Hi folks.

I’ve stupidly entered HTN 3 in Feb with some mates and i’m wondering which bike to use.

I’ve got a Charge Juicer steel road bike and a Turner 5 Spot. The turner will be overkill with all the mud so i’m thinking of sticking some cx tyres on my road bike and use that. Will my road bike split in to pieces like my mates think it will? I’m thinking that with it being steel it should hold it up well.

Tyre clearance will be your main issues unless for some reason you are running frog legs or mini Vees on your road bike.

If you’re worried about mud then I’d guess your road frame with cross tyres would through up an interesting clearance problem.

Road bikes aren’t nearly as fragile as people would believe.

But, as Will points out, it won’t have the clearances for the tyres/mud that a cross frame does.

Didn’t think about mud clearence. Just had a look at the frame and there is quite abit of space but it depends on what tyres i get.

Hopefully it will be ncie and cold and the ground will be hard

‘Cross tyres on the 5 Spot?

I’m having a similar dilema in what bike to use, I have a Boardman CX bike but to be honest my Blur LTc with mud tyres was OK last year. having only riden my CX bike off road a few times (bought as a commuter) I’m still not really used to its off road handling……..

‘Cross tyres on the 5 Spot?

+1,
Even if the road frame has clearance, can you fit 32mm knobly tyres in the brakes? And they’ll just grind to a halt with mud.

So either mud tyres on the spot or an exuse to buy a cross bike.

If you do run cross tyres on the 5 spot, you might want to harden the suspension up, otherwise the bike will be so low that you’ll be bashing the pedals all the time.
I’ve never had much success with small skinny tyres on a mountain bike, I find it made the wheels feel so small that they didn’t roll over even simple bumps easily. I found larger tyres faster, even with the added weight.
I don’t know the frame, but I’m imagining that you’ll struggle with clearance on your road bike, as others have said. Even if the frame has clearance, you’ll struggle with the brakes unless they’re cantis. Clearance is an issue with real cross bikes when it gets probably muddy.

I’d go 5 spot with xc race mud tyres.

I reckon you should buy my single speed HT that I have for sale 😆

It wouldn’t be right sticking skinny tyres on my 5 spot. It won’t do it justice.

I’ve also got a Pace 303 frame gathering dust in the celler so it might be time to build that back me thinks.

choices choices

Your road bike is gonna have a low bottom bracket too…

Your road bike is gonna have a low bottom bracket too…

then it will be nice and stable on the descents 🙂

then it will be nice and stable on the descents

Not sure it’ll make any difference, as the OP will be shouldering it for the whole course anyway with the brakes and frame packed up with mud.

I’ve stupidly entered HTN 3 in Feb with some mates and i’m wondering which bike to use

Easy, buy a cross bike. Remember, n+1. 😉

There’s a preview ride tonight.

Come and have a look.