Borrowing a small cyclocross bike

I'm doing the Coast to Coast challenge in September: http://www.scotlandcoasttocoast.com (yet another case of enter first, think through consequences later).

After some cursory research I've concluded that sticking wider / more knobbly tyres on my road bike would be chancing it and that a cyclocross bike would be my best bet.

I wondered if anyone here had one I could borrow? Wouldn't need to be a ladies' bike, my road bike is men's small - 52cm bb to seat tube. And nothing too nice - I couldn't take the responsibility! Very happy to make a donation to a good cause in lieu of hire.

I would need to pick it up on 10 Sept at latest - as am away the week before, but if I could pick up from end of Aug to give me a chance to ride it around and get it tweaked to fit that would be great. Could get it back to you on / around 20 Sept.

(I wondered about sticking this in the existing ladies bike thread but thought it might get lost / was a bit off-topic - please do merge away if I've got this wrong)

Thanks!

Can't help with the bike but that looks immense!

Thanks Woodie! I'm doing the challenger not the racer distance (having sensibly been talked out of an even more reckless act of bravado). Should be good ... if it doesn't rain the whole time.

KT if you're borrowing one I would try and get it well before, as riding a long distance when you've only been riding the bike for a week could potentially be a nightmare. Usually it takes me at least 2 weeks of me riding it everyday, actually usually longer tbh, tweaking the setup before I'm happy with a bike.

Last thing you want on a ride like that is to be uncomfortable.
Sadly can't help with the bike either, but good luck, it looks amazing!

KT if you're borrowing one I would try and get it well before, as riding a long distance when you've only been riding the bike for a week could potentially be a nightmare. Usually it takes me at least 2 weeks of me riding it everyday, actually usually longer tbh, tweaking the setup before I'm happy with a bike.

Last thing you want on a ride like that is to be uncomfortable.
Sadly can't help with the bike either, but good luck, it looks amazing!

That's very good point - I thought borrowing was preferable to hiring, because my experience of hiring a mountain bike was pretty disastrous and at least by borrowing I could give it a go first. Will amend OP.

Or this could just be an excuse to buy a cyclocross bike :-)
perfect for winter!

You're welcome to come and try mine out. I'll be out of the country at that time, getting married, so you'd be welcome to it. You'd need to change the tyres as I've currently got 23mm gatorskins on for road use. You'd also be welcome to it a couple of weeks before as I said I'm not riding a month before the wedding - I have a habit of falling off and getting covered in bruises!
It's an Isla Luath 700 - PM me if you want more details.

You're welcome to come and try mine out. I'll be out of the country at that time, getting married, so you'd be welcome to it. You'd need to change the tyres as I've currently got 23mm gatorskins on for road use. You'd also be welcome to it a couple of weeks before as I said I'm not riding a month before the wedding - I have a habit of falling off and getting covered in bruises!
It's an Isla Luath 700 - PM me if you want more details.

Forgot to mention it's a small frame at 45cm, but you can try it and I've also put a longer stem on it too...
http://www.islabikes.co.uk/bike_pages/luath700.html

Congrats on the impending nuptials LH. Hopefully, by the time you get back, I'll have a Luath small too :-).

Thanks CW! We'll have to go on a celebratory Luath ride together!

Hi Little Heather - that sounds great. Whereabouts are you in London? I'm in Brixton. I'll PM you to arrange meeting up towards the end of August.

Thank you!

top tube length! top tube length is very important, some 52cm bicycle have a 54cm top tube, some may have 51cm top tube.

Good point. I'll check that with LH - and make sure I get to try it out.

KT - I'm in Brixton too!!! I've PM'd you...
Oh and I'll check the top tube length and let you know!

Top tube height? are you on an Ordinary??

Top tube height? are you on an Ordinary??

It's monday and I still haven't properly woken up, Ed. I meant length, of course.

Top tube is 49cm ctc.

Top tube is 49cm ctc.

and 100mm stem.

A HUGE thank you to Little Heather for lending me her bike on the coast to coast - it was perfect.

I was completely unsettled by the number of massive mountain bikes spotted in transition ... and spent along time comparing the size of everybody else's tyres to mine

Everybody else's tyres

Mine

My careful pre-race preparations (knackering my knee in the London Duathlon the week before and then getting food poisoning) were not ideal - but the bike was. I thought I was amazing as I overtook everyone (on massive tyres, with full suspension) on the one hill of the course

The hill - no big deal on the right bike

So my off road section wasn't exactly fast ... but as the sum- total off my off-road training had involved cycling down backstreets in Stockwell with lots of potholes, I think I can safely say that the bike was not the limiting factor.

Oh - and we totally owned the kayak stage at the end.

Thank you Heather!

Awww, you're very welcome! Glad it could be used for the purpose it was indended for, rather than the daily commute :)
You're very welcome to borrow it any time x

Have agreed to do this again, and will be on the scrounge for a bike to borrow for weekend of 14-15 Sept ( I still haven't quite succumbed to a CX bike, though I have been sorely tempted). Anyone prepared to entrust me their small CX bike for a week, so I can whisk it way on a Highland adventure? Flowers, gratitude, beer and donations to preferred charities all offered in exchange.

That looks like an amazing event actually. Might see if Mr Cake (Howard) would be willing to do it in a pair with me.

I have a friend who has a small CAADX which she isn't really using at the moment, but I think she might sell it before Sept.

KT Bee - may not be so easy as last time as I'm now living in Beckenham, but it is on the train line that runs through Brixton town so you're very welcome to borrow the 'Mean Machine' again if you'd like.

Really? That would be awesome!