anyone know what conditions are like on the South Downs Way at the moment, riding saturday from Winchester and sunday from Steyning

Cr*p!
I wouldnt do it

I was there on sat and i would say conditions are fine/normal. It’s been wet so the chalk will be slipy that’s all. Prepare for rain and you’ll be fine. Wish I could join you!

I was out round Brighton on the SDW on Sunday and was amazed at how dry it was.

The SDW weekend before last was amazingly dry considering. The rest of te local trails were a little craggy though. Will find out Sunday if its changed but of the roads are anything to go by they will be slippery. Think the wind will present more issues. Also there’s new fencin goin up on part of the SDW and the tractor had made a bit of a mess although there had been a bit of scraping going on

thanks for all your input, think it will be a challenge as weather looks bl**dy awful on saturday, but better sunday. we’ve booked so we better do it and hopefully have good beer to end it with.

All good Eastbourne end last week, on Saturday the wind direction ain’t in your favour, can you swap start and end?

If the SWD is greasy, you will need mud tyres or you will have a rubbish time. I’ve been recommended Bonty Mud-X’s. I live in Lewes on the edge of the downs and just doing a quick 15min loop to take the dog out is trial enough.

It’s pissing down at the mo. It’ll be slippy!

The North Downs (ND) drain better than the South. The ND were very wet last Saturday and yesterday and it’s rained heavily every day since and it’s been raining all morning here in the ND.

I would have a backup plan in case you don’t get as far as you’d hoped on Saturday and as @rewski says if it’s an Easterly wind too ….

Anyway keep us posted, love to know how you get on.

Lots of rain and roads flooded on my drive into Arundel this morning. Forecast for the weekend doesn’t look good, either.

Brave. I’d not do it in this sort of weather – claggy clay and slippery chalk after a week of this.

I’d still do it, just be prepared for a hard slow slog. Spesh Storm Controls perform better in the wet chalk than mud x’s IMO, I found Mudx’s lost grip on the harder flint, horses for courses.

i would not do it in this weather. not so much the ground as the sideways rain. had some mates do it in this sort of weather last year (unlucky) and i joined them for last leg which was fun, but their first two days were horrendous. it depends on your fitness and attitude whether it’ll be fun in these conditions. mainly i’ve done it enough that i would only now do it “for fun” on a nice long summer day…

As above, it’s the wind I’d be worried about rather than rain or mud.

i live very near the top of the hill near the SDW in woodingdean and it was horrific up there this morning – a biblical deluge made horizontal by a hefty wind. i got the bus to work.

it looks like it`ll remain wet this week and on saturday you are predicted a headwind as well as rain.

it’ll be lovely!

Very windy right now and been chucking it down for days on and off. Saying that, the Downs dry out very quickly, especially after the very dry Spring we’ve just had.

It’s riding, it’ll be fine, just be prepared to pedal down hill as well as up. Took me 6 hours from Devils Dyke to Eastbourne in 20+ mile winds, it was fun… I think.

Christ I’ve never heard such a load of codswallop. Especially “The North Downs (ND) drain better than the South” Just do it, you’ll be fine.

thanks for all the advice, ‘mud x’ it is as thats on the bike, we might be mad but its still on and if we have to ride in the dark or find an alternative then that should add to the fun, forecast changing all the time so as dave360 says just do it

it was worse than we imagined but we attempted and failed. need to finish off the missed bits and then plan a dry weekend!!!