Morning
A family member is organising this and the brief is a bit scant. If it's CTC route I am guessing minor roads and cinder tracks. Thinking an On One Kaffenback is more than enough bike with touring tyres. Anyone any experience of this route please?
Thanks
Paul
If you avoid the properly offroad alternates, then what you have described is the typical surface alongside lots of road. Kaff will be fine.
and in response to your username, there will be lots of hills, and big ones 😀
i did it on my commuter, a Specialized sirrus sport. was fine
Done twice, once on a 29er with CX tyres and last year on an Arkose. You'll be fine.
Did it last year ony inbred 29er with marathon + tyres. No real need for a suspension fork so the kaff will be fine.
Did it with all the off-road alternatives (not the old coach road - is that even part of the route?) and was fine on a rigid MTB with Continental Travel contacts and full cmaping kit. A touring bike / strong road bike with tyres with a bit of grip should be fine in mild weather.
My 9 year old managed it on a 24inch hotrock
Has the bridge out of Keswick been replaced yet? there was a diversion there not so long ago. There seemed to be a diversion on the climb upto Whinlatter when went that way last month, at least compared to when I last did it 3 yr ago.
I rode it on an Anthem with SB8s a few years ago, only time I really appreciated it was the optional offroad sections: downhill from Whinlatter, up Hartside, downhill into Nenthead (which btw has slightly less height gain than the road alternative). I didn't do the coach road, everything else would be fine on something like the Kaff... including the offroad section out of Rookhope.
Many thanks fellas.
Rode it on my Boardman Hybrid without any trouble. Only one bloke had a puncture and that was a full on road bike on the off road bit around Whinlatter.
Has the bridge out of Keswick been replaced yet? there was a diversion there not so long ago.
No, still closed. you just do the climb out of Keswick to the Standing Stones, and then cross the A66 to Threkeld.
I did it a few years ago, I was on my summer road bike with 23mm tyres and it was fine. Modern bikes are very capable so whatever you have will be OK (maybe not a full sus as that wouldn't be fun) 95% is tarmac the rest is cinder track or hardpack
I did it 2 years ago on a CAAD 8 with slicks, missed the off-road bits. No problem.
Did it last year on a Saracen Hack with 28c panaracer gravel kings, no issues, no punctures.
I'm doing the whole NCN72 Hadrans Cycleway C2C from Drigg to Tynemouth next week on my CXer..
Did it with a road bike on 23mm tyres. It [i]is[/i] possible, but I did not enjoy some of the route. The cinder tracks need bigger tyres I think.
Did it with a road bike on 23mm tyres. It is possible, but I did not enjoy some of the route. The cinder tracks need bigger tyres I think.
Some of them have been improved a lot over the past few years. There were definitely parts very uncomfortable on a road bike 3 or 4 years ago, but not so much now. The On One will be be perfect really. Bigger tyres would be sensible. 28 - 35mm.
Done 3'three times now in a day used 28mm slicks on the cyclocross bike. No problems. Chips at Tynemouth are very good.