[Closed] What bike would you pick for 100 mile offroad in a day?

rigid, rohloff, Shand

Used one of these?

http://www.bikes.com/en/bikes/element/2018

100 FS with lockouts will be quite nice and forgiving at the end of the day but still responsive on the ups?

Nothing really to be scared of with FS maintenance, it's basically a few extra bearings and a third leg to your fork 😉

Done the SDW BHF last couple of years on a FS 100mm. Never regretted the comfort.

Value option, one left in XL. (I size up from guide if on cusp)

https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m1b4s183p6926/GIANT-ANTHEM-27-5-2-2016

London To Brighton is perfect on a CX, SDW on a 29er of any flavour.

Having done both I wouldn’t buy a bike specific to either. They’re one off rides that really don’t bear much repeating. Buy a bike that suits your local regular riding. Whatever bike that is will do either ride you’ve mentioned above with a change of Tyres.

For one ride? Whatever bike I already had.

Do you have a fat bike? Maybe. Set of 29+ wheels for it?

a FS would not be my choice for  routes you could do  relatively comfortably on a rigid bike

Hardtail if you might do MTB on it o you  want greater comfort

CX if you might do long road rides on it or you want greater speed

Anthem 29er

I’d be pretty tempted by the Krampus frame in the classifieds if that’s the sort of riding that floats your boat. 29+ would be spot on for long mild off road.

Something like a Mason Bokeh with 650b wheels. Fast enough, capable enough, nice enough 😉

Wow thanks all for the rapid response, have no fear I am not buying a bike just to do this, I am not that rich but thinking about changing my day to day bike to one that can do the day to day rides I do and the longer distance stuff.

I must confess in a bizarre way I am actually really enjoying the longer rides and prep and hence a chance in ride could be called for.

Completely concur with the ideas and hadn't thought about a 29+ bike but had got stuck on the idea of a 29er or similar to keep maintenance down as I ride a lot and am not (cough) that mechanical to service etc.

The links have been a bonus and surprise thanks, whilst the Element looks nice the price tag is a bit scary and the Anthem looks like good VFM.

Thanks for all the ideas and keep them coming.

Sadly as much as I love the fat bike I think the weight, drag etc over a huge distance (no snow) is going to make it  much harder than it needs to be. Will have to explore n+1 option as I don't really want to part with it.

Thanks again.

James

Ebike

Found going across the Cambrian mountains from Llandrindod to near Lampeter very comfy on a 29er salsa horsethief. It’s not 100 miles, maybe 50 or 60, but it was mid January and beastly wet and windy weather. Didnt ache after  as much as when I did it on a 26 hardtail a year ago (voodoo d jab).

Cycling off-road to Paris soon and I'm happy to be using my Boardman 29er. I've owned some premium niche bikes in the past but this is by far and away the most comfortable for this kind of journey.

I'd choose my Diverge and maybe try to bodge in my old USE sus post. Bit of bounce at both ends.  Canondale  Slate or one of those spendy gravel bikes with the odd looking forks luaf or whatever they are called.

https://www.canyon.com/mtb/dude/2018/dude-cf-8-0.html

If it was a quagmire, set of 29er wheels for it with 33mm X-One Bites.

Ebike... and 2 spare batteries😛

100 miles a day off-road, erm KTM 250cc?

I did the SDW in a day on my slack 27.5" steel HT. The perfect bike would be a light, carbon, short travel, 29er HT or FS. Failing owning one of these, just rung what you brung, which should be the bike you've spent many hours training on (and a heap of good weather & a tailwind).

My cyclocross bike

Whyte t130 for me last year. I'd do it again on the same bike.

I've done it on a HT which was a giant xtc29, faster but hard on the backside!

I also did it on a 26" wheel commencal meta.

+1 to a boardman ht pro 29er. Swap the rims and go tubeless with some better tyres

The bike is really really fast, comfortable and very capable

Definitely consider a 29+ bike, especially at 6'3".

My Krampus is my go to bike for longer, less techy rides (though it is happy on more technical stuff too).

I've done plenty of 50+ mile rides on it, and it's so comfy as an all day rider - Dartmoor N to S off-road, HOTS a few times, and plenty of others.

If I had to get rid of all my bikes bar one, and I'm an avid bike horder, then it'd be the Krampus I would keep.

I'd want both a 29er FS 100mm and a fully rigid 29er hardtail in order to have the choice.  SDW on a wet muddy day is a slog.  You'll want max clearance and minimum faff.  It's also a very useful tool for putting the miles in if your doing a fair it of training.

On the flip side, a baked-hard SDW is painful.  Now I'm only familiar with the sections around Arundel and Brighton, but some of those descents can get very badly rutted from trampled mud and tractors.  100miles on it will hurt!

I'd go second hand for both, maybe with a single set of wheels to share between them.

I've ridden the SDW countless times on everything from an MTB, CX, SSCX, 29+ and fatbike  - each has their benefits / fun factor.  Waiting for the right conditions and weather is probably more important - ridden it in mid-June where the temperature was 10C and a 30-40mph headwind by the time we got to Trueleigh. Rode up from Jeavington in a thunderstorm with bolts of lightning and torrents of water running down the track. Also been up there midwinter in ankle-deep slop where you had to push the bike downhill in places...

A 120mm full suspension of some sort unless there are particularly gnarly descents on it then 140mm or 150mm

I've done 100k in a day off road but never 100 miles

160-180mm DH bike and i think we have most bases covered

Done most of my ITTs on a rigid 29er. So several 100 milers, in the case of the HT550 it was five in a row, the last "day" was 280km. This year I'm on a Spearfish 🙂

LOL, loving the diverse replies and my views so far

!) Ebike - no, no and thrice no. Sorry not for me all the time I can pedal I will pedal and when I cannot I will then consider an ebike.

2) Motorbike (other than a grin) illegal and cannot ride - so that's a no.

3) CX Bike, whilst I can see the appeal it is not for me, it's the drop bar thing I know I can ride on the hoods and so on but other than the long rides I have to ride it all the rest of the time too. Great for what it is but not for me.

4) DH bike, thank you cp you made me LOL

5) Loved the comments on the Boardman HT and completely agree comfort is not related to price and they do make some cracking bikes for VFM

All the events I am doing are planned so I don't get the luxury of picking when I ride so I just have to pick, ride it lots and hope.

Seems to be a few saying 100-120 FS and a few going HT and a mix of others thrown in for good measure so that is cool and always up for more ideas and suggestions.

Thanks once more.

James

Giant anthem advanced.Good deals out there on2017 models.

An Ebike won't even last 100 hilly offroad miles until the battery dies. You wouldn't even get a third of that even on a high spec one. Main reason I won't buy one yet.

I did a 100k in the Peak District, mostly on rocky bridleways and singletrack. 10,000 ft of climbing and descending. I had a 100mm HT and a 120mm FS at the time. I chose the FS and didn't even consider taking the HT.

Do it on whichever bike you envisage doing the other 99.9% of your riding on.

Something with a low standover height for dismounting and nice comfy shoes. SDW on a weekend in June will be so busy you'll be queuing up at the gates.

I'd slap some fatter tyres on my Vagabond, probably 2.35.  Keep it simple, run pressures to suit.  Nothing fancy, it's running 2x10 Deore and cable discs.   Comfort + simple reliability.

*Edit. Strike that.  9000 climbing = a lot of descending?

Orange P7.  Hydros and 140mm forks with lockout. Maybe bar-ends with all that climbing.

I'd be really happy to do an event longs this on my whyte t129. 120mm with lockout if needed and fast rolling 29er tyres. Perfect

I've just finished  http://www.touraotearoa.nz/p/home.html  doing 180km a day and a 29er Hardtail was perfect for a mix of off road single track, gravel roads and a fair bit of tarmac.

Anthem as above. My brother had one of the first ones from 2006 and I think they have made decent models every year ever since.

back to the boardman ht 29er again.

climbing out from the goyt valley up the one way section I frequently overtake roadies and my fitness really isn't that great. On both my other bikes I'm no way near as quick on the same climb.

And I have been running an ardent on the rear and higher roller II 2.3 3c on the front

Then on the way home i'll drop the post and nip onto the DH track in Mac forest

I used zeek vouchers and 10% british cycling so paid around £740. Rebuilt the wheels with WTB I25 (they fit on the stock rims) and added a brand X dropper for £90 and 2 new tyres.

Whatever bike you don't have in your garage already.

N+1 is life!

Done it on my Open U.P with 650b Thunder Burts.

fatbikeandcoffee

...Sadly as much as I love the fat bike I think the weight, drag etc over a huge distance (no snow) is going to make it  much harder than it needs to be...

The drag is all to do with the tyres.

Put a set of slick fat tyres on it and you'll be amazed at the difference.

I put Black Floyds on my fatbike a few years back and found it worked very well on gravel, and really was only limited by slimy surfaces.

It's a perfectly viable (and very comfortable) solution.

Alternatively if you you are worried about a lack of tread a set of Larrys is also not draggy.

The main thing is to get a tyre with a big thread count, eg 120tpi, and you'll usually find it rolls easier.

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Chubbyish 29er light HT for me.

I've done the SDW a few times. Bikes went from a rigid, canti'd dogs bolx to a very old FS which I think was called an Alpine 500. The later gave me the quickest time <10 hrs.

If I had to do it again it would be on a gravel bike but the most suitable would probably be a modern 100mm FS. Would have thought an Anthem 29 would be a reasonably priced appropriate choice.

Canyon Dude 8 is ~12.5Kg IIRC, ~4.5Kg lighter than my default Wazoo, partly thanks to those BR2300 wheels that weigh just 2.3Kg compared to 3.9Kg plus that lovely carbon frame it has.

To give a perspective on fastest vs slowest, I set-out on a SDW double 2 years ago co-incidentally with another guy - me on rigid fatbike, the other guy on a carbon-everything XC FS. We we each riding our own schedule / pace so - the other guy took the faster / old route around OWH - I stuck with the route I know. 11 hours later our paths crossed at Eastbourne - I was about 25 minutes behind riding the longer route - about 4% difference.

There's as much benefit in riding the bike you know rather than choosing the "fastest", "lightest" or whatever. Over longer distances you need to look at comfort as much as anything, for some that might mean FS, for others it might be bigger volume tyres. It might just be adjusting your riding position, fitting a riser stem, etc.

Personally, I'd say a 100mm XC orientated 29er FS.

But having done the Trans Cambrian on a fat bike with Jumbo Jim TLE Snakeskin tyres, for all day plodding they're pretty good fun and you can get away with some crazy stuff (in my world of XC gnarcore shred lite)on loose down hills

I use a rigid 29er for these things.  I fitted suspension forks to it once which was of course lovely on the rocky trails but somehow not as nice to ride otherwise.  The reason I like the rigid aspect is that it's a brilliant place to sit and pedal.  It feels so postive, and there are no compromises required to deal with the suspension.  And you can stand up on the pedals and stretch out and it feels much better without suspension boinging.  Even 'locked out' Rebas still moved around.

A plus front is probably a great idea, but depending on how much road there is in your route, as a plus front might add drag.  My tyres are 2.3 Ralphs on 28mm rims, at around 25psi.

29er tyre advice - don't go silly light. You need some protection from the flints on sdw... The amount of punctures and torn side walls I've had!

I find it easier to ride further on the FS 120mm than HT 100mm even though the HT is 2kg lighter I can't tell any difference on smooth climbs and on rough climbs the FS is better.

To give a perspective on fastest vs slowest

the comparison is  not much use if we do not know the relative fitness/speed of the riders. At races some fat bike riders are faster than me - it was not the bike it was that they were faster  than me whatever they rode.

I have only done a few 100milers off-road, but everytime it was on a rigid 29er singlespeed -  an on-one inbred. Quite comfy over that distance and time imo. 2.25/2.3 tyres for some cush too.  TBH though it was just what I was riding most at the time so really I was only 'run what you brung', ing.

I've done a few 100k offroad rides and the 29er FS wins every time.
Yes, you could probably do the ride on a CX bike, but the 29er FS will be much more comfortable and as a result more fun & enjoyable. Take the weight penalty for added comfort.

I used a 120mm trial bike for my most recent one. Yes, overkill but comfortable. It's also had 1 set of frame bearings in about 2 1/2yrs of all weather riding of about 3000k/yr on it, so very robust.

Giant Anthem, Spec Epic & RM Element look like the perfect tools.

I've signed up to do the French Divide this year - 2,200km and 35,0000m climbing within 2 weeks. The option i'm going for is full suss 29er with 120mm front & 100mm rear travel. I've just bought a pair of super light weight gravel capable wheelset.

Will also be fitting my spa leather saddle from my touring bike - weighs best part of a kilo but super comfy saddle.

For me, I'd be looking at Brother Cycles Big Bro or something from Surly, perhaps the new Bridge Club.

@scruff9252 - I'm also doing the French Divide. Unsure whether to use the Solaris or the Croix de Fer. Neither is ideal in their current incarnation: the Solaris would need a dynamo front wheel and something like Jones  or Moloko bars; the CdF will need bigger volume tyres and some flared drops.

Looking at the previous routes no bike will be "ideal" there was 30% on road for example so a CX bike will win out there but lose out on the more technical stuff and vice versa. Reading various accounts it seems to be on the border of gravel/rigid MTB.

Preferably a dropper post as well unless most of the descents are tame

Me and my bro did SDW a few years back, both on 26ers but he had a full sus, he was less sore at the end.

I'd say a short travel (100-120mm) lightweight 29er would be ideal. It's not like it's the rockiest place in the world or anything, but it's relentlessly "a bit bumpy".

Out of my bikes at the moment I'd probably choose the 140mm hardtail over the full sus (same travel), as it's a fair bit lighter and has a comfier saddle.

Do it on whichever bike you envisage doing the other 99.9% of your riding on.

This. Personally, for the sort of 'general riding about' you're talking about I'd say short travel 29er. Hardtail or FS depending on preference- at your budget I'd probably be looking at a better specced HT over a FS, just make sure you've got the clearance for a decent rear tyre for comfort if you do.

Disclaimer- I have a solaris for exactly this sort of thing and if you made me downsize it's the last one I'd sell.

I wouldn't be taking on a rigid or cross bike at this point for what you're doing- I have and love riding both, but if you're stretching your mileage you're going to be getting used to long and bumpy days in the saddle so I'd look for something that will give you comfort to actually enjoy your days out! Anyone here remember the first time they did the SDW in a day? B<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">y about 70 miles</span><span style="font-size: 0.8rem;"> I could barely unclamp my hands from the ends of the bars at the bottom of the rattlier descents! More familiar with that distance now, body, bike and setup have all evolved. You can always stick a rigid fork on at a later date if you decide you like it.</span>

@whitestone - good to hear someone else from here's signed up too.

Agree about the no ideal bike - I'm very much going for trying to complete in full time allowance rather than compete for a fast time thus going for the comfy bike.

My touring bike has a 3w dynamo front wheel - I'm likely to steal that for the event - need to fit a ~2" tyre on it and then do some rides - see what sort of real world output i'm likely to get off road. I just hope enough to charge a battery which in turn keep my garmin 810 with enough juice to avoid getting lost.

Have you given any consideration to the medical certificate you are supposed to supply to say your fit and not going to die? There seems to be some chat on ironman forums about IM france needing these but UK dr's being reticent to provide certificates as it could lead to liability/litigation.

Do it on whichever bike you envisage doing the other 99.9% of your riding on.

I think this is good advice.

Anthem as above. My brother had one of the first ones from 2006 and I think they have made decent models every year ever since.

I'm still riding a 2006 Anthem (occasionally) and it's been great for everything from local trails to 100+ mile offroad days.

steel hardtail, whatever wheelsize you prefer

@scruff9252 - my wife's doing it as well - it was her idea in the first place and I didn't fancy dot watching for two weeks. 🙂

Unsure about the medial certificate, my first thought was that I'd need sufficient time to get an appointment to actually see a doctor! I've no idea what the certificate is meant to say or to what level of detail. Do you need an ECG test for example? (The only ECG I've had was prior to an operation and the machine went ballistic. It turned out my resting heart rate was so low the machine thought I'd died!) One of our neighbours was the head GP in the local practice so I'll have a word with him.

Canyon neuron.

I did the Kielder 100 (the old hundred miler) twice on a Scandal 29er. First time rigid, second time with 100mm front fork and slightly higher riser bars. Both times with a Brooks saddle and an alfine hub.

Stanton Sherpa with a rigid steel fork and 27.5+ wheels

Defo a 29er and probably a hardtail depending on how rough the may be, decent comfy saddle and good padding in your shorts as your arse will give out before your legs imo .........good luck

An FS cuts against the need to minimise complexity and bouncers aren't the only way to make a bike comfortable offroad Something rigid (simplest option) or maybe a HT that is 29er / 27+ compatible and two wheelset?

For hot weather and hard baked ruts use the 27+ for some cush, for mud and slop stick on the 29" wheels with 2.1ish mud plugging tyres...

There's a few bikes about that will do this now...

Id go for a short travel FS 29er but my day to day riding wouldn't suit it.

Did it 2 years ago on my t130 and will be doing it again this year on it for the BHF. others were faster but I was comfortable all the way and felt freshish at the end.

Now tyre selection is my head ache this year......

PS: My mate used his 2015 Specialized S-Works Enduro 29er. He did fine & was very comfortable. I think he's planning doing the HT550 on it next year.

Marin Quake for the ultimate workout.

I've done a couple of 100 mile or thereabouts off road rides. Both solo, weren't against the clock, just taking my time.

I'd probably go with the one you know and are comfortable with -- just checked and confirmed both those rides were on my general purpose 'cross / gravel bike, but would be happy to do it on my rigid bike as well, plus tyres would help or29r for easy rolling..

I've done both, multiple of times. Used my Scott Spark 740 27.5" wheel full sus XC bike. If I were doing SDW again I'd be looking at taking the Spark. The 29er version would be absolutely perfect, but as an all rounder, the 27.5" would be the better option.

Good luck with SDW. Train for hills, hills and more hills. L2B off road isn't too bad, just the last climb. Enjoy the last descent to Hove.

I think my Tallboy has done around 30 SDW's by now - got one planned for the early May bank holiday if the chalk dries up a little. In the early days I used Small Block 8's, then Thunder Burts. Running Race Kings with race sealant these days - that stuff clogs up some massive holes. Going to do it without the tribar setup for once as I'll be down on Dartmoor the week before, so it will look just like a normal bike for once.

As usual, its all about the pace - steady on all the ups, work hard on the flats and give it everything on the downhills.

Remember to look around - it changes everytime I'm there!

I did the SDW on a rigid scandal 29er with Spesh ground control 2.1’s a few years back. Rock-hard trails, sunny and a pit stop at an ice cream van (and commuting as training) helped me to a <12 hr time. But, my body was well rattled by the terrain.

So last year I attempted the SDW double on the same scandal but had Revs fitted (I think they’re 120mm), and that made a noticeable difference in terms of smoothing out the terrain. That gave me more physical energy.

Will have another go at the double on the same frame/fork set-up but different saddle and 2.3’s or 2.4’s. It seems ‘what tyres’ are a much more important consideration with people and the industry coming round to the idea that fatter tyres have benefits that outweigh their weight.

Another vote for the Anthem 29er. I’ve had the 26” version as well, bothe very capable bikes that’ll surprise you how capable they are, but at the same time easy miles with an efficient pedalling platform. I will admit I’ve ended up with 120mm forks on both of mine, but that’s because I’m a serial swapper and I found a good deal.

ti Stooge.

Does not matter what bike you have on the SDW but one with no brakes would be my recommendation. Got a tank slapper on descending Harting Down and straight to the scene of the accident. If its white its rock and if its wet its too late.

100 miles offroad in one day is a bloody good ride, even on easy terrain.

i wouldn’t use a newly acquired bike for that, id want to make sure i was used to the position on it first.

personally, i have a surly karate monkey, fully rigid, I’d use that, it has a brooks saddle, and a skinny 27.2 seatpost, ergon type grips, wideish tyres at a slightly lower pressure.

i wouldn’t make any changes in the last couple of weeks to position or anything.

and id take a stove/tea making equipment, a quick cuppa can really perk you up.

i definitely wouldn’t rule out a full suss bike though.