First-timer heading to Battle on the Beach next weekend. Anyone with experience/advice as to bike selection? Hardtail/FS? Guidance much appreciated. Ta.

hardtail, nothing that calls for full squish at all.

Hi nxgater – there’s nothing on the course that demands a FS really, so the choice is really between a hardtail and a CX bike. There will be all sorts there though (up to an including a tandem fatbike!) so anything will do.

It’s mental fun, and completely surreal being in the most enormous peloton, hooning down the beach… Looking forward to it!

4″ fat or monster cross, those are my choices. I probably can’t be arsed to put drops on the fatty.

thanks for the replies – that helps a lot. looking forward!

I went with rigid mountainbike.

Just wish it had more than one gear!

I’ll be on my Tripster (40c tyes 1×11 ).. probably dressed in alot of luminous yellow this year. Going with last years tactic of hoon it as fast as i can down the beach on the first lap and slowly lose about 100 places from there..

Perfect bike would be a light weight rigid XC mtb.. 1×11, fine tread tyres, and a team mate that will drag you down the beach doing the hard work.
Forecast is Looking like a strong tail wind down the beach.. so the first 3 miles down the beach will be very quick

I’ll be there on a tandem! I know of at least one other person doing it on a tandem but he’ll be sat in front of me doing the steering bits while I hold on and pedal when I’m told!

another first timer here, but given the choice is 38lb 160mm FS, cheap fat bike or CX bike I’m taking the CX bike, with file tread tyres I already have for summer riding/racing.

From
https://www.battleonthebeach.co.uk/info/

“
The lap will have a similar feel to previous years and is comprised of approximately 5km on the beach (all hard sand) 5km singletrack, 5km doubletrack or forest roads

My favourite CX courses have singletrack so reckon I’ll be fine.

We’re doing the night lap race on the Saturday too.

thanks crashtestmonkey – i dont have lights so will give the saturday night a miss but good opportunity to scout the course.

You’re not supposed to have lights for the night race – it wouldn’t be a Battle in the Dark with lights, would it?

I used a cx bike last year, was quick on the beach but not much fun at the end in the mInis try of defence land where we joined the singletrack. Giving a fatbike a try this time.
Rode last year’s course about a week ago, think they’ll have to change the route on some sections as there’s been quite a bit of work done within the forestry areas.

Just found my 34T chainring, for its annual outing!

Arse – i changed from a 34 round to 32 oval just last weekend, maybe i should put it back…

I used a cx bike last year, was quick on the beach but not much fun at the end in the ministry of defence land where we joined the singletrack.

Just had a look at strava from last year. Time on the beach to time on the rest of the course is about 1:3, so taking a bike that’s going to be a bit slower on the beach but quicker everywhere else is probably a good plan.

Does anyone know if the course is marked out avaialble for practise Saturday afternoon? I fancy a recon after the kids race…

What time is registration? Obviously I intend to rock up bordering on late as usual…..

Me and mrs kilo can’t make it now anyone want to take our entry- presumably you’ll have to sign on as us as its too late for substitutions

OOO just been watching the videos online! Although so many people on MTB’s guessing quite a few don’t own CX bikes. Should be a riot especially as the sun is due to shine!

You’re probably right about some not having the choice of a cx bike, but I think a lot of people prefer wider tyres, for the 3/4 of the time you’re not on the hard sand. Drop bar 29er/ monstercross/ speshul beach racer would be ideal.

So fatter tyres for the single track? clearly no CX races.. doesn’t look technical. Either way I’m looking forward to it

Me too! Have fun!

Technical, no.

If cx racers had the choice of wider tyres for sandy courses…. ?

Weather report for full sun and 15mph tailwind on the beach….nice

First time for me, ride area as I’m local, beach is great on a cross bike, but it’s a mtb for me….hardtail
26er, I’m dinky or should it be corgi as we are in Wales.

Weather report for full sun and 15mph tailwind on the beach.

Suddenly even 34/11 seems not enough.

Not sure whether to leave 2×11 (50/34) With 11/28 cassette or swap it for 1×11.. With a NW 32t

32T front on a CX?! Are there 20% gradients I’m not aware of? I’ll be using the 38T I raced most of the season on (with an 11/28) and I’m a spinner.

Don’t know about 20%, but last year’s course had a couple short steep’ish climbs in, and sand has the effect of making the flat seem like uphill!

Third time for me. Last year on cx 38t up front and 11/28 out back. Fine on beach, lost time through the single track down to tufo file treads not gripping and a couple of climbs required shouldering. Being honest I wouldn’t have ridden the climbs any way due to bottlenecks and my poor fitness.
Previous year on singlespeed 34/17 and time was comparable.
It’s not a technical course. It is fun.

Wishing I’d entered now… next year!

I ride Pembrey a fair bit and the great thing is its equally good on cx and mtb, I’m not convinved there would be a be a huge differnece between a cx bike and an xc race bike time wise, it more down to which you prefer.

Had a great battle with someone on a mtb at the cx race in oct, i had small gains on the double track, he ahd small gains in the singletrack but we were more or less in touch all the way rond.. till i blew up that is 😆

Neither a MTB or CX bike are perfect for the course, which is part of the appeal. If you want to win*/do well, take a CX bike and start VERY HARD to make it into a fast group and avoid losing time on the first gallop across the beach. You’ll then need to hang on tight on your skinny tyres through the singletrack and some quite bumpy stuff.

If you want to have fun, take a fast MTB.

I’m not there this year, but if I was, I’d be taking some sort of ‘best/worst of both worlds’ bike, either a CX with the fattest tyres I could cram into it fitted, or the hardtail 29er with fairly skinny tyres fitted to some of my fast CX wheels.

*you won’t win, some specialist Dutch beach racer will.

David if you’re not there who’s going to remind me to put my chip on?!

🙂

Brilliant event, topped off by sunshine and a tailwind down the beach 😀 On the first lap I got into a decent group echelon and sat at 28mph both my heart rate and CX gearing were maxed out so I backed it off a bit for the next 2 runs. Given I’m only used to racing for ~40 minutes I seemed to do a decent job of managing my effort and fueling – didn’t blow up or bonk but still rode hard.

Took a bit of a battering on the CX bike and struggled in the soft sand, reckon as discussed above a ‘monstercross’ with 40mms or a light 29er HT would be ideal. Skinny tyres sink in the soft stuff, and increase the risk of pinchflats on roots and rocks (I pinchflatted out of the night lap so ran higher pressures on Sunday).

Based on ~850 entrants I had a top 100 in mind, ended up 81st overall and 32nd in Vets so happy with that.

The Dutch guys won again, and they’re currently getting a slating on the FB page by entrants and marshalls alike for being overly agressive and screaming at people. Given it’s a grass-roots event I can imagine them not being invited next year.