GravelAugustSteamboat Springs, Colorado, USA

SBT GRVL

Premium Colorado gravel at altitude — smooth dirt roads, dry aesthetic.

Distance

225 km

Elevation

2,700 m climbing

Discipline

Gravel

Character. The glossy end of the US gravel scene. Smooth, fast, high-altitude dirt roads in Routt County. Less brutal than UNBOUND, more scenic, a bucket-list ride for mid-pack gravel enthusiasts.

Conditions. Colorado August: 15–25 °C, dry, dusty, possible afternoon thunderstorm, altitude-thin air.

Lube plan

If you wax — ZFC-recommended path. Use the most durable wax blend you have — an endurance-chip formulation (Silca + Endurance Chip, Rex Black Diamond Plus RDS) pushes the SAL window on dry Colorado gravel, and 225 km sits at the edge of single-application territory for most waxes. Carry a small oil bottle as insurance; you'll likely finish without using it. SBT is self-supported, so plan around what you can carry on the bike.

If you're on oil — pragmatic equivalent. Apply pre-ride; bring a small bottle for insurance in case the back half drags out. 225 km at altitude on dust-heavy gravel is borderline single-application territory — most riders make it without a top-up but the bottle weighs nothing.

Recommended lubricants

53 lubricants ranked · 5 excluded·Customise this scenario →

Top recommendation · Cyclowax Race Wax

Loading expert commentary…

1
Cyclowax Race Wax
Immersive waxCompare →
91.7
score
40% B1 + 60% B2
0.005 wear
Single application
3,033 km
Approx. chain life
29,557 km
Cost / 6000 km
$50.75
Why this rank
#1 because: dry gravel/MTB/CX riding is dominated by dry-dust contamination — scoring weights 60% on Block 2 (dry contamination) and 40% on Block 1. Cyclowax Race Wax is eligible after scenario filtering and its wear (0.005) is the lowest in the eligible set, which — given your priority weights — edges out every other eligible lube.
2
Rex Black Diamond Wax — 11+1 Mix (low-concentration / training)
Immersive waxCompare →
83.6
score
40% B1 + 60% B2
0.008 wear
Single application
—
Approx. chain life
13,453 km
Cost / 6000 km
$112
Why this rank
#2 because: on 40% Block 1 + 60% Block 2 this lube's wear is 0.008 vs the top pick's 0.005 — Cyclowax Race Wax pulled ahead on the primary axis. Wear contributed most to this lube's own score.
3
Rex Black Diamond Wax — 4+1 Mix (high-concentration / race)
Immersive waxCompare →
82.9
score
40% B1 + 60% B2
0.002 wear
Single application
—
Approx. chain life
12,146 km
Cost / 6000 km
$124
Why this rank
#3 because: wear on 40% Block 1 + 60% Block 2 is actually lower than #1 (0.002 vs 0.005), but cost / maintenance tilted the combined score toward Cyclowax Race Wax.
4
Silca Hot Wax X
Immersive waxWatch review →Compare →
81.8
score
40% B1 + 60% B2
0.000 wear
Single application
1,350 km
Approx. chain life
9,967 km
Cost / 6000 km
$151
Why this rank
#4 because: wear on 40% Block 1 + 60% Block 2 is actually lower than #1 (0.000 vs 0.005), but cost / maintenance tilted the combined score toward Cyclowax Race Wax.
5
Mspeedwax New Formula
Immersive waxZFC Tier 1Detail review →Compare →
79.9
score
40% B1 + 60% B2
0.007 wear
Single application
1,021 km
Approx. chain life
6,122 km
Cost / 6000 km
$245
Why this rank
#5 because: on 40% Block 1 + 60% Block 2 this lube's wear is 0.007 vs the top pick's 0.005 — Cyclowax Race Wax pulled ahead on the primary axis. Wear contributed most to this lube's own score.
6
Ceramic Speed Ultra Endurance Wax
Immersive waxCompare →
75.2
score
40% B1 + 60% B2
0.011 wear
Single application
—
Approx. chain life
6,742 km
Cost / 6000 km
$222
Why this rank
#6 because: on 40% Block 1 + 60% Block 2 this lube's wear is 0.011 vs the top pick's 0.005 — Cyclowax Race Wax pulled ahead on the primary axis. Wear contributed most to this lube's own score.
7
Silca Hot Melt
Immersive waxZFC Tier 1Detail review →Compare →
72.6
score
40% B1 + 60% B2
0.013 wear
Single application
640 km
Approx. chain life
21,898 km
Cost / 6000 km
$68.50
Why this rank
#7 because: on 40% Block 1 + 60% Block 2 this lube's wear is 0.013 vs the top pick's 0.005 — Cyclowax Race Wax pulled ahead on the primary axis. Wear contributed most to this lube's own score.
8
Silca + Endurance Chip (*Extended Intervals)
Immersive wax* Extended-interval testCompare →
57.8
score
40% B1 + 60% B2
0.017 wear
Single application
1,746 km
Approx. chain life
14,493 km
Cost / 6000 km
$104
Why this rank
#8 because: on 40% Block 1 + 60% Block 2 this lube's wear is 0.017 vs the top pick's 0.005 — Cyclowax Race Wax pulled ahead on the primary axis. Wear contributed most to this lube's own score.
9
Effetto Mariposa Flower Power Wax
Immersive waxDetail review →Compare →
34.8
score
40% B1 + 60% B2
0.037 wear
Single application
1,029 km
Approx. chain life
7,500 km
Cost / 6000 km
$200
Why this rank
#9 because: on 40% Block 1 + 60% Block 2 this lube's wear is 0.037 vs the top pick's 0.005 — Cyclowax Race Wax pulled ahead on the primary axis. Wear contributed most to this lube's own score.
10
CeramicSpeed UFO Drip (New Formula)
Wax-compatible dripZFC Tier 1Detail review →Compare →
32.2
score
40% B1 + 60% B2
0.043 wear
Single application
394 km
Approx. chain life
6,508 km
Cost / 6000 km
$231
Why this rank
#10 because: on 40% Block 1 + 60% Block 2 this lube's wear is 0.043 vs the top pick's 0.005 — Cyclowax Race Wax pulled ahead on the primary axis. Wear contributed most to this lube's own score.

Excluded for this event (5)

AbsoluteBLACK Graphene Lube — No ZFC wear data for the scenario-relevant test block.
Finish Line Ceramic Wax Lube (unable to extrapolate data) — No ZFC wear data for the scenario-relevant test block.
NO LUBRICANT — Baseline / control entry.
Squirt Hot Wax — No ZFC wear data for the scenario-relevant test block.
Wend Wax Test 1 — Stick Only — No ZFC wear data for the scenario-relevant test block.