[Closed] strathpuffer 2020

I'm in a quad riding an Clockwork Evo 29er.
My money's on muds, but I don't have any so I'll be riding what came stock on the bike.
Dog dodgers will be sopping wet!!

I'll be there, solo, and taking 2 bikes plus a spare set of wheels with ice spikers... Expecting mud or frozen mud looking at the forecast.

I've never done it before, are mud tyres needed if it's wet?

I'm soloing this time, an itch that I had to scratch. I'm going singlespeed with 30/21 in an effort to not burn all my matches straight away. I'll be on my trusty mk1 Longitude, although I will be taking the geared fat bike just in case.
And fear not, there will be no need for ice spikers as I got myself a set an have run them in properly and everything... 😆
2degC, dry and light winds please, although I expect 2degC and on/off mizzle and rain.

mud tires not essential its rocky up top and they take some finessing

im currently thinking ill just leave the summer tires on until the day ..... if its hard pack they will be fast/comfy - if its muddy - its mostly fire road and thus they will be fast and i can fudge the muddy bits.

if its icy - spikes go on.

I soloed last year on 32:22 but back in a team of 4 this year... said i wasnt doing it on account of the new arrival and training time etc but now we are taking the whole family up.

Quad. Taking 2 sets of wheels - one with 2.6 trail tyres, one with spikers. Forecast trending colder again so hard to say which will be needed. Doesn’t take long for the slabby rocks up top to ice up when it gets sub zero, so will err towards spikers unless it’s definitely not looking icy. Mud tyres not needed as mostly hard trail with puddles or runny mud on the final descent that trail tyres cut through fine. Looking forward to it...just hope my cold clears up!

Attending in support of a Solo, looking forward to reading my book, having cups of tea then a few beers after the watershed. I'll be one of 8,000,000 VW vans !

My ten pence from my experience.

I agree with @trail_rat. It's a pretty tame course which has a lot of fire road. I got overtaken by a lot of 100mm hardtails with thunderburts or racing Ralph's etc on here as its the best place to overtake and not get stuck behind slower riders (like me)

Even if it snows there's that many riders that a line soon appears for you to follow on decent mud tyres. Its also one of the best courses for standing up to a lot of riders and didnt seem to get too bad or too muddy.

Doesn’t take long for the slabby rocks up top to ice up when it gets sub zero

This was the worst part for me as a lot of tired riders either stopped to push or fell off here. I wouldn't want to ride icy rock slabs with spikes. I just rolled it and didnt use my brakes once it was clear and didn't have any problems.

I guess if the weather does turn and a lot of riders drop out then you would need them.

Apart from riding it, Ive been a mechanic for a team twice. One year i spent all my time defrosting gears, the other year trying to get mud out of the gears. They were all fast riders and overtook in silly places and went off the main line and through less hard packed lines.

Did it last year. You might not *need* ice tyres, but they are useful. Last year on lap 1 even the fire road was feeling quite slidey, got round OK and wasn't sure if ice tyres would be worth it but they made a huge difference on the descents. (I did lose 96 spikes, must bed in better in future, but then I had about a weeks' notice for it and only got the tyres up there.)

Snow wouldn't really call for spiked tyres unless it thaws and freezes over, but if it's just cold, there are places you could come a cropper without. I'd have them ready although the forecast is 50/50 currently.

Anyway, the GF is doing it this year (last minute dropout that she's filled the place of) but I'm not able to go and support as I'd booked some other stuff already, I'm helping her with prep though.

Mud tires are the way forward for snow.

Fat bike the rediculous and slow choice.

Me (in a quad), 16 year old lass (in another quad), mud predictions as I'm following Windy Wilson, my guru.

Was booked to do pair, then my team-mate dropped out, and plans B and C became unavailable. Managed to get a solo place instead, but doing without support (see plans B and C above), because I'm an idiot.

First time doing the Puffer although have done a number of other 24 solos. In much better conditions. A bit worried about the cold - I turn into a big girl's blouse when my hands and feet get cold, so bringing eleventy million pairs of gloves as well as pogies.

Two bikes, one with Ice Spikers (if I can get the f*ckers back on - they are tighter than a gnat's privates) and one with summer tires, so that should ensure nice sloppy non-frozen mud throughout the race.

damascus
...It’s a pretty tame course which has a lot of fire road.

It's the weather that makes it interesting IMO. I live not far from it and the only time I ride it these days is the race. It's a good track for running on though. I reckon a 24 hour foot race on it would be great.

As for weather, it's been pissing down here in the higher part of Dingwall with a touch of sleet, but it can and does completely change overnight.

If it turns out to be sleety, it would be wise to have mudguards.

Mudguards are a must I reckon. They really do make all the difference.

Indeed. I've fitted Mudhuggers, front and rear. Limited testing tells me: they work.

absolutely mud guards.

and waterproof shorts.

keep that grit out your crack !

Mud huggers will stop some of the mud not a great deal but some.

youll still be firing it directly at your feet - your speed is lower than it would be shreading the gnar.

I'm doing it in a quad - we usually do it to raise money for Glencoe Mountain Rescue but the wife of one of my teammates died last year so we're raising money for the hospice that looked after her. It'd be nice if anyone who can would donate to the cause-

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/strathpufferforstmichaels

Bike - just my hardtail with XC race wheels on. Normal quickish tyres - any mud will be in tiny stretches so not worth worrying about. I do have a spare set of wheels and some spikers in a box to put on them but I doubt I'll need them. I will be mudguarding and waterproof shorting.

@munrobiker what time are you arriving?

Hoping to get there around 6pm. We're in a big camp with a small Scouts' mess tent in the bottom carpark if you want to come and poke us.

I shall do as I'm proper soloing. Wife reckons the boys will get bored and create havoc if they all came along and I'm inclined to agree with her...

More the merrier - do you want to pitch up in the mess tent? We've got a stove and a fire and we'll look after you.

Cheers, I'll see where I get parked. I've got the van with comfy bed so should be fine if I end up a bit far away.

Well it's nae cold tonight's snow hasn't come to fruition we had a little shower of rain about 4pm /exactly when I chose to run the course.

I can share that it's *dubby as ***** or.....*more dub than dubfest*

Ankle deep mud and slick mud coated slippy rocks.

Good luck all.

Seems its not a proper puffer anymore. No snow or ice. Back when I were a lad ..................

Couple of showers this morning but amazingly now the sun is out...

Depends what you call a propper puffer.

This has more shades of puffer 1 and 2 than any puffer I can remember since.

Mech hangers and mechs are precious commoditiys this year.

So many been ripped off on course.

Including my team mate 🙁

So muddy not cold

Just checking up on how folk are doing

Swavis seems to be plodding along nicely top 1/3 ish. Munrobiker and his mixed team ( icemagic) about 7th mixed a lap or two down on leading mixed and decent place in quads and just 3mins behind another mix quad

I think Trailrat ( If I have his name right) doing fine a couple or 4 laps off the lead ( crackcleaners???) but behind Munrobiker

Lap times are not as fast as some years.

Now is when its time for the tough to get going. Been dark a good few hours and dawn is a long way off yet.

~anyone else from here?
http://live.sportident.co.uk/home/multistage/stage/results.html?multistageid=98a3cd23-a10a-44c6-8199-0c4385e752b8

I was taking the piss Trailrat.

Anyone know the teamnames of the other STWers? Be nice to follow them

Swavis is 3rd singlespeed

PhilH - If I have guessed the right chap is 5th SS a lap or twobehind Swavis

trying to see if I can work out the others

paule - again if I have guessed the right chap doing really well just in of his 10th lap in 27th. climbed the leader board a few places that lap

Kriksmeister seems to be having a hard time - 6 laps solo
codybrennan doing fine in quads chasing after trailrats team and not far behind

Aye TR is a crack cleaner all right. That's his team too, nominative determinism in action.

coach and horses is codybrennans team I think

lap times seem to have dropped the last hour. some quite slow laps

Well I am off to bed - enjoy your night chaps and chapesses

Our third guy lost a mech in the top rock section on his first lap and is riding my wife's bike now.

He had to run round.

And I've just had to replace a free hub that failed - new rule. If you want to ride on our team no superstar componants bits.

Again he had to run round.

Anyone know the teamnames of the other STWers? Be nice to follow them.

Richpips and his son Tom (Minipips) are riding as a Pair in Team Sonder Bikes. Both SS. Rich messaged last night to say they were taking a short break due to the mud but checking now it looks like they're both still going.

Feeling absolutely shattered here, 13 laps down but a lack of fitness, some knee pain and insomnia the 2 nights before puffer are really taking their toll... The course is finally drying out in places, but is still very hard going!

I've been supporting my gf soloing, her bike's on its last legs but she should get a couple more laps on the board. Looking forward to sunrise in an hour or so.

Good going chaps - time for the dawn lap - thats the one I "enjoyed" most the year I did it.

The STWers all seem to be doing well.

My solo had a big off somewhere in the top rock garden on lap 8 about 6:30 last night. Knocked himself out, big haematology on L quad and various other pains. I fed him and sent him back out but he couldn’t pedal so self medicated using Bowmore. It’s a mucky mess out there

Our third guy lost a mech in the top rock section on his first lap and is riding my wife’s bike now.

He had to run round.

And I’ve just had to replace a free hub that failed – new rule. If you want to ride on our team no superstar componants bits.

Again he had to run round.

HUb gears? *ducks and covers*

HUb gears? *ducks and covers*

I read it as freehub. The splined thingy that the cassette fits onto. I've had one go before. Bearings seize up or the pawls snap and you can freewheel both ways but go absolutely nowhere!

Bearings seize up or the pawls snap and you can freewheel both ways but go absolutely nowhere!

Or, as has happened to mine at the puffer, you can't freewheel at all, the whole shebang clogs up with pawls, springs and glaur, and you need to keep pedalling. 🤣

Sorry crazylegs - I wasn't being clear. I was suggesting he should have had hub gears! Trailrat and I have been "debating" this over the years. He hates hub gears, I love 'em

Paule and Swavis have are both squeezing in that last lap with more than respectable numbers of laps. Munrobikers team seems to have just been consistent all race and again are out on their last lap a lap ahead of trailrats team. More than respectable as well.

read it as freehub. The splined thingy that the cassette fits onto. I’ve had one go before. Bearings seize up or the pawls snap and you can freewheel both ways but go absolutely nowhere

Yes they fail.

We had one fail
....then it's brand new replacement assembly failed pdq in the mud.

Resulted in 3 laps walked.

Want to borrow a hub gear for next year 😉

Actually I was watching you guys on the lap timings and thought that a pretty good performance. You just kept going. True grit stuff.

Well done to all the stwers I was following. that sounded tough .

I broke (or damaged) a rib on first lap moving out of the way of faster rider. Something in the gorse (whins) at the side of the track gave me a right whack.

Contrary to reports, I did not crash - I did feel pretty smug at riding it out for about 10 metres of self-congratulation then the pain kicked in.

Stopped for about 15 mins at end of lap, but gave myself a stern lecture about wooseing out so soon and went on.

Got another lap in but was feeling very sorry for myself every time I had to press hard on the pedals, every bump, and every time i got on or off the bike.

Again I stopped for a while in the marquee in the hope the pain would magically disappear after a cup of coffee. (It didn't)

Some concerned citizen must have notified my wife. She rang and gave me an earful and made me go to medical tent. I'd been avoiding facing that reality because I was planning getting in another lap in daylight, and then I'd see.

However the medics gave me a thorough exam and found a bit of a dip in my ribs. I was momentarily encouraged that there wasn't any evidence of any bits floating loose, but I was soon put straight about that and told not to ride anymore.

I wasn't happy. I came to this 'Puffer in the best shape for 5 years so I was hoping for a decent tally.

I cunningly refused any painkillers. My sly plan was if the pain subsided a wee bit then I could sneak back and knock off one or more laps. That was a typical Pufferite delusion - fat chance, and a day later I'm still really sore.

There was a bonus though. Apparently I was the oldest rider so I got awarded a bottle of whisky, and have been self-medicating since. 🙂 (A fine drop, Glen Ord Singleton)

Bike - as usual rigid singlespeed fatbike with even fatter mudguards, and still got filthy.

As Arnie would say "I'll be back..."

TJ the rest of the squad need to man up and get on singlespeeds 🙂

The guys did well. Even the failed free hub didn't stop em. Ran round 3 laps because he wasn't even close to fitting on any of the availible bikes bar mine.....and he wasn't going ss haha

Saw your injury on FB. That is harsh. Always the way when your on form 🙁

That's nails trsilrat.

Well 13 laps which was my target before the event as that's what I'd managed in a pair with @munrobiker.
This time was a different kettle of fish however, absolutely brutal mud, sloppy mud, sticky mud, slippery mud, grinding mud. I've never seen so many snapped chains and borked rear mechs.
Singlespeed was bloody tough and I'm not sure fully rigid was the best idea either, my arms are well tenderised 🤣
Still pretty bloody pleased with 3rd singlespeed. Great to see everyone and there was some top banter. Well done all 👏

In the few laps I did I stopped counting after seeing ten borked derailleurs.

The course was basically grinding paste.

Well done swavis. 🙂

That was quite hard work! We got 21 laps all in. Ashamed to say I was very happy to realise I’d be looking to start my next lap at 10:30. Time to put the bike down and grab a bacon butty.

Well done all of you, sounds like a proper slog. Commiserations to Epicyclo but at least you have something to console yourself with!

After 4 laps on the hardtail, I realized it felt rather odd as one of the seals in the forks has blown so it's running on the bottom out bumpers. Did the 4th lap with them pulled up and locked out.

Then swapped onto the bouncy bike and within a couple of laps knackered the compression damping so they were only running the top 5mm extremely slowly and craply.

Ouch... My arms hurt! If I'd meant to ride rigid I'd use a big tyre, flexy forks and squidgy BMX grips...

Little Ms t-r made Gary Williamson faces cover shot.

She was loving her high chair out the front of the van banging her rattle on the Tray and squeeling everytime a bike went past.

We were doing not too badly until:

a)literally my entire GX drivetrain crapped it
b)I got back and got our pit bike
c)I then crashed said pit bike up on the now-icy rock slabs bit of the long rock garden 🙁

It was just a gash and some bruising but held us up. Hey ho. There's always next year.

Tell you what though, that was totally awesome 🙂 -5 and a starfield clearer than anything I've seen in years. Loved every sec of it and will be back.

(Daughters club, Clydesdale Colts, did very well. I indirectly apologise for the appalling music at what became known as Colts Corner)

OK, so this all just sounds pants.
I was Puffer-curious, but now with warmer, wetter winters it seems that future events are more likely to be grinding paste than snowy and cold.

I shall have to look further north for a snowy cold race then.

I thought the saxophone at Colts corner on lap 1 was great! Trumpet at the first corner of the climb less so. Bike survived, I survived, 21 laps in a quad, muddy but not actually raining...happy days!

OK, so this all just sounds pants.
I was Puffer-curious, but now with warmer, wetter winters it seems that future events are more likely to be grinding paste than snowy and cold.

Based on what you saw on a sample size of how many years ?

This year's puffer was actually closer to the original 1st edition than any other puffer I remember.

And yes we have been down to -18 (2018 to name 1 )frozen solid and fast as hell and we had been horrid wet rain for 24 hours - 2013 / 2014 iirc

It's just unpredictable and that has always been the puffers nature. Fwiw It also got really cold through the night and the course got slick and solid for a bit.

Based on me being a **** ?

Future puffers will have all sorts of weather. Sun, Snow, Ice, Mud. It will not change

I've ridden ( not raced 🙂 ) one and pit bitched a few. Seen all sorts of conditions going back 15 years or so.

Baz gixxer from mnpr unsupported solo 66th in Male cat.

Fair play mate 69 miles 10k ft of climbing proper great effort

Well done folks.

Now little Ms rat likes bike racing, will you be trying Kirri 10 this year? Be nice to do a rerun of no. 1 where we first met you 🙂

This year’s puffer was actually closer to the original 1st edition than any other puffer I remember.

There was less mud this time😀

I thought it was a good one.

In terms of the race, it didn't go quite how I'd hoped - started out well with a 43 minute lap and my laps were consistently 10 minutes quicker than the last time I did it, so my training is working. The team I was on was half made up of normal riders so we ended up 8th - excellent but a top 5 is always nice! We weren't really taking it very seriously though.

Two thirds into my 3rd lap my shifter packed in so I had to fix that, then on the last lap my mech caught a rock passing someone on a slab and snapped off so I had to singlespeed it. I don't envy anyone singlespeeding and trying to get a good result - the magic gear I had was the gear I'd have chosen naturally for a lot of the uphills but it was useless on the fireroads and any descents. I also went through a lot of sets of brake pads - it was a muddy one!

[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49413397293_efa543ecb2_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49413397293_efa543ecb2_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2ihuztK ]82802470_466858443980776_4170792197970460672_n[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/183377889@N06/ ]Luke Bradley[/url], on Flickr

On the other hand, I had a bloody good time shooting the breeze with the other riders around the campfire and at the pub. We all had a great laugh, and the course was riding well - bit of mud, then a lovely frost. It was one of my favourite years. I'd say this suggests we had a nice time:

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OK, so this all just sounds pants.
I was Puffer-curious, but now with warmer, wetter winters it seems that future events are more likely to be grinding paste than snowy and cold.

I shall have to look further north for a snowy cold race then.

that's a bit daft. Like saying you'll never go on holiday to Spain cos your mate said he went there and it rained.

Last year was -15 how cold do you want it?

The magic of the puffer is the unexpected, no one has a bloody clue what the weather will be like, even with Bryans annual report a day or so before! The constant is that whatever the weather, it's bloody brutal, and it will eat parts of your bike.

People should try it before they try and pass comment.

i remember 2016 was it - it was the absolute SOMME - but not cold.

I had the pleasure of spannering for a soloist on a singlespeed and still having to clean his bike every lap just to keep the wheels turning in the frame.

then in 2018 it was colder than a witches tit and the campervan pipe work froze where it passed under the outside of the van to cross sides.

I also remember one year building up to max beans before hitting a section of trail that was foot deep sludge and about 50ft wide as folk tried to ride round the sludge ( on a bit of the course thats no longer used) that stopped the bike. i cant remember what year that was.

then there was 2008 where the course was rock solid ice for the whole course - when we started round at the other side of the hill - when the marquee blew away and we all had to be towed into the field (despite the hard frozen course)

There's also all the special moments. Walking off into the woods for a wee and looking up into a silent frost covered forest with all the stars glimmering above you. Pedalling through dawn with a frozen lake next to you, lit by a bright red sky. The camaraderie of riders who fall and smash their way through the night, picking each other up and laughing with each other.

One of my team mates talks about riding the Puffer waiting for your "moment of beauty"- at some point you will see something that takes your breath away. Mine was following a slower rider and getting a stunning view of a loch off in the distance set by hills. His was the dawn lap with the sun rising, turning the sky mad colours while he looked at a snow-capped Ben Wyvis. Even if you're taking it very seriously you'll have a moment that makes you think "wow".

Unless the weather's proper shit, but that's not happened to me yet in the 6 times I've Puffed.

There’s also all the special moments

Absolutely, I recall going out on a lap about 10pm, team marquee had 2 big infra red heaters burning off the genny, lights, tomd's dad buzzing about helping everyone, an absolute hive of activity...

Came back in from my lap, tent in darkness, silence, and bodies in every available space, trying to sleep! bastards! 🙂

trail_rat
...then there was 2008 where the course was rock solid ice for the whole course – when we started round at the other side of the hill – when the marquee blew away and we all had to be towed into the field (despite the hard frozen course)

That was one of my favourites. Really slidy. Virtually no one with studded tyres. "No market for them in the UK" I was told by the Schwalbe rep.

The pools of frozen pink blood in strange places (We slow people notice that sort of thing 🙂 ).

I'm sitting here reading this thread, and chuckling away. Its great to see all your recollections on it, particularly of earlier Puffers.

I have to say that I loved every minute of it, even the bike-knackering mechanicals, lack of sleep and icy slab crashes. Even the fire road climb (almost)

I love the fire road climb, the chances of me or my bike coming to grief are at their lowest point of the whole lap 🤣

The year I rode it 2010 I think was deep snow. Much of it had been shoveled away but only one shovel wide so no one could overtake on those bits without your co operation and then sheet ice on one section and an a big slushy muddy descent. I remember running out of energy around midnight and lying on my back in a snowdrift stuffing jelly babies in my gob. So many folk asked if I was OK it was really nice - no one rode past without asking. A fast guy also stopped on the icy section when I fell and picked me up ( I was doing the sheep on the back flounder still clipped in)

I also remember pit bitching in 2008. I had a huge camper that was to be HQ for loads of folk. I got it onto site and parked it in the bit that I later found out was supposed to be reserved for special folk - but with vehicles getting stuck everywhere I got to leave it there ( I did offer to try to move it)

Welcome to the Puffer, never, ever intended doing the race, don't like the cold which is strange given I grew up in Upper Deeside in Scotland.
Got roped into a quad this year, the other 3 team members are mostly hill runners, as am I but have moved into MTB recently.

The race was mad, great fun, lots of amazing basecamps, cider fuelled spectators on the hill tops helping to fix broken bikes, awesome starry skies, sneaky& slidy terrain and a really cool bunch of people taking part in the race, marshaling and helping.

We had a good race, achieved our aim of 20 laps, which for a team with an average age of 53 we thought was pushing it a little.
Will come back again, probably better prepared logistically, was dame cold overnight and hopefully with a working set of lights!

Well done to all, both competing and assisting, what the sport is all about.

This year I found the key to the fireroad climb - be really pretty fit. I remember struggling after it turns right then left before the last line of campervans but this year I was able to get up it without suffering.

The two sharp rises before the bridge of thighs, though, were bloody horrible.

cider fuelled spectators

that's probably Rob & Hils 🙂

ive never found the fire road to be particularly troubling. its the perfect grade for 32:18 - i can even sit most of the way.

the key to this is to not be parked at the bottom and to do your hand over on the hill so your partner has the ability to warm up before the rest of the climb.

ITs horrible leaving the marque straight into that climb.

agree the two rises before bridge of thighs were horrid. they were not 32:18 compatible. they were ok on 32:22 last year though 😀

that’s probably Rob & Hils 🙂

Yep, well they were there and I didn't see any others with cider in the middle of the night 😀

@munrobiker I think those bastard climbs were called Twin Peaks maybe? They were an absolute swine on the singlespeed and admit to walking the first of them on my last 4 laps.

edit- On 30:21 and 29+ tyres

@trail_rat & @swavis I'm glad to hear you say that.

I was beginning to think I was getting too old for SS. 32/22, 5" tyres.

My mate found this today - the rivers of mud around 7 minutes in are familiar.

Anyone got a gpx of that Grundig course?