[Closed] Hit the North - What bike?!

If you have the option take a CX bike and a mountain bike and decide on the day ... this year it was rock hard and mountain bikes were killing it on the descents .. year before it was a mud fest and cx bikes were the best choice.

... whatever the conditions you'll die on a road bike 🙂

Bring the road bike. My e-mail is in profile and I will film it 😀

NOT THE ROAD BIKE - I would rather ride my kids bike tbh than my road bike round there

First timer here too. I plan on rigid 29er in 1x10 mode. Just got a set of on one newest carbon fork offering, shitt!ngly light! (Instead of the virtually not moving lumps of crap that are on the bike at the moment!).

Also - spd or not?

Another HtN first timer. I'm going to use this.

[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8479/8193114077_35e267381f_b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8479/8193114077_35e267381f_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/bikesnthat/8193114077/ ]Untitled[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/bikesnthat/ ]redmancunian69[/url], on Flickr

Now fitted with an Alfine.

Rode the old course on my x bike the other week and it was fine, back in feb it was a nightmare. Dave Haygarth rode half on his cross bike and half on his MTB and IIRC said there was next to nothing in it

Not the road bike.

... whatever the conditions you'll die on a road bike

Ha! That's the end of that idea then.

I know this might seem like a list of the [i]least[/i] appropriate bikes, but I've got a mate who will lend me a Surly Long Haul Trucker...? No...ok.

MTB it is - thanks all

On the whole lap there is about 20m of carrying. The other 4 miles you can ride.

Now fitted with an Alfine.

Last year someone who had presumably done HTN before brought a rigid with some proper skinny tyres, something like 1.5". Bet his/her hands hurt at the end

Not the road bike, bring any mountain bike and a sense of humour 🙂

Not the road bike, bring any mountain bike and a sense of humour

Don't worry, i'll have that in abundance. Nothing funnier than pretending you don't care you're last. A hoot!

I'm a HTN first timer as well, i'll be on MTB, aiming for last place

First timer here too.

Will be on this with 29er wheels/tyres.
[img] [/img]

Sense of humour, check! I'm terrible on a mountain bike and am rapidly running out of time for 'practice' before hand.

If you are aiming to survive rather than win take whatever bike you feel most confident on, but not the road bike. The course is varied and the winner will be the best athlete, not the best bike.

In my case it would be my 5” travel full susser. I’m quicker on my CX but I’m not the most skilful rider on it and some bits of the course give me “the fear” and I’m not a big fan of some of the climbs on my SS.

I’m not doing it BTW. I’m not daft.

I last rode it on this. A 1970s road bike converted to SSCX.

[url= http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5292/5438690643_6b8832ee97.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5292/5438690643_6b8832ee97.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/ed_rollason/5438690643/ ]HitTheNorth_CX_225[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/ed_rollason/ ]Ed Rollason Photography[/url], on Flickr

mis-post

quitter!

Yep.

Got some manitou 29ers in the garage too

SS29er with a spinny gear, thats me that is.

FWIW - for long and boring reasons, I shan't be riding this one (but will marshal instead).

Time to buy some...cowbells..!

I'm a HTN first-timer 😉 and I'll be doing it on a rigid 29er with carbon wheels and 2" wide tubs...

I'm a HTN first-timer

Double heckling for you then sonny 😆

If you can fit the MTB wheels to the road bike it'll be perfik.
Or the other way round.
Doesn't matter really.

And all you last place wannabees can go and piss up a rope.
I OWN last place, alright?

Can we get a posse together to mock the last lap lurkers?

Going for a quick lap tonight actually. 😀

I've not ridden my bike properly since September. That last place is MINE.

Going for a [s]quick[/s]moderatley paced lap tonight actually

FTFY 😉

All this talk of last place isn't fooling anyone. Come 9:58 on race day you'll all be like this.

[img] [/img]

I can't see that pic Harry, but I can only imagine it's a picture of me shaking like a shi*ing dog?

Did both my collar bones in mid-November, so HTN might be the firest time I jump on my bike again! Joy!

I'll try again.

[img] [/img]

They'll catch their deaths riding dressed like that.

The chafing doesn't bear thinking about.

That's the queue for the pre-race porridge. 😀

I'll be pootling around at the back on this...

[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8297/7837156116_05e15f6583.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8297/7837156116_05e15f6583.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/simondbarnes/7837156116/ ]Felt F65x[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/simondbarnes/ ]simondbarnes[/url], on Flickr

Although maybe with different wheels if I feel like running tubs.

that;s a pretty bike Simon...

Does anyone have a route map of last year?? Not been and would like to have an explore before Christmas

rigid 26 HT for me!

If it snows like last year I'd worry more about the car you're driving than the bike you're riding.....

Thanks for starting this thread, another opportunity for shameless self-promotion....
[url= http://www.sabotagetimes.com/travel/tired-legs-and-tyre-treads-at-the-hit-the-north-mountain-bike-race/ ]Not me on the picture BTW[/url]

Looking forward to it.

I cracked my 'cross frame in 2011's race 🙁

29er FTW this year!

im riding a turner 5 spot.

bring it on

i'll be on my genesis fortitude but not expecting coming anything but last 😆

Intense Tracer, I might even up the back end to 160mm just for the hell of it.

Tyres are more important than the bike. I did it on 2.5 Bonty XR4s last year, I was bloody knackered. They're coming off and some Mud X are going on.

The course was brilliant last night.

If we get a big freeze on race day it wil be as fast as a fast thing. Even if it is wet the new stuff will be epic.

1000m of unbroken berms and jumps anyone?

Can we not have a specific 'fat bastard on a completely unnecessary full-susser' category this year Harry?

I think we need our contribution acknowledging*

* our contribution obviously being to put large slow-moving obsticles in the way of the race whippets on bloody CX bikes! 😉

Binners, have you signed up? I don't recall seeing your name amongst the chosen few.

Can we have a secret 'I'm a bit crap' code? Like tying a yellow lace round our arms - that way I can see who i'm really racing!

Tyres - If it's wet a minnion and a highroller, if it's dry moutain king 2.2s. Standard.

I signed up straight away fella. I remember there were some issues as to whether people were in possession of cobblers or not, so I may have listed myself as my alter-ego Samantha.

As for tyres: Whatever happen to be on my bike the other 364 days of the year 😀

The secret “I’m a bit crap code” won’t be necessary.

The tell tale signs are if you see someone :-

1. Having a little lie down in the mud/snow/frozen undergrowth at the bottom of one of the descents
2. Heaving their guts up after climbing out of “The Field of Despair”
3. Hiding in the bushes to avoid doing another lap
4. Taking time out for a cig break - Binners 😉

Not that it matters. Just turning up raises you above mere mortal men.

It is better to live 2 hours as a tiger than a life time as a maggot.

Yes but it is also colder and muddier and requires more effort