I’m writing this on July 1st, which means we are almost exactly 4 months out from Iceman! It’s wild to think we’re already this far through summer (because for us NoMI folks, we feel like we didn’t have a spring), but at this point you should be thinking about making sure you’re getting that saddle time in so your legs are primed for that cold November morning air in Kalkaska. My last posts have really been focused on the feelings and emotions of Iceman – embracing the pain, appreciation for the people in our corner, gratitude for those who volunteer and make the race happen and simply being grateful for the ability to physically line up at the start and feel the nerves + stoke! These are the ingredients of Iceman and what make it a fun and rowdy party in the woods.
I thought for this post that I would shift gears a bit (pun intended) and talk about bike set up and the infamous tire choice for Iceman! Yes, I’m aware I’m dabbling in sensitive territory and one of my favorite topics to read through the Iceman Facebook page’s thread when they kick up – usually I’m just there for the comments. As someone native to “the Iceman land” up here, the following is my take on an ideal bike set up and the tires I tend to run. Be nice in the comments;)
For starters, let’s talk overall bike choice. I really feel like this is subjective based on the categories of riders I’ve mentioned on previous posts; the Pro, the serious amateurs, and everything in between on down to the joy riders. For this post, I’m going to focus on the cohort that isn’t Cat 1 or Cat 2 (because they don’t need this!), and for those of you who are looking to PR on the day and figure out the fastest bike set up to shed time. There are of course tons of variables and none of this is a “one size fits all” recommendation; this is just what has worked for me and helped me get faster and faster each year, and maybe give you some things to think about. Personally, I’ve ridden a hardtail for every Iceman I’ve done sans last year (I’ll talk about that bike later). Last year I thought some of the additions of single track were great (except that post that took people out going into NCT – yikes!), but overall the course has lots of fast rolling sections and is relatively smooth with ~1800ft of vertical gain. My mentality has been to ride something that is as stiff and as efficient as possible for pedaling since the course has extremely limited rocks and roots. A hardtail fits that bill and is a great choice. All that to say, an XC full suspension is also a great choice and can be just as fast depending on your riding style – the tradeoff is of course bike weight, but that can be offset. I decided last fall to sell both my hardtail and full suspension (100mm travel) XC bikes and combine them into one with an Epic World Cup (110mm front travel and 75mm rear). Similar to a Trek Supercalibur, it rides like a hardtail but can be set up to give you that “squish” you get from a fully (the Supercaliber is a bit more cushy, but per the riding we do up here I opted for more stiffness). What’s unique about the Epic WC is that the rear suspension can be set up basically to be a hardtail (“no gulp” as they say), a middle ground or “half-glup,” and the squishy “full gulp.” For Iceman last year I rode the middle setting, and plan to ride the “no gulp” this year. This is again strictly preference, and what I’ve come to love!
Now – tires. I’m fearful to dabble into this, and am currently laughing while typing this. When I first got into Iceman, 2.1 Thunder Burts were THE tire that was in for all of the fast folks (and I’m sure are still being ran!) – low tread down the middle, some nice “bite” on the sides, and that 2.1 size to keep the surface area low and fast-rolling on the gravel / two-track sections. Quick! For me, rather than going straight to 2.1s front and back, I opted for a 2.25 Racing Ray up front for a little more agility in the tight corners and a 2.1 in the back for that rolling speed. One thing that I learned pretty quick was the amount of sand – those were definitely the areas where I felt that 2.1 “drag” a bit when rolling through. From there, I tried out 2.25 Maxxis Aspens on some pre-rides and it was a no-brainer switch for me (and what I like). They’re fast-rolling, great grip on the sides, lightweight, and overall could run them at an ideal pressure (dare I go there?). I’ve ridden those the past two years and have had my two fastest Iceman finishes. For the tire pressure folks, I ran 23psi in the back and 21psi in the front, and I really loved that set up for the course. I really don’t think you can go wrong with 2.25 Aspens if you already have them, and truthfully there’s potential to look at something bigger!
Per my previous post, I’m currently training for the Leadville 100 and have been deep in the “rabbit hole” on which tires to run. If you’ve never ridden in the rockies, it should be no surprise that there are sharp and jagged rocks everywhere. When trying to keep a bike as light as possible, you have to weigh out the risk vs reward of having thin-walled tires (120tpi vs 170tpi). Lower rotational weight with a weaker sidewall vs a higher rotational weight with a stronger sidewall. When I think about this, it’s quite simple – a flat would take away much more time vs a little extra weight that keeps you moving. This had me opt to explore the world of the 2.4 Aspen STs… and oh man what a fun tire, these! They roll fast, and the 2.4s give you such great grip when running the same (or lower) pressure to the 2.25 Aspens. Since I’ve been running these here in TC getting used to them ahead of LT100, they feel more and more like an amazing choice for riding up here and blast through the sand! If I remember correctly, many of the Pros ran this 2.4 setup last year… the course was almost two miles longer and had slightly more climbing, but the finish times were essentially the same as previous courses that were shorter with less climbing – not a bad data point if you ask me! The factor to think about when making that tire choice is weather. November is unpredictable up here. As we saw last year it was completely dry coming into November, but fortunately some rain a couple days before the race settled in and really firmed the course up making those sandy sections early on feel like highways!
Just real quick to touch on gearing for Iceman. This is again strictly preference and your riding style, but with how (relatively) flat and fast Iceman is, I have opted in the past to run a 34t chainring and a 10-52t rear cassette. This year I’m toying with the idea of a 36t chainring for a little more speed in the flats, but I really don’t think you can go wrong with a 34t chainring if you’re a strong climber. A 32t is also a great option on a 10×52 setup to help you clean Make It Stick, Woodchip Hill, and Icebreaker!
This is again all of course my preference and what I feel comfortable with. There is absolutely no wrong tire choice if it’s what you feel comfortable with on course. If you are considering trying a different tire out, like nutrition, don’t experiment on race day! Make sure you get some rides in and really feel out the tires, especially cornering. Different tires and pressures will all perform differently in the corners; you want to know where those limits are before you set out to crush your day at Iceman. As we get close to Iceman this fall, I’ll be out doing some rides scouting the course and hoping to provide some insight on conditions leading all the way up to race day. In the meantime, set your goal(s), make a plan, commit to yourself and the people who support you, and get out on the trails to make your 2025 Iceman the best one yet. See you in the woods!
Thank you to Mark Daisy @markdaisymusic for being our 2025 Iceman Trailblazer!