or is the difference too much versus SPDs for such events? just wondered for no real reason other than i cant get my car out of the drive cos of snow and wanted to think of something else while i drink my tea with no milk and eat pilchards, cheese and a tin of butter beans as cant get to the shop!

I did the selkirk on flats last year. I normally ride flats off road so it was ok. However, I use SPDs on the road and on my commuter and think I'll be putting a set on for my next event. I used to ride spds but found they reduced my confidence and I didn't care about going faster. Not any difficult riding on the Selkirk so it should be ok and imagine it will make it easier.

I find that the SPD cleats tend to get annoying after a few miles of running on the tarmac. 😉

Got my coat already, ta…

Did a 100 mile road "event" on flats. It was alright, feet hurt a bit afterwards from the pressure (I was wearing skate shoes)

I rode the Brechfa Enduro on flats, it may be a slight disadvantage on the climbs but I doubt the difference is huge.

Have ridden the Selkirk Merida and some No Fuss events on flats a couple of times. Would riding SPDs have made me faster? No. Being fitter would have made me faster.