https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/events/bike-rides/south-downs-way-off-road-bike-ride

Oh go on then…. why the heck not 🙂

Fair play, I did it this year – not sure I’d do it again though, think I’ve read that you’ve done it before so know what to expect. Will you be doing it on your T130?

Yeah 3 times now, although twice was overnight not day.

Bike depends on whether one mate or the other goes. Either the t130 or parkwood as one will steal the t130 if he goes

What bike would you recommend doing this on?
Choice are 140mm full sus, steel “hardcore” hardtail, CX bike

I’ve done it on a 140mm 26″ commencal meta, a 29 giant xtc and a t130. Easiest was the t130 due to comfort.

SDW was unpleasant on a gravel bike. It was most pleasant on a 100mm XC full suss.

Have done it in a day on a road bike with 33mm knobbly tyres and also on a Marin Pine Mountain rigid + bike.
The Marin was fine, road bike wasn’t enjoyable on some sections but for the grassy hills and the easier sections it was fine.
My next time will be on a hardtail. Might do it again next year, even though in 2017 I said I’d never do it again. I did it on the Marin with my bike packing gear, 2nd day into a 3 day trip. did it on a hot day and ran out of water. Would like to beat my previous time on the Marin (11 hours 20).

I found no enjoyment doing ditchling beacon to Eastbourne on the sdw on my full rigid 29er with 1.75″ tyres…dry bumpy chalk was unforgiving (unlike first part of the ride on the ndw & Downs Link which was suited to the bike). Short travel FS would be my choice…SC Tallboy/Blur etc

Lost count of the number of times – west-east, east-west, overnight, summer, winter, double-attempts over the last 12 years or so – CX bike, SSCX, MTB, 29+ and fat bike. Fastest was SSCX as it was simply a case of mashing the gear on the hills. In summer, when it’s dry and worn smooth you barely need any tread. Really comes down to how much priority you put over comfort vs speed. Probably best time to ride it is the day before the BHF ride – all the signs will be up to ease navigation.

Re the which bike question:

It’s probably not that important which bike unless you are trying to smash it with a particular time.

I’ve done it over 2.5 days on an Orange Four and in a day on a Cotic Soul- unsurprisingly the Cotic was faster up the hills and the Four more comfort down the hills and on the flat. Both these bikes were ok though.

Foe me the ideal bike would be a 29er shortish travel (not full on XC) FS like a Whyte S120 as I like efficiency with comfort.

I may be tempted again. Done the BHF in a day twice on my t130. 14hrs first attempt, 12hrs the 2nd (last year).

My arse was in one piece both times so really, really wouldn’t like to try it on my longitude.

In fairness I leapfrogged someone on a cx for the first 20 miles. He’d breeze past me on the climbs and I’d barrel past him on the descents. Over took him on the descents into qecp then didn’t see him again.

Done it a load of times and on different bikes, and am of the same view as others above; that a short travel full sus is nicest, although cx is faster (if you don’t puncture or crash because of it) but you’ll feel even more beaten up afterwards and a racy hardtail is the best compromise imo.

I was out on the South Downs last night around Ditchling Beacon and I’ll be leaving it alone for a while until it dries out. Which doesn’t usually take long but it’s as wet as it can get at the moment, much like I was after the ride.

The debate about what’s the ideal bike for doing the whole SDW. I did it on my carbon 29er HT and found that to be ideal. There are very few sections of it that I’d consider it bumpy enough to warrant a short travel full sus instead. When it’s dry in the summer I usually choose my fat bike anyway but no way would I use that for the whole thing.

Who’s joining in for this then ? Training starting to ramp up a bit more now, with some longer rides planned over the coming months etc.

Planning on doing it but not with BHF as I’m working that weekend. My mate is wanting to do it too so quite hard to lock down a date.

Was up there 2 days ago between winch and QE and it’s pretty dry.

I’ve signed up to do it, just started to get back on the bike, I will be on a trek fuel ex 293r as it’s my only proper MTB, not sure I could manage it on the Gravel Bike.

A couple of friends of mine are going for the SDW double and are going to do it on the same day as the BHF ride. Hopefully to benefit from added pit stops.

I might tag along with some of the ride. I unfortunately don’t have time to do enough training for the whole thing but they will have jerseys with “The Kiln Brewery” on should you see them looking very tired.

We’ve just had our first ‘i’m out’ for the ride.

It was funny reading some of the SDW websites “It’s great for doing over 3-4 days”. Along with “only real super fit people could do it in 1 day” and “what’s the point if you can’t appreciate it”

I don’t know if some of my links killed off his spirit, but we’re 1 less.

We noticed BHF now have some cut-off times. One of the lads was worried about them, but i commented that they can’t pull you off the trail, they can only pull their support procedure.

Oh dear. Is he beyond cajoling?

Understandable, but it’s amusingly backwards to tell people that you’re worried about them not finishing, so you’re removing any help!

TBH i wasn’t convinced he could finish it. He’s fit in a runnning/Tough Guy type event, but he’s not a cyclist in the same way, which i think would affect him.

We’ve got a plan on the 29th to do QECP to Amberley with the lads, it’s about 80km round trip, so a decent cunk, not the hardest of all the terrain, but fairly representational of the event. So we’ll see who’s still in and who’s out 🙂

Well it’s game time on Saturday. Been a weird couple of weeks for me as I’ve done a lot on my KTM lately including last weekend mostly on track. My knees are feeling goosed even though I’ve barely cycled in the last 2 weeks.

Did a bike and rider short test ride today and I guess I’m ready. If a little lardy at the moment. Oops.

Can’t change that now though. So pasta, pizza and beers and ready to ride, game on!

Conditions are perfect 🙂

Stay hydrated and keep eating!

Be careful on the South Harting descent, it’s loooooose towards the bottom where the big ruts are!

Good luck weeksy. I am looking out the window at the sun right now. Dead envious!

I’ll be riding it (trying to) over 3 days in the next month. I absolutely love the sdw but over 3 days it will still torture me physically.Lol

I just love the scenery, people I meet and the bivvying along the way.

Shame I’m so unfit and seem to crash so much.😊

mattbee

Subscriber
Be careful on the South Harting descent, it’s loooooose towards the bottom where the big ruts are!

I’m on the north downs, not South, is that the bit leading down to that sdw signpost built up with cobblestones at its base mate?

Just trying to work out where you mean, for when I ride it! Lol

Yeah, after QE park you have a 6-7 mile section of mixed road/gravel track that undulates and climbs up onto top of South Harting Down. Then descends into a valley and turns right to climb diagonally up Harting Down.

The descent starts gently, open and grassy before gradually closing in and getting chalky and steep. The bottom section always has some ‘interesting’ rain gullies running across it, it’s also quite marbly and loose around there with little runoff if you get sideways or drop into a rut and have to ride it out so I’d take it easy there!

No idea where that is, despite having ridden it 3 times, I’ll just wing it.

I was in the top 20 all time for one of the Butser hill descents, I’m tempted to pin it if I can get the gate held open. Lol

@mattbee

Took this last year, just after I crashed there AGAIN.

That rut you can see is magnetic to me!😆

You can just see the signpost in the distance with the flint cobbles at the base.

I’ve crashed in the same place, in the same rut in 2017 and 2018. Lol

Last year I thought I had it sussed as I thought I remembered you had to keep left….turns out you need to keep right to avoid the massive rut there…. so repeated the same mistake again! Lol

The crash dislodged one of my pikes tokens which caused a bad knocking noise for the rest of the ride. Drove me mad.Lol

I was in the top 20 all time for one of the Butser hill descents, I’m tempted to pin it if I can get the gate held open. Lol

I managed something similar but only because I did not know there even WAS a gate!! Which thankfully I found was open or otherwise I’d have been in a lot of bother.

I’ll be doing a large chunk of it on Saturday, probably Amberley to Eastbourne supporting a group of friends of mine who are doing the double. They’re starting on Friday in Eastbourne and aiming to return as part of the BHF ride with added support for the return leg.

Good luck anyone who’s out this weekend 👍.

Hopefully making my own attempt first weekend of August.

Yeah, good luck 🤠

Take a dust mask..

I’ve ridden a chunk of the SDW today (between Shoreham and Eastbourne on a gravel bike) and it’s in lovely nick. Enjoy!

Mattbee,
When I did it the first time there were 2 guys sparked out at the bottom of that descent. Their mates were around them so I carried on.

I’ve ridden it a few times since and your right. The drainage there makes for a very tricky section at the bottom of a fast stretch.

I’m sunning it in Jersey at the moment but planning on doing it in a day at the end of August.

There was a down hill bit I remember from last year that had, had a load of gravel dumped on it.

This had gradually migrated down the hill over time…. To the point where, when I got to the bottom, the front wheel just submarined into irs depths almost giving me am otb moment. It looked totally normal until I hit it! Lol

The Downs around Eastbourne are fast and dusty at present, enjoy, but beware the Sussex Lurkin Flints on the descents😁

Good luck weeksy, have a blast!👍

Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/w9kxfX75hY

Failed and bailed at the café 105km in just up from Brighton.
Funny thing is 115 Strava records in 140 segments, so pacing was greAt yeah ha ha ha.

Even early on I was struggling on the hills no power, no speed, then the hill just where you cross the road and have the ice cream hut thing in it, I grabbed a load of cramp in my hamstring. Managed to walk it off, but that and completely dead legs meant I got it again 3 times.
After eventually walking a few climbs, well, several, I decided I wasn’t making the end and took the road into Brighton and I’m now on the shame train to Eastbourne as my buddy stayed out there.

I have no other useful words to add

Sounds like it just wasn’t your day mate.

I’ve not completed the sdw the last 2 times and that was over 3 days.Lol

Lots of summer and rides to come still and hopefully your legs are willing to play the game too.👍

Have a cold bet later and relax mate. That’s still one beefy ride to do in one day.

No shame there – a brutal ride in a day – nearly ended me last year. Wife banned me and my mate got very scared when I could not stop vomiting and lying on the ground. I went very very quiet.

Pretty hot day for a long slog like that, weeksy. Not surprised there was a bit of suffering to be found. Good luck next time … right ?