Let's offroad / mountain bike / mtb / ride dirt

We're travelling from Edinburgh so just a few hours assuming there's no trouble on the roads. Early days yet but I think we were planning to leave 5PM Friday. Maybe earlier given your problems with snow on the roads...

Things I'll do differently from last year:

1. Arrive on Friday
   
2. Rent a camper van
   
3. Bring a second set of wheels with ice tyres
   
4. Use a bike with gears
   
5. Bring more fire wood
   
6. Bring even more fire wood
   
7. Lie down for at least an hour mid race
   

Another thing you forget is the frozen water bottles halfway round your first lap

I mentally noted a few of these already from the aforementioned writeup, haha. Tyres is the big question mark... I'm currently on 2.2" X-kings, don't think they're going to be up to the task!

I'm also not sure of our strategy with swapping, had not expected people to go for a single lap. We tentatively planned longer stints that allow nearly 6 hours uninterrupted rest for others so everyone gets a decent opportunity to sleep. But it sounds like it was really tiring so maybe that's not viable. Early days again to be thinking about that.

In the ice, all tyres are shite unless they're proper ice tyres.

My suggestion would be a set of mud tyres and a set of ice tyres. That's what I'm bringing.

I think what I personally found hard about switching from 1 lap to 2 lap stints after dark was that I was trying to maintain the pace of 1 lap for 2 laps.

Funny enough, I felt crap in my 2nd lap but went faster.

Having now done big dog solo I'm more prepared for 2 or 3 lap stints. Tbc how we approach it this year as a pair but at least 2 lots of 2 lap stints would be nice to have a longer rest.

If its wet and muddy i'm going with Dirty Dan on the front and Hans Damf on the rear.

If its dry then I'll go with the Rekons

If its even looking like being icy, I'm taking ice tyres and pillows to strap to my helmet.

I'm only going to take two wheelsets so, ice & ?? is the decision.....

Swapping strategy needs some work eh @Colm89

If you get their earlyish on the Friday, we should try and get an LFGSS corner spot on the fire road

I'm going with mud and ice. What are the chances it'll be dry and not icy?

At which point in the 24hrs?

I just cant wait for the 1 lap when you are actually on the right bike, the right tyres and dont feel that awful...

Won't happen

Will happen if we don't plan for it to happen

Good info guys. A second wheelset would be useful 😂 maybe we can find a couple of sets on our team and swap them around if we need ice tyres rather than a whole set each. Or I might just go with mud tyres and hope for the best.

Freezing cleats... Might go for flats?

Cleats do freeze, but the spds are more likely to get clogged then freeze.

A can of de-icer is a good idea and having someone at the change over zone to spray the pedals between laps is a good call.

I'm probably going to use flats this year, especially if its snowy again

If you all run the same wheel-size and spacing, wheel sharing is a good call.

just found this

Shall we reactivate the mega dredge?

I'd say so! Good to keep all the info together for next year's entrants if nothing else :)

Done.

As you were, non 'pufferers

This things gonna rip

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(Stem and bars not actually going on this)

(Stem and bars not actually going on this)

Negative 17 degree & bullhorns?

+

Awesome. I've got very similar forks in 29+ flavour, only I could find that weren't ridiculously expensive.

I was going to open with 'Pre Peaks was brutal' but after reading the write up of Strathpuffer, I'll settle for merely 'gruelling'. In true Yorkshire fashion the weather ranged from miserable with fleeting glimpses of distant sunshine, to downright grim. I came off hard at about 50km when at the sight of a crosser trundling down a very sketchy gravel descent, I let loose, fully intending to fly past in a blur of mud-splattered orange fury. And fly I did, straight over the bars and past the bemused rider before landing messily on my face. Que a good sit down and a handful of emergency Haribos while I assessed the damage. A wobbly but rideable front wheel and a smattering of cuts and grazes plus a big gash on my knee that looked like it might need stitches (it didn't fortunately). I finished the ride, largely thanks to a marshall (one of many) who was able to patch me up and see me off on what he assured me was the easiest section of the course.

Oh and I did it on the newly finished Ritchey (literally thrown together the day before). Also white socks were a bad idea and bar bags are great until they come into contact with mud, after which they just ruin your bars.

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Hmmmm. I should buy a 160mm travel e-mtb 29er thing

BPW uplift not working?

Mate it’s fucked

:-(