My first of these threads (I think) so apologies. It’s well in advice of the event in September but would like opinions, gives me time to try out options.

From Inverness to Fort Bill, an event including road (60 miles) and decent (apparently) MTB trail riding (20 miles) which has to be done on the same bike. I’m planning to use my PX London Road (700C CX/commuter) as I’m happy with it off road.

At the moment I have Vittoria Randonneurs fitted which will be great for the road but will be a liability on anything other than gravel fire road or dry trails (unlikely). I also have Vittoria XM pro tyres which are great for proper muddy riding but very draggy on the road.

I appreciate the best tyre will be a compromise for either event. I would like something failry high volume (max 40c) I can run tubeless and adjust the pressures accordingly.

Would a WTB Nano be a good option? They appear to have a central line of tread that might not be too bad on tarmac at high pressure?

We supply quite a few bikes for this event, dropping them off in Cawdor and collecting them from Fort William. Most f9lk opted for hybrids. Last year they all had 32mm Bontrager hybrid tyres – akin to a Schwalbe Marathon.

We have some Specialized Diverge ESWs this year and I reckon they might be as popular choice. They currently have a similar tyre fitted and it’s unlikely we’ll need to change them.

I reckon you are completely over thinking it 🙂

(Off the top of my head, I think it’s £85 for the bike/delivery package)

I reckon you are completely over thinking it

You are no doubt correct. Most of the information I can find regarding the level of the trails to be expected is written from an ultra runner/triathlete perspective so it is probably being significantly exaggerated.

The tracks they use can get a bit muddy but we’re not talking about “mountain biking” in the sense that most folk on here would envisage. A comfy hybrid will be fine, any sort of CX/gravel/adventure bike will be fine. I reckon the Diverge will be spot on this year. Let me know if you’d rather hire than bring your own.

Raced it the first first year they ran it in the no-longer-existant ‘Elite’ category where you had your own support crew and could use two bikes. I really wished I’d had a cross bike rather than my MTB on the second bike stage, nothing techy at all – like Scotroutes says, can get a bit muddy in places but even the singletrack is well surfaced and I only remember one set of switchbacks that caused any sort of consternation.

Never tried Nanos, but run On-One Gravel Roads on my cross and they’d be a decent option as well. Not sure about tubeless, never tried them like that, but they’re fairly fast rolling, not overly heavy, and cheap.

Go for a higher-volume 40mm tyre like a WTB Nano, Surly Knard or even a Schwalbe Smart Sam – has 50% more volume than a 32mm tyre which has benefits when encountering water bars, or just a bit more cush for comfort. Likewise, tubeless minimises the risk of pinch-flats and reduces rolling resistance. I would avoid a dedicated CX tyre like a Vittoria XM – too lightly made with pretty poor durability as they’re only really resigned for riding around muddy fields, not hacking through trails.

Thanks for feedback guys.

Scotroutes, your hawking aside I’ll be bringing bikes as we’re making a holiday out of the trip too.

I didn’t race as i was away but did do a recce of the bike leg and used a Cx bike with fast cx tyres and the off road bit was nothing.

snownrock – Member
Thanks for feedback guys.

Scotroutes, your hawking aside I’ll be bringing bikes as we’re making a holiday out of the trip too.Cool. Makes a lot of sense. Some folk just fly up for the event and disappear again. If you’re after other ideas on where to ride, just ask.

Wait and see what the weather is like. I’d go cyclocross bike if you have one, or if on a mountain bike I’d go semi slick if it’s dry or Race Kings if wet, they roll well on the road.

If you really want to fit in you’d be best with a supermarket bike with forks on back to front.

Duck footed pedalling with the seat a bit low, helmet back to front – perfect.

I passed this last year on a singletrack road near Daviot. As a group, they were not doing much for cyclist/motorist relations… 🙂

@bedmaker, with my thankfully limited sportive experience I would expect nothing less