I’ve done a couple of the Adventure X series events, Grizedale Grizzly on a Cube 29er HT and the recent Moors & Shores on my gravel bike. I’ve entered the Peak District Pioneer and am undecided which bike to use. Moors & Shores was deffo a gravel bike event, but will this one be soggier or rougher and warrant using suspension?

I’ve only got a hardtail, so no basis for comparison, however that’s obviously not going to stop me 😀

Moors and Shores felt more cross bike oriented than my recollection of doing the Pioneer last year. But it’s pretty much swings and roundabouts anyway – any section where I flew past lycra types going across a rutted field, they stormed past me on the road minutes later. Depends if you’re after speed or which is the most enjoyable way to pass the day, I guess.

Either way, I’ll be on the hardtail again…

The old railway tracks on the Pioneer suit a cross bike nicely. Other bits don’t. Take your pick!

Me and my brother are having a go at this. I’ll be on a hard tail, he will be on a cross bike.

I’ll let you know how we get on…

I’m leaning more towards the 29er hardtail then. Looking forward

2013 Genesis Croix De Fer for me!

If I had a hardtail 29er I think i’d opt for that though.

There’d been a fair bit of rain before the Pioneer last year, so some of the off road sections were a bit damp. Particular mention goes to the sheep field around halfway through, but luckily they gave us a long, slow, energy-sapping road climb straight after to gradually shake the clag off the tyres…

Oh yes, and there was also the two foot deep bridleway bath not far from the end, for anyone that remembers it.

I did 2016 on my race ‘cross bike and would 100% use the same again. There are a couple of short sections where a HT would be better, but these add up to a minuscule percentage of the total course.

A ‘cross bike speeds along the many gentle gravel paths and large amount of road sections (including a few rather nippy road climbs towards the end).

I certainly didn’t collect anything even remotely like that ^ mud

Hi there

I too have entered this race for 2017, not done anything like this before! i have chosen to do the Mini Massif challenge and im using a 29″ 140mm hardtail for it as i though my 160mm travel full-sus may be overkill.

Looking forward to it but not sure what to expect is there many climbs and what distance are we looking at for these climbs just out of interest?

Thanks
Ben

There’s elevation profiles and route maps from last year’s ride over on RBC (the organisers)’s page. There may be tweaks and changes for this year, so don’t take them as gospel, but they’ll give you a decent idea.

The Cycling Weekly / mbr Peak District Pioneer 2016

Oh, and I’d say even 140mm was overkill, but ride what you like! 🙂

This keeps getting linked on my Fb feed. Does anyone have a link to the route please?

I was interested in this last year but never got around to giving it a go. I might drop it into conversation again with a few mates.
Is it the one from Bakewell including the Monsal Trail etc?
Bike wise i’ve recently passed my 140 HT on to the wife as I now ride my 150/140 FS everywhere. I took the HT out a while back and came back with a stiff back, I think i’m a FS convert!

Did it a couple of years ago on a rigid scandal.

As someone else as said there a a few sections that were more suited to a cross bike and some that were suited to a MTB.

If your riding with someone else make sure you have similar bikes as you be waiting for them on the techy bits and theyll be waiting for you on the smooth bits.

I enoyed it they has good feed stops but I found there was too much of Tissington, manifold and high peak trails. If your not from the area it will be fine but if you’ve spent the last 10 years going on th with kids it’s a bit dull.

jamiep – Member

I did 2016 on my race ‘cross bike … I certainly didn’t collect anything even remotely like that ^ mud

I just looked it up – as much to confirm I wasn’t imagining it as anything. 😕 The sheep field was immediately after the split point, so if you did the longer Massif loop you were spared that mud fest …

jekkyl – Member

This keeps getting linked on my Fb feed. Does anyone have a link to the route please?
This is slightly more usable than RBC’s bizarre mapping overlay …
https://www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/events/peak-district-pioneer-adventure-cross/

A cracking day was had. Much less rain beforehand than last year and a few tweaks to the route here and there – most noticeably cutting out that horrible sheep field after the split point.

My time was much improved on last year, so I’m dead chuffed. Losing a stone and a half, improving base fitness and so not having to stop for recovery breaks made all the difference…

Meh, I reckon a cross bike was overkill today, never mind the 100mm FS I did it on. Seemed to be an awful lot of road riding (edit, just checked over half was road, they’d categorised it as an ‘mtb’ event), though I only have the moors and shores event to compare to. Will be doing that again, won’t be doing this.

I rode as sweep on the Short route, cross with 40mm Nanos, had a good day out. Had a mad sprint to catch back onto the tail riders when a gent who’d been the last dropped out near the rejoin. Caught a 20min deficit up by the Minninglow embankment…

I rode a Genesis Croix De Fer, and there was only a few small rocky paths i’d have prefered to be on a MTB for.

I did the 73 mile Massif and saw a fair few on big suspension MTB’s.

I did the mini massif at 48 miles – first sportive i have ever done, really enjoyed it and the organizing of the event was good along with the feed station.

Shocked myself and managed it in 4 hours 24 minutes, considering i was nearly 5 stone heavier 7 months ago i was buzzing, and pulling the times from the website i was 29th out of the 562 who entered the mini. i know it wasn’t a race but i wanted to see how i fared with other riders!

Helmet off to the guy that did the mini in 2 hours 20 mins though!

I’m looking at doing the full massif next year 🙂

I did it on a genesis longtitude the 2.35 Hans damf were certainly overkill. I did the 73 and never realised before how long that manifold trail is, great food stops and enjoyed the day on the whole.