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I'll be there. HotNC virgin.
Was just about to post asking for advice on gravel bike or hardtail. Got both. And if gravel bike then 38mm or 44mm tyres? Too much choice!
Yep I will be there, Santa Cruz Highball hard tail with Thunder Burt tyres and aero bars on ( because I haven’t got around to removing them after a hike packing trip / secretly like them).
Should be quicker than my first HONC 15 years ago, on a Kona Blast, with heavy high rollers and a camelback packed to the nines. This was in the old April slot and the weather was filthy.
I was hoping to, and some friends are doing the big distance, but family commitments mean I'm busy this weekend.
Have fun, and the weather forecast looks ok 🙂
My ride came to an end after a disagreement with a pothole on tarmac! The weather would have made it a great day as well. Oh well there's next year. I'm going to ask them to put on a 70km distance to celebrate my birthday. I rode the first 10 events and have returned another 10 or so times over the years. A very special event run by a great club and team.
We finished the 100km route, was a lot more elevation than last year which caught me out. The trails were dry and running really well.
Took just under 6hrs to get around, feeling cooked now. Really well organised as ever.
I managed the XL 140k on my Chisel ht. I think it was the best bike for the event, Judging by the rim above and the amount of gravel bikes upside down mending punctures.
Overall it was a great route and the weather held out.
I entered the 2025 HONC and am starting prep early. Bike choice is Trek Procaliber or Pinnacle Arkose 4 (currently setup as commuter bike).
On https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12970969 it says around 60% is paved, which seems to favour Arkose. However, more comments seem to say hardtail for (comfort + fun)/time optimisation. I'm leaning towards that way.
Looking at the gradients from the GPX there's not much above 5% sustained climbing. 10-51t cassette. I'm thinking of 36t ring. At the moment I have a 32t oval (like 34t in power phase) but it needs replacing.
Tyres by default will be XR2 Team Issue 2.2s (knobblies well worn so should be fast!).
Dropper post is overkill, right? (goal: shed weight where it's easy/cheap)
Haven’t tail ended for a couple of years, but it never really changes. If you want speed cx bike, but expect blisters etc. I’ve done it hard tails and short travel FS. It helps across the average rutted field. And despite the numbers it tends not to feel as road based.
I fear you may be overthinking it. The event's been going since the days when people would have been doing it on Dawes Galaxies, never mind a modern hardtail or CX/Gravel bike. Out of your two I'd take the Trek. As for terrain it's usually one big climb at the start, then a mix of farm track, country lane and grassy hilltop track, I wouldn't sweat gears or tyres unless what you would be using is particularly unusual.
It's a nice ride in the countryside with cake in the middle. It's great.