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Rather than the obvious warm clothes, gloves, ice tyres, brake pads, what are the best bits of less obvious kit you've found for Strathpuffer? Don't think I'm gonna be unprepared, but a brain storm never hurts.
Balls. that's 2.
Other one = sense of humour.
More warm gloves, more warm clothes
Pit crew
Cake
Beer
Lots of light for your pit area
instant noodles from the chinese supermarket. 15 packs.
some so hot that they make your lips turn pink.
some that are clear. weird.
kept me and my teammates amused at what i was going to eat next.
HTH 😉
Air Con Unit.
Shades.
Lots of Factor 50. 😉
Also, hot pants.
instant noodles are a great idea. As are hot pants. I assume they're like hand warmers, but for your baws?
some form matting from a camping /hardware shop. gives you some thing warm and dry to stand on.
All of the warm kit you and our mates own.
whisky
Correct. Get some PVC ones for Extra Chafing at 3am.
A hot roast chicken from the tesco nearby.
wait, you said three:
Glowsticks.
Speckled hen.
Ear plugs if you plan on getting any sleep over the weekend as folk have generators etc.
A plastic tyre lever works very well for hurried pushing back of brake pistons to put in new pads without causing any damage.
An epic sense of humour will go a long way to getting you through it and having a laugh with others on the course and in pits etc when it gets real cold.
The 3 best things?
Mudguards, mudguards, mudguards.
Get wet, you get cold, you get cold, sucks up energy that could be used for pedalling, you get tired quicker.
Thinking of doing it myself. Are "Ice" tyres really necessary?
feet would be my main issue.. i think i would probably be stuffing handwarmers inside my waterproof socks
Daisy_Duke - MemberThinking of doing it myself. Are "Ice" tyres really necessary?
depends if there is ice? But yes basicaly. some years more than others but there have been years when ice tyres made a big difference
if icy then a small screwdriver in your back pocket for clearing ice from cleats. and perhaps some kind of rear mech protector or a spare rear mech hanger ... or a mole grip
pedro_delb - Member
if icy then a small screwdriver in your back pocket for clearing ice from cleats...
Don't carry pointy stuff next to your body, especially when it's icy...
the organisers contact number, a telephone and the ability to request a refund.
<now picturing first aiders stuffing punctured folk into the back of their ambulance for the hourly trip to Raigmore Hospital.
The 16 hour mark hallucinations will have the wounded blaming crazy chavs lurking around the course..
that werent there at all.
1) A fire/stove/way of drying out wet clothes
2) A very warm dry place to sleep
3) Something to keep you warm in wet mtb gear while you wait for your partner to come in. This could be a space-blanket-on-steroids, a minging buffalo or the hug of an affectionate polar bear.
Most of the time I find I am fine and warm when on the bike. Getting too cold when off it can cause sense of humour failure and an unwillingness to remount.
Every item of clothing you own
lots of spare brake pads
ice tyres
some form of heating
method of making a hot drink very quickly, such as a jetboil
spare brake pads
22 tooth cog (did i mention youl be on SS )
Mud tires
Is the 22T cog for the front or back?
PaulD
Bit of a different perspective from a pit gimp...
Gas floodlights like you "find" on the motorway, light and warm.
Gas powered space heater... warm and toasty, dries kit fast and heats the gazebo
2 pallets for the workstand to avoid standing in a sea of gloop for 24 hrs.
boxes of nitrile gloves
Dirtworker....
£14 fleece lined winter bootees from Aldi
Well, two bundles of three.... !
Good luck with it Jimmy! A dry bag with fleecy top, bottoms and boots was great for me to change into between laps.
My top tip though is put underpants in there. Did I ever tell you about the 1st year when I went for a massage? I'd just got into my warm dry gear after riding most of the night due to my team giving up so was a bit out of it. The lady said just take your trousers off and get on the table. Like I say, underpants. Poor girl got a bit of a shock. 😯
rear - 22:18 would make for rather slow progression ....
Neoprene shoe covers and every cycling shoe you own
All your socks and all your gloves
A motorhome...
A sense of humour, a lack of rushing and a lack of risk-taking. One of our star riders accidentally emptied a full jug of boiling coffee over his nethers and spent the last hour of the race in casualty...