Well because it was short of the free postage amount anyway, I coughed up for next day delivery and the BB arrived. Even better, I knocked the old one out with some old alkathene pipe with a connector on the end (used that trick on my race bike before now) and then squeezed the new one in with my big G clamp 🤣
So the MTB is back in contention. I would go out now but it’s tipping down and I’ve just run a bath 🤣
Depending on what goes on with group rides this weekend, I may attempt a beefier back to back comparison of maybe 90 mins each.
I am having bike second thoughts!
Stupidly I compared speeds on segments ridden on my CX bike and my XC bike and on everything except real MTB trails it way much slower on my MTB. On climbs there is about a 10% difference and this is consistent across different length climbs and segments.
Back to my problem, the clearance is tight with 38, but I am not worried about stones getting stuck, the frame is Ti so unlikely to come off second best.
Going to copy crosshair and do a couple of side by side rides this week to see how things feel before deciding!
My wife has no interest in bikes and is sick of hearing about this!
It’s an annoyingly tough decision 🤣👍🏻
The reason I’m not power-matching my test though is because it’s not really about whether the MTB is as fast on a 40 or even 90 minute blast.
My hunch is that in *hour* 7,8 and 9- the saving of billions of extra vibrations through the suspension and bigger tyres on the mtb will add up to a nicer day out.
The thing is, ten years ago, DR would have been a mtb marathon event if it existed. The few nutters riding it on cross bikes would have been considered niche 🤣
There’s more factors too. I may have to employ the bathroom scales and also consider that my Diverge has just been rebuilt by the bike shop whereas my mtb is ten years old!
What a pickle 🤯🤪 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Bugger - anyone seen the weather forecast? Was looking promising a couple of days ago, now not so much. I think I cursed it by changing tyres yesterday.
It looks fine on metoffice? Cloud and sun all week. Bit less sun by the weekend but likely to be dry, highs of 12C. Maybe a bit breezy.
Given this is Kielder in April and it could be snowing, 100mph winds, or biblical rain that looks pretty good?
😁
The thing is, ten years ago, DR would have been a mtb marathon event if it existed. The few nutters riding it on cross bikes would have been considered niche 🤣
Indeed - the Kielder 100 last ran 11(?) years ago and shared at least some of the Reiver route I think, definitely the bit along the border river in the old route anyway.
It's hard to avoid forest roads. Some of them were used. They were used in the kielder marathon series too.
The DR doesn't touch any of the proper MTB stuff though.
There used to be a ride called the Bellingham Blast. Ran in around 2012. Used the Toll road and lakeside path. It was ahead of its time unfortunately. A gravel event before gravel events had been invented. Did that on a CX bike, some were on MTB, some hybrids and a few tourers.
For sure. The point is more that XC mtb’s are still blooming good at long gravel rides 👌🏻
I remember seeing folk doing the Breacon Beast on a CX bike and I did Max Exposure on the SDW on a 2000 spec £200 Halfords GT that makes my current gravel bike look like an enduro bike 🤣
The weight itself may be a decider against a mtb but wider tyres and suspension are only a plus IMO.
I had entered the kielder 100 a while back but it was cancelled due to low numbers, maybe in 2013.
Then MTB I would have ridden back then only had 26 inch wheels so much much slower and less capable the my 29er and my cx bike will be not as capable for the real mtb terrain but much faster for everything else.
I am pretty sure I will try some fettling this week and manage to screw up one of the bikes so my decision will be made for me!
I'm back/forth in my head whether to ride my rigid XC bike or gravel. Stack height is the same, and I've got a small aero handle for the MTB to get down low so I'm less concerned about aero. I'd say the MTB is comfier too.
On the website Rolling Resistance the 2.2 tyres I've got on the MTB have a lower watt penalty (15W vs 18W) than the 40c gravel tyres, and better puncture protection, and the MTB is overall slightly lighter.
So am I missing something or is it a no brainer?
No brainer 👍🏻
Okay so I just did the loop again. This makes it the least scientific comparison ever 🤣 The wind is in the opposite direction and the handful of muddy sections have dried out a bit.
As I rode- I realised the loop I devised is as favourable to the gravel bike as you can get. The worst off road is uphill where it’s a little lighter, the gravel is a hard packed multi-use footpath/cycle path that I regularly road bike along and the road section is quite quick in places.
Drumroll please! 🥁
The mtb was 1min50 faster! 34min12 v 36min02 🧐
Power was mtb 219w v gravel 214w but they’re different PM’s anyway.
I’ll try and make time to load them both up event-spec with tools and drink etc and see what the weight penalty is.
You're cutting it fine for the windtunnel test @crosshair;) Really interesting result. I suspect the difference in efficiency of each bike is within margins of error by the looks of it so comfort wins right? Or looks? Or frame mounting options? Or tyres....
I'll be on a Nukeproof Digger, running 43mm 650B Gravelking SKs. Thankfully, I have no choice in the matter really! Did an 8 hour Lake District ride on it over Easter. It'll do me.
I've settled on the MTB. I'm not even going to spoil it by weighing them. I may just stick a spare gear cable in just in case but otherwise I think I'm decided.
I have a pair of top tube bags for clothes and snacks and a big saddle bag for tools. One tube is cable tied to the bottle cage and the pump is in a holster.
Well @RichBowman seems to have predicted a turn in weather, now not looking quite so good☹
Anyway it is what it is, finished my packing today, just need to pick up some food supplies tomorrow, looking forward to it now, not so much the drive from Sussex to Northumberland though. I'll be camping in the overflow camping area with a red tent and battered silver Ford Fiesta, I'll be on my own so if anyone fancies popping over to say hello I'll happily get the kettle on 😀
This is the bike i'll be on, if you see me riding also be nice to say Hi to anyone.
I will be arriving Friday about 5ish bazz and plan on camping the same place so will say hello.
Not 100% what bike to bring but likely my lynskey.
Been trying to post a picture but thus website makes it so hard
Will stick a video up about my bike choice later once I've cleaned it 🤣 (And ridden it again one last time!).
Was thinking about strategy (yes I overthink everything if you are new here 🤣) and I think I've cracked it!
Last year, I used to ride to the chaingang for a couple of hours and then do the chaingang itself with 40 miles already in my legs. Knowing you have that big an effort to come means you automatically pace yourself.
Then I was thinking about DR and how, the worst that can happen if you go TOO EASY in the first one or two hours is that you can then go harder in the last one or two hours.
So I'm going to pin my whole day on an attempt to do 300w for the last hour! An EXTREEEEEEEEME negative split 🤣
That will include the super fun rollers on the Northern shore cycle path around the reservoir I guess (which I love riding anyhow). And should feel like a video game passing everyone who is knackered.
In order to do that, I need to average no more than 210w for the entire rest of the day!!! And ideally I will keep my AP and NP really close! So that means likely winching up every climb in granny gear IN ZONE 2 if possible!
It's gonna be almost impossible to execute I'm sure but that's my plan anyway. If nothing else, it will be funny to see what my power ends up being in that final 60mins! (last year I did just 146w/216w np in the final hour 🤣 ).
I think i'm wired slightly differently to people like you... even if i go easy in the first hour, that doesn't mean i have more to give later on... Maybe that's more in my head than reality, but it reallly seems like it.
So, a) I don’t expect to be able to hit the target, it’s just a mental trick to make sure I don’t go too hard and b) you would notice it if you went easy enough. It’s all about glycogen sparing. Using as little as possible whilst riding and ramming in as much as you can as you go along 🍭 🍬 🥤 😀
There’s quite a clear dip at half way on last years HR trace. I basically ‘bonked’ and spent the rest of the day riding at fat-max wattage 🤣
Fingers crossed the rain isn't an all day thing eh. Topped up the tubeless, lubed the chain, all good to go, quite looking forward to it despite the forecast. Just debating the outfit choice now, you guys braving shorts or going full leg?
Crosshair has bought Ian Stannards TT aero suit 😀
Marginal gains, every second counts en route to the beer tent.
Ian who 🤣
If it’s dry I’ll wear my speedsuit with the DR gilet on top to cancel out the aero gainz 🤣
If it’s raining I might try the Gabba jersey again.
Planning on bare legs at the minute.
I'm loving this thread and I'm not even doing the ride! Good luck to you all and looking forward to hearing all you stories from the other side!
Re: Weather - yeah, sorry about that. Actually, it's my riding mates' fault. They're known for bringing the crap weather, usually resulting in getting through a set of brake pads rather quickly.
If it turns out to be an awful grind, then we might change to the 130 on route (I think you can do that, can't you)?
We're camping at Boe Rigg - just down the road. Bike wise, it's a Giant Revolt, Camino Ti and a S-Works Epic FSR (2011) that's just been brought out of retirement... give us a wave as you (undoubtedly) pass us!
Hmmm. I am absolutely gutted about the forecast. I hate rain, and after my last 100 mile mountain bike race round Kielder that destroyed the bike I vowed never to return.
Seems I should have listened to myself. I’ll be switching to the 130 (at best) if the weather doesn’t buck its ideas up.
TAKE SPARE BRAKE PADS.
I went through 4 pairs last time and still finished with the backing plates worn through on the last sets.
@tlr what pads are you using? Shirley some sintered or Kevlar jobbies would be in order
4 sets of pads in one ride? You've got me paranoid now, mine seem to last forever.
Nothing lasts forever in wet Kielder grinding paste. But tbf, the race that I recall destroying everything was one really wet Kielder 100, from bitd (I wore through 3 pairs of pads then failed to finish anyway... Only 20% of the starters actually finished that year!) But that was a mountain bike race. I also recall a rider with a new carbon bike wearing a hole in the frame with a wobbling water bottle.
You lot, ahem, should have less of the destruction in a gravel race. Have a good one everyone.
How do you manage that with 4 sets of pads 🤯
I did two Dirty Reiver’s and the 6 months of training in between on the same set of GRX pads 🤣
If I’ve spent 40mins grinding up a hill- I want all that potential energy back again, not costing me money 🚴🏻 💨 🤣
Yak
Full Member
Nothing lasts forever in wet Kielder grinding paste. But tbf, the race that I recall destroying everything was one really wet Kielder 100, from bitd (I wore through 3 pairs of pads then failed to finish anyway… Only 20% of the starters actually finished that year!) But that was a mountain bike race. I also recall a rider with a new carbon bike wearing a hole in the frame with a wobbling water bottle.
Yep, that was the race, 2011 I think. I finished, but had zero brakes for the last 30 miles, which was fun. I remember the guy who wore through his frame with his bottle. A couple of others went through their carbon chainstays with foot rub.
I don’t remember which pads I was using, they normally last me ages even in the Peak District, but that fine Kielder paste destroyed everything.
Despite cleaning my bike after the race, a day later not a single bearing on my bike worked, wheels, headset, suspension, bottom bracket - all seized utterly solid.
I hate Kielder. No idea why I’m going up there again! I think it was the blue skies and sunshine in the pictures - false advertising I reckon.
^ Yes 2011 seems about right. No one will forget that. I was on a 26er scandal. I think the headset bearings survived but not much else.
But I have been back a few times and it is a stunning landscape to ride in, rain or not. It was the Kielder 100 course + weather that did the damage. You'll be ok this weekend I think.
Still take spare brake pads though...
I’ve just looked up the original thread from that 2011 race.
If anyone thinks we are exaggerating about it, it’s worth a read. Quite funny with 12 years of hindsight…
Reminds me of "that" Gorrick Enduro at Swinley (2009?), I avoided DFL by not bailing on lap 1 like the sensible people, by the time I got back on lap 2 just about everyone had given up on the concept of brake pads and was just running down the descents.
Wow! That sounds insane 🤣
I don't have any spares in stock so better just not brake 🤣
If it turns out to be an awful grind, then we might change to the 130 on route (I think you can do that, can’t you)?
I did the first DR in 2016 in a mix of hail, sleet and temperatures that didn't go much above 3 degrees the whole day.
Bailed at the 130km mark.
It took a hot shower at the campsite, the 2hr drive home with the heather on full blast and a hot bath to actually feel warm again.
What made it worse was the early stream crossing that we had to wade, my feet simply never recovered from that. If the phrase "you will have to wade across a knee deep stream" had been in the rider briefing, I'd have taken some industrial strength bin bags to put over my feet and lower legs but that info was sadly lacking which in those temperatures, was pretty unforgivable.
Good luck to everyone this weekend! I'm working on a UCI race from the comfort of a car. My kind of racing these days - drive a Commissaire around in a nice sponsor car with a lot of snacks on board!
Spare brake pads. Hmmmm. Nope. I don't have any, unless GRX are the same as slx?
Clothes-wise I am taking a right old mix and choosing on the morning. Currently thinking of leggings and overshoes, to be honest.
Also tried my old crud guards on the bike yesterday and they fit - so they are going on.
So....watch out for the green Camino with LOMO frame bag and black crud guards. It's gonna be a strong look! Oh. I'll be somewhere near the tail end I reckon, and definitely only doing the 130.
Does anyone have the 2023 GPX file that could be sent my way. I'm planning to take photographs on the route and upload to Root and Rain/Social Media
It's beautiful up here at the moment!
Regardless of the wet it looks like its going to be pretty chilly so think clothes will be easy.
Long bibs with Gabba up top and arm warmers. Gore jacket and shorts in case it's really wet. Will probably bring winter boots as well to keep the feet warm.
@tlr I was there, great thread, horrible race.
I've been stressing about this since the forecast went shit at the start of the week. I stopped doing endurance events for a year after that. This will probably be the first time I've ridden Kielder in the rain since then and I only live in Newcastle.
Had been considering taking my mudguards off, but they're staying on. Longs, over shoes and a waterproof jacket is what I'll be starting in. The north easterly wind's going to be cold!
I’ve just loaded my bag up with almost all the kit I own 🤣
Always forget about my long sleeved CX Speedsuit. That with a light raincoat could be ideal.
Tempted to stick dry socks in my half-way bag.
I'm assuming you can drop dow as the routes are the same. You just take the 135 sign at some point?
Looking quite likely.
