[Closed] I'm doing the Strathpuffer!

I hope the weather is $hit.

Thanks!

I'm doing it too though.

I rode the course yesterday and thought it was in great condition. The rocky descent after the deer fence was pretty icy but totally rideable. The rest was superb, hard and fast.

Only one thing to watch out for, there's a pair of rather large, red, very lacy womens knickers which have been discarded in the car park. I wouldn't want to be pitching my tent near them...

Good luck to everyone who's doing it. I'll be riding that area again before the race so I'll post what the ice situation is like if anyone's interested.

(I'm not doing it btw, back to Spain that weekend)

its a little bit muddier now, the frost has thawed!!! expect 4 inches of mud, water and gloop all over the course except a couple of short firetrack climbs. add 10-15 minutes to whatever times you first expected! i live 1 minute from the track and this is the worst ive seen it all year, including last years puffer.

see you all there, say hi when you pass me wheezing. im the 14 year old dressed in black with a giant trance x3!

Smee - Member
I hope the weather is $hit.

Pleasant

🙄

We are up there supporting two teams this year.. Doug and Cullen B thats a great help. If you have any other info nearer the time it would be a great help... I feel a "What Waders For Strathpuffer" thread starting......

Sloppy mud? ...Cue all online shops selling out of brake pads.

"gloop all over the course"

the owner of the knickers been back for more then ?

.... taxi !!

Mud, mud, glorious mud!

700c wheels with CX tyres anyone?

4 days to go until things get under way, il try and post what the conditions are like every day if its a help.

anyway... today there was a brief but heavy rainfall, and the course is 4 inches deep mud in some places. with the thaw now almost over, there are parts of the course already muddy that i have never seen muddy before! up the top of the firetrack, at a place we (locals) call harribo hill, there is sloppy mud that has never appeared before, not even during the '07 puffer. squarewheels is selling strathpuffer buffs for £10 each, good deal seeing as normally buffs are £11. brake pads are selling like hot cakes. the FC has repaved a lot of the course (near the 08 start point) which has all turned to $hit, hard to cycle on and will destroy bikes faster than rob warner! 🙂

It's going to be a good 'Puffer then, just need some high wind and lightning to make it interesting 🙂

Share tip: buy up stocks in companies that sell derailleurs and brake pads.

Sod it - I'm taking a rigid SS now.

Thanks for this. The bike shop were talking me into Ice Spikers, and after last year I was for it. A scary-accurate forecast from Metcheck for last weekend had us up Glentress black in t-shirts on Sunday at 7AM. But the ice remained even at 10C air temperature... uh-oh.

So, great to hear about gloop. Gloop I know. Gloop I wear with pride. Gloop I lie in, laughing.

Ice... you know, it's kind of foreign... Ice hurts.

Folks, I'm raising money for Edinburgh Sick Kids. please have a look.. the minimum donation is £2 - less than a pint of beer. I'd SO appreciate if you could donate.
[url= http://www.justgiving.com/allankelly ]Al's Just Giving page[/url]

Cheers, al.

I'd still take the ice tyres.

I find when the smooth rock bits get muddy, studs are brilliant.

I suppose I shouldn't mention that they're also ace on muddy roots 😉

I've done every 'Puffer and there's always somewhere that the ice tyres pay off (except the climbs!)

Thanks Cullen, keep it coming.....

Epicyclo, as a Puffer veteran to a newbie, how is the cars/vans event control and campsite location organised? We were thinking that our vans and stuff would be close to the tents but it seems thats not the case.....

Not enough room on the event site. I think (but don't know) that they'll let you drop off your stuff and then go park at the designated parking area.

However it's a very narrow track with soft edges when it's been raining, so if you can, park your car and carry your stuff in.

I suggest you get a folding trolley if you have a heap of heavy stuff. It'll save a lot of faffing about.

I'm not sure what's happening about campervans - probably the same as last time - on the laybys on the course.

epi, is the camping area the same as the 1st puffer?

the parking will be the same as 2006 & 2007.
course conditions: the weather is hovering around freezing at the moment, so the course is getting a little bit crisper, after a lap itl be back to normal though, still loads of mud.

long range forecast showing cold and wet at the moment 😕 Surely one or the other would be sufficient 🙁

I'm doing it too, in one of the teams that Rickmeister (above) is supporting. First ever time we've done a 24 hour event, so we thought we may as well start with the toughest.

We've got two teams of four, and four support crew, so for once we're pretty well organised. Pop in and say hello if any of you are about.

update on the course conditions, these are based on pictures a friend of mine (who is riding the course pre-puffer to tell us what the bikes should be set up like) has sent me. he says that after today, the ground is getting a little crisper, forecast for the next few days is light-heavy rain al day =) lucky us, and lucky steve when he sells a record 2'500 brake pads in one day,

hmm. Are you allowed a fire at the event? In a fire basket off the ground, not dug into the soil....

we have a log that burns down to the core, and a barrel with fire in it lol

Any update on latest conditions? Or is "Grim" going to cover it adequately.
Looks like it's going to be cold, windy and snowy/rainy.
Superb.

latest conditions - the track is grim... lol, not really, its healed a bit after last weeks thaw, i wish it was muddier though... would make a much better puffer. the "breezer of a puffer" might be the name this year!