FFS – what tyre then? Its go Bonty Mud X on at the moment…

You will be fine on Ralphs, just carry a couple of spare tubes. Even if it was wet I wouldn’t go for a mud-x, far too many road sections.

Ah, misread that as miles, not kilometres.

I’d still take the Sudocrem and the wipes though!

Well I’m running Tubeless but planned to carry 2 x Tubes and 1 x Parks patches anyway…..

Food/Drink
Make sure you drink lots and stay hydrated. Food wise, eat little and often. Don’t experiment with new food/gels, only really use what your body is used to.

Bike
Fit bar ends. Your hands will be in the same position for a good few hours, so these will allow you to change the position.
Obviously depends on conditions but i’d look at running quick rolling thicker tyres. Race King 2.2s are great.
Another obvious one but make sure everything is working, chain wont snap, cables not frayed, brake pads in good condition.

Have fun though, sounds a good ride.

Maxxis crossmax or ardent and tubeless repair kit, glue in hole, stick in cut off, pump, keep rolling.

Don’t use thin tyres in the Chilterns if you have a choice, you may be fine, but I flint tyres from time to time locally and the thinnest I use is 2-bliss Specialized. Been through UST maxxis. Flints at high speed do damage.. got a sealant-sprayer this weekend, typically it was about 3/4 through a long ride when tired and 3 miles before the food shop – so I walked in looking like I’d been having too much fun in my sleeping bag )

60psi in the tyres etc

It’s a hard-packed hoof-chun rattle fest at the moment. May change by then but if not it’ll be lumpy in places, much more so than normally. I had 18psi in 2.3s this weekend and was getting a beating in places.

It’s a hard-packed hoof-chun rattle fest at the moment. May change by then but if not it’ll be lumpy in places, much more so than normally. I had 18psi in 2.3s this weekend and was getting a beating in places.

Blimey, maybe the sligthly heavier (26.5lb) ASR-5 with its NN snakeskin tubeless sitting in the shed with propedal on is the better way to go…..

eyeride it – must catch up soon – epping must be rideable by now!

We went for a walk around Rangers Lane/Chingford on Saturday and the forest was looking quite dry. The group I ride with reported there was a dry line on most of the trails now. Hopefully the weather this week will widen them up a bit.

There’s also been unconfirmed reports of dust yes DUST.

I’d love a ride in the forest but the new baby, means the only riding I’m doing at the moment is commuting to work. At least I’m getting 110 miles in a week, better than nothing I suppose.

Of course – many congratulations – boy or girl?

Sorry, should’ve added for perspective, although the trails seem lumpier than normal I was on a rigid bike and it was an unusually long ride for me.

Thanks, we had a Boy. Elias 8 weeks old on Wednesday.

😀

Best thing ever!

Kryton57 – Member
This is why I am doing long road rides indispersed with MTB on the intended bike.

Do your road rides on your MTB. 100k on a road bike is relatively easy, and doesn’t give you any indication of what long distances on your MTB feel like.

done this the last 3 years and its a good day out. As has been said, most of the hills are on the long route extra loop. I would agree that there is quite a way between water stops so you’ll need to carry a reasonable amount. I can’t make it this year as it clashes with the 24 hours of exposure and id entered that before i noticed they are the same week. shame as I’ve really enjoyed the previous ones. I personally think it’s a better event than the HONC.

So come on then, what tyres for Chilterns/flint 😐

An flint with your name on will go through any tyre so not worth worrying about it too much. I just find EXO / UST / thicker TLRs etc tend to get smaller, more fixable holes when it happens. That’s only 3-4x a year for relatively high mileage, local area for 90% of my riding so chances are you’ll be fine.

I’ve some zipfit energy wine gums which I’ll tape to the bike

I have images of a bike looking like this ..
Sorry ) just reading through for long ride tips myself.

Edit, I use Ardent EXO/LUSTs when it’s dry, usually a worn-down one on the back. OK on the hardpack and good in the looser / wooded bits. There’s faster options esp if there’s road miles, ie Ikons / Crossmarks etc. Race Kings may be the fastest, riskiest option.

sausage pie for breakfast.

Lots of good advice there but also a couple of things that I need to take issue with.

Firstly, please avoid Nurofen/ Ibuprofen BP. This whole class of drugs are really quite harmful over prolonged periods of exertion, contributing significantly to the stress that kidneys and liver are under. If you absolutely have to, take paracetamol but better not to take anything. NSAIDs are harmful and are finally being banned by some race/event organisers.

Isotonic additives don’t de-hydrate you but on the other hand, they also make little or no difference to your salt balance. This will seem like heresy to some folk but they don’t prevent cramp and don’t help your body cope better with exercising in heat. They are a product invented by the American sports drink industry to part us from our money. Dietary salt intake has next to no effect on blood sodium during single day ultra events (Noakes), and the amount in tablets or drinks is so small, all these drinks do is over-hydrate you further.
Drink only to thirst, not any particular theory or plan.

Less controversially, food wise, a simple piece of savoury food like a favourite pie or pasty might be an absolute life saver and could be just what you need and want later on.
Hope the prep is going well and have a good one.

I’ve done longer rides than that, they’re not that tough!

Given there’s food and drink available you probably shouldn’t take too much along with you – maybe a couple of gels just in case. A ham and cheese sandwich always goes down well after 10 hours of sugar-laden energy foods and drinks – sorts your stomach out nicely. Again assuming regular food stops you should stick to water in the camelbak.

Decent bib shorts and a comfy saddle. 10gbp Aldi-special shorts might be fine for shorter rides, but you’ll appreciate a proper pair of bib shorts over longer distances. Obviously make sure you’ve used them a couple of times before the big day. Chamois cream isn’t a bad idea, either.

Get some decent long rides in, but beyond 100km (and assuming you’re not dehydrated / run out of food) it’s nearly all mental rather than physical. So your long training rides probably don’t need to be more than 80k.

I’d use a backpack (Camelbak) rather than bottles, unless you’ve got a really bad/weak back it’ll be fine. Clear out all the crap, first – you don’t need tools like a chain-checker or bottom bracket spanner in there. A couple of inner tubes, multitool, tyre levers. Check your brake pads before you go, change if necessary. Chain oil can be handy, especially if it’s going to be wet.

Try and anticipate the weather – take some sunscreen if you usually need it, after 3 hours riding you’ll need to reapply it. You can get small (and stupidly overpriced) bottles that don’t weigh much. If rain’s not forecast you don’t need to carry a jacket around with you. Arm and leg warmers can help if it’s going to be a cold start and hot at midday.

Apart from that, same principals as you would apply to a road trip – don’t leave your shoes or helmet at home, for example 🙂

Less controversially, food wise, a simple piece of savoury food like a favourite pie or pasty might be an absolute life saver and could be just what you need and want later on.

Exactly what I said, but 15 minutes earlier!

For me the best thing to do before a long ride is to make sure you are relaxed. Make your effort even – and have peice of mind that you have the basics covered (obvious spares / food / whatever).

Lots can happen on a long ride – and being up tight does not help when things go off plan.