There's a big upside to riding the same size bike as your wife. This Crux carbon is one of them. It's the same bike Kristen (KP) raced to 4th place at the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships in the women's singlespeed race. With a swap of the seatpost, saddle, bar, stem, and pedals, it's ready for action on the gorgeous roads of Stillwater, OK. I geared up to a a 40x17 (for now) and threw on some Vittoria tires to keep room for mud.

Why singlespeed? Well anyone who has experienced a wet year at Land Run already knows. For those uninitiated, the red clay mud in Oklahoma has a reputation for destroying drivetrains. But I also love riding a singlespeed. It keeps me focused throughout the race, pushing whenever possible and providing some recovery on tailwind and downhill sections. It won't be the only gravel event that I race singlespeed this year.

I'm super stoked to see loads of friends at this year's Land Run. My wife Kristen will be there (a post of her race bike is coming soon!). So too will several homies from Colorado's Front Range. We'll join up with peeps from all over the Midwest including Jason Gaikowski, Jim Cummins, the infamous O'Mara brothers, Ryan Balkenhol, and others! Stillwater and District Bicycles will be THE place to be in a week's time. For that weekend, it is the epicenter of the gravel world!

Right now I have on a 40x17 gear using a Rotor non-Q, narrow/wide ring and a Surly cog and Singleator. A SRAM 8-speed chain connects it all. iSSi Flash III pedals with 58.5mm spindles keep my knees aligned and happy.

After testing a range of saddles over the past months, I'm back on Selle SMP models. The Blaster is designed for mountain biking, but I like the shape and firmness quite a bit. I mounted it to a Moots titanium zero-offset post for some additional comfort. The Rapha Boulder AssSaver is a nod to the rain gods.

A well-used Pedro's seat pack made from recycled inner tubes is one of my favorites. It securely holds 2 inner tubes, patches, a multi-tool, CO2 cartridges (2) and inflator, a section of chain, quick links, chain lube, and a pair of nitrile gloves.

I'm running a pair of Vittoria's excellent Terreno Mix tires in 33mm. I could go wider but I like to have loads of mud clearance for Land Run. Thanks to Ken Avery for sending those over! They are mounted to the stock Roval carbon wheels. They're light, strong and set up tubeless easily.

I've been loving this little Profile Design Aero E-Pack top tube bag. It has three Velcro straps (I cut the middle one off) and elastic cords around the steerer. The bottom is rubberized to help it stay in place. It's also compatible with frames that have top tube bag mounts. It's large enough for a couple Clif bars and three or four gels.

On the frame I have a pair of Arundel Stainless Steel cages. I'll likely run large bottles and the Arundels hold them tight. I also have a PRO mini pump mounted on the down tube.

The cockpit consists of a Thomson stem (made in Georgia!), an Easton AX90 carbon bar, Arundel tape, Shimano RS685 hydro brake levers, and a Wahoo ELEMNT GPS unit. Nothing too fancy, but all comfortable and functional. I considered aerobars but riding singlespeed means I'll spend more time out of the saddle. I also went a bit wider with the bars and taller with the stem for the same reason.

Thanks for reading! If you'll be at Land Run, please say howdy! Also please take the time to like Rambleur's Facebook page. Stay tuned for KP's bike choice!