Decided to have a dabble in Llandovery this May…the 100km route. Completely unsure of what the usual sort of terrain would be and what the best choice of bike is? What do most people ride here? I’m doing the 100km option if that makes any difference?!

A hardtail 29 is what I would use. I once used a 29er giant anthem but the courses sre not generally rough enough imo.

29er hardtail or Xc ish FS. Its a 100k so for most of us its about confort. If its about a time for you, then you already know its a 29er hardtail:-)

It makes no difference….just ride whatever you feel most comfortable and confident on…

What is the terrain at Llandovery?

What is the terrain at Llandovery?

Gnarlier than Builth is what I’d expect and for 100km there’s no way I wouldn’t ride a 100mm XC FS

Gnarlier than Builth is what I’d expect and for 100km there’s no way I wouldn’t ride a 100mm XC FS

The 100mm FS is missing from my quiver!

I’ve a Stumpy which is likely to be overkill, or a plus sized Solaris. Which is what I am thinking…

I’ve a Stumpy which is likely to be overkill, or a plus sized Solaris. Which is what I am thinking…

All depends on if you’re put for a ride, or out to put in a good time

I won’t be clad in lycra or troubling the podium.

The ones that I have done have a mixture of tarmaced roads, farm track type surfacing, grassy tracks, footpaths,forest fire roads, etc, nothing technical at all. The climbing is more difficult than the downhills.

Although I havent done the one your doing.

For something like the DyfiEnduro I’d recommend a short full suss though,

I’ve done them on a 100mm FS and even a full series on a rigid before. A different challenge but I enjoyed it on both bikes.

Perhaps unsurprisingly you see a lot of scott scales and sparks.

If you are not looking to trouble the podium I would not worry as you will see all sorts.

Personally I rode my Tallboy 3 but I am not a podium troubler either 🙂

I did the 100km on my Whyte T129. It was overkill.
If I had the choice, it would be a 29er XC FS, like the Anthem.
I’d want some comfort over than distance

I’ll take the Solaris with balloon tyres then. It’s a bit more comfy than the 29 HT and I can happily ride it all day.

Anyone know how much climbing there is in the 100km ?

My one in Wantage was 9,800ft. Not sure about this event though.

Anyone know how much climbing there is in the 100km ?

3000m according to the organiser.

If i’m going well i might just about give the top 20% of finishers some trouble if i’m going well. Lots of climbing, great views, not overly technical anywhere apart from the odd little tiny bit if you’re lucky.

Fast rolling tyres would be my main concern. As said people do these rides on all sorts of bikes.

My bike is in the shop but they’ve lent me a big bouncy Trek Fuel EX8 which is a bit of a stealth weapon and will have to be suffered on the climbs. 70k for me.

Looking damp on Sunday…

Nah, according to the weather its 29% chance of being Sunny at 11am and 50% chance of being Sunny at all other times.

Got to be better than the feels like -5 Builth Headwind…

Dry trails with a risk of light rain? #optimistic

Well that was brutal. My wet weather gear was saturated even before I got to the start and the rain didn’t relent for the first half of the ride.

Probably the hardest 100km I’ve ridden. But a great course and some superb descents made it all worth while. And an hour or so of sun at the finish!

Well done Mccraque, that’s got to be a ride to be proud of.   My heart sank as I was making my breakfast part in the rain part sitting in the boot of the car, it certainly was properly wet, but I had a good day on the 75k.  Full write up in the XC Racing thread.