thanks for putting this together, Ben! I ran the same tire in a 30mm on the road bike and it ripped! Perhaps next year I’ll actually have a gravel rig, aaaaand make it to the start on time…

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Hey, at least you got the day right. Which is better than the initial arrangement. 🤪

[@joshuajohnsification]

Ermagerd. I deserve that

[@tyester]

Great insight and video! Had an awesome time chasing yall down from a few dozen spots back! Congrats again!

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Thanks. Great event, right? What is next for you?

[@robbchastain3036]

Fascinating that Keegan is bringing old-school tire shaving to gravel racing, cool. And congratulations, Ben, on your win! And nothing says fun like winning. And I grin and say you are an awesome gravel test dummy, er, rider!

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

I'm getting a shirt made up that says that: "gravel test dummy" Cheers!

[@djmalwitz]

Great race Ben and nice recap!

[@Ravi-fh1wy]

Impressive ride (stats: speed, power) and a great win Ben! Congratulations!! 👍🏻. And love the channel!

[@mach91photo]

Congratulations on the win Ben! I don’t even ride gravel (yet) and I found this super interesting and informative…well done!

[@jakeaisenbrey2328]

Loving the content, Ben!

[@cyclingnerddelux698]

May i suggest a hydropack? After 20 years I have one that I really love. Evoc Hydro Pro. Love your presentation for a number of reasons. Feels real. Feels like I'm getting your objective take based on your experience. Plus, like how you shout out to other riders and their gear choices. New subscriber in far-away Austria. Oh yeah. Great job getting the win. A victory for us old guys!!!!! Evoc is a big deal over here in continental Europe...not sure about the US.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll check that one out. Just got a USWE. Presentation is real. Not fancy, but not BS. Thanks for subscribing!

[@gravelwildnorthtexas3801]

Very Glad you have your own channel now!

[@alanhughes1662]

Thanks for the Information I was curious what folks were running. Great win 👊

[@mtbgo7860]

Your videos are so comprehensive and informative. The details about the gear and your opinions are much appreciated. Congrats on the 🥇

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Thank you. I’ll keep the videos coming.

[@Cyclingdropout]

I would love to see a video about your in race nutrition/hydration strategy plus any homemade goodies.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Can do. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@matehorvath4710]

Really enjoying the channel. Great content, production is also very professional. Look forward to much more!

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Thank you. I am aiming for two videos a week. ✌️

[@timbrown395]

Thanks for the content Ben, such a great summary, and awesome to hear the race insights!

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Cheers, Tim. Thanks for following along.

[@daniels.2720]

Congrat's BD !! I've been watching/ reading your Input for years > best of luck with this new endeavor !

[@christopherstout2586]

Congratulations Ben and love the content!

[@alanhill7965]

Fantastic and much deserved win ,and great KZbin channel !

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Thanks very much.

[@frankhammond9909]

Nice race report and result. Congrats!

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Thank you, Frank. I appreciate you following along.

[@blazacrew]

Congratulations sir on the W

[@chrisburke9721]

Great result and better content!!

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Cheers, Chris.

[@valiantabello]

Congratulations!

[@chuckparsons7178]

Ha. Last year I tried to get out of your way on Cow Creek when you did black and I rode blue. This year I was one of the guys you were working through in the single track when I did Black. Hopefully I was virtuous and didn’t slow you down too much - though, no promises.

[@chuckparsons7178]

Also while I like the ‘virtuous’ language let’s go ahead and replace that with ‘polite’. Damn autocorrect.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Haha. All good, Chuck! Looks like we alternated courses in opposite directions. Maybe next year we meet up in Red. 😁

[@gravelpack8536]

Great write up and a great bike love the insight and time put into the edit, Sub’d

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Cheers. I appreciate you. ✌️

[@Casual_BackPacking]

great vid hope you win more !

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

🤞

[@davidide1525]

Hey Ben, glad you started this channel, I just subscribed. Congratulations on your win ! What saddle is on your bike at the beginning of the video ? Thanks Dave

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Hi David. Thanks for subscribing! And thank you. The saddle is the stock Giant Approach SL, which I really like. The shape agrees with me, and there's a bit of padding but it's not super squishy. You can also pop on a little taillight into the back of the saddle, which is slick. You probably can't see it in the video, but the light it on there.

[@MorganBrown]

haha, I was in pretty good shape for 90 miles. Too bad I was in the black event. 😂 Congrats on the "W". Amazed you only have 3k subscribers. Look forward to seeing more [edit] kind of crazy that I was racing against Erik Dorf in the 2019 Steamboat Stage Race...as a 40+ cat 4 🤣

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Doh! And thanks. Just getting started here and hoping to keep growing. Dorf sounds like a sandbagger to me... hehehe.

[@MorganBrown]

@@TheRidewithBenDelaney I didn't want to come out and say it (sandbagger hahaha). To be fair to Dorf, if you only race road once a year, you have to start somewhere, and that is cat 4. Speaking of sandbaggers, you'll get a kick out of watching this short scene from the 2019 40+4 Timnath RR (kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2eYeoF8m52lp9U). I blew up just trying to sit on a guy's wheel when he went off the front. Usually these guys last about a half mile. This guy stayed off the front with a small group, then dropped those guys for a solo victory. He's now a competitive cat 2. 🤷‍♂

[@froggertex4530]

The Camelbak Hydrobak Light is what you want. Same size reservoir as the Chase vest, fits the same with access to your pockets but is super minimalist. Only complaint is the straps are too long once you get it adjusted correctly. That’s an easy fix though.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Ah ha. Cool. Thanks for the info. Will check it out.

[@toomaslehtonen5055]

USWE hydration packs work for gravel racing, when the hydration portion is very important, but the pack part less so. I have the Outback 4, which is very compact, but I believe there are even more minimalist and racy versions (Outlander PRO 2L seems to be the one).

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Cool. Thanks for sharing. That 2L is the one I'm looking at.

[@JonathanGreene]

I have the 2L. It holds two larger bottles worth of liquid and is pretty comfy but might block your head going all the way back if you don’t have it set low enough. The pack is pretty small though not sure I would consider it for more than liquids …

[@tebonginc]

Congratulations n nice content

[@charleshooker9338]

Hi Ben, Congrats on the win! I got a slot into 2024 SBT GRVL RED, and with 8 weeks to go, I'm trying to finalize my ride so I can test. I have a Giant Revolt Adv 0 with CXR2 wheels. Trying to decide between my Maxxis Receptor 40s or my go-to Specialized Pathfinder Pro 42's. Any inbsights you can provide would be appreciated. Official info from the race has been limited; I understand that the citizens of Routt County have had understandable concerns. I'm over in the mountains of NC, so any help is appreciated.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

I'd say go with your go-to's! Being comfortable on and familiar with your tires is key. It's a fast course. Cow Creek is bumpy and you'll appreciate the 42s there at the end. And yes, some ranchers do get understandably annoyed with a few thousand yahoos clogging up on their roads for four days, but it's generally a welcoming environment. See you there.

[@72starbuck]

Great job I love you content It would be nice if you could tell us how you train, do you have a coach? Or on which platform? Thanks

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Thanks very much. For years, I have used FasCat training plans. And, as of a couple months ago, I work there now, too! fascatcoaching.com/ Lots of great plans that scale to the available time you have. And if you want to go next level, FasCat one-on-one coaching gives you the best scenario for tailoring training to your specific goals and life situation.

[@JamesDziezynski]

💪

[@CM-ft9ep]

G League champ!

[@nverse0]

Hey Ben great channel! I've run the G-One Speed tires for years now and loved them. However some people are saying the new 'Super Ground' version is much slower rolling than the previous Microskin carcass. Have you noticed any difference? I've only run the old ones.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Thank you. The Speeds I have are actually the old ones, so I can’t speak to the new casing. The Super Ground is a tougher/more puncture-resistant casing, so I am not surprised that it may feel or actually be a bit slower.

[@winds10]

Whoa, impressive! Congrats for the win! How do you like your Koo Demos?

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Thanks! I like the Koos a lot, actually. Had them about a year. The hinges are a bit loose now but the lens has held up well to lots of gravel abuse.

[@randyhagens]

Congrats! Good info in the report. Are you riding Big Sugar in October?

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Thank you. And yes! Stoked for it.

[@djseitz425]

Hey Ben! Just subbed. So I’m part of a committee that is planning a 100 mile gravel race in the Tug Hill region of Upstate NY. I’d love to get in contact with you to potentially see if we can get you or anyone you know out? Or even potentially help us spread the word. Either way, I love your content man cheers!

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Hi DJ. Thank you. I’d be happy to chat - [e-mail]

[@djseitz425]

@@TheRidewithBenDelaney absolutely! Just sent out an email. Thanks for the response on here Ben I appreciate that.

[@rudyelizondo1935]

Good vid, what saddle did you use and do you like the specialized power mirror saddle? Thanks

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Thank you. I used the Stock Giant model and actually really like it. Usually it’s 50/50 with stock saddles. I have not tried the Mirror Power but I suspect I would love it as the Power has been a primary go-to for years.

[@chrisdistefano198]

All those bottles ejected in those early bumps! And you saying "Sorry" about your competitor's cramps - not believable at all, sir! :)

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Ha!

[@tmayberry7559]

Yes Ben who are you? I'll tell you you're Big Ben Delaney a super cool guy 😎

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

😎

[@rudyelizondo1935]

Great vid Ben, what Giant bike are you riding? Do you know it’s weight? Thanks

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Giant Revolt. 18lbs? I need to weigh it.

[@blambmtb6189]

I may be pulling the trigger on this bike soon. I ride 80% road 20% gravel. I Rode a friends Supersix evo se and loved it. Felt fast everywhere but struggled some on technical riding. Would this feel quick in the road as well ? I did notice the stack is 21 mm higher than the evo

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Yeah, one bike won't do everything at 100%. The Revolt will feel similar to the EVO SE - great on the gravel and pretty good on the road. One thing some folks do is get a gravel bike and then swap out wheels for road and gravel. The trick with the EVO SE is that the rear wheel has a unique dish to it, so you can't just pop in another wheelset, which is annoying.

[@BikeLife154]

I was looking to buy a Giant Revolt but heard a lot on the net about the carbon frames cracking around where the seatpost enters the frame! Have you heard of this on the 2022 frames? At the moment I don’t want to go near a revolt!

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

The seatpost junction is a little fussy because there are two separate pieces besides the post - a shim to make the d-shaped post fit, and the expander bolt. Mine starts to creek after a few dirty days and power washings, but no cracks!

[@BikeLife154]

@@TheRidewithBenDelaney thanks for taking the time to answer!

[@stanford135i]

@The Ride with Ben Delaney what tire size you ran at steamboat? 40mm?

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

35

[@mogwai888]

Why not tubeless if the other rider was concerned about pinch flats ?

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Men’s winner Keegan Swenson? He was tubeless - just with the addition of inserts.

[@isaacdevoid7951]

Hey Ben, what helmet glasses combo are you running?

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

There is the POC Ventral Lite and KOO Demos. POC fits a bit small, but I like the ventilation and how you can stick virtually any pair of sunglasses snugly in the vents, so long as the arms tuck in between the helmet and your head.

[@yannpierrejoly]

How tall are you and what size is your bike and your stem ? Good show thank you

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

6ft/183cm, M/L Revolt, 100 stem. Cheers.

[@markklimaszewski3399]

Not a word about why a giant revolt ?/ and nothing/ about your GRX gearing / cassette choice ?

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Why a Giant Revolt? I was slated to ride another bike before launch but things got sideways. You can check out my take on the Revolt and GRX here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2qcooKPft-cqpY&ab_channel=TheRidewithBenDelaney Thanks for asking!

[@markklimaszewski3399]

Thanks / still no mention of cassette size ? most likely a 34 or 36 ?

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

@@markklimaszewski3399 11-34

[@jmscheel]

Are you racing Worlds tomorrow?

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

No. Was planing on going but am spending the weekend with my fam at my daughter’s soccer tourney.

[@sahasrangshuutube]

Would you recommend a liner

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

I haven't used them much. If sealant and a plug can't fix the situation, then you're putting a tube in there - at which point a liner is a messy hassle. I know some would argue that you're less likely to get such a big tear if you have a liner... but I am not a convert.

[@jmscheel]

So you must have either gotten a celebrity call up to get that front row start….or staged at 5:45A. I raced the Red course and was behind 1000 of my closest friends.. Took 7 1/2 minutes to pass Dave Towle at the starting line.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

I got there early to shoot the start of the Black. It is a huge crowd!

[@spin2win721]

Why not a hip pack and fidlock water bottles? No need to reinvent the wheel. Just look at your typical mountain biker. It’s not that much different.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

That is one thing I enjoy about gravel - there is no One Right Setup. Frame bags with hydration bladders are an option, too. For me, I don’t like the hip pack idea as I want to have access to my jersey and bib pockets.

[@darthjohn0]

Wearing a camelback over your chest/stomach and inside your jersey is more aero.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

You’re not wrong, but… that’s a bridge too far for me! 😂