HT550 - the 2018 edition.

[ianfitz]

Thought we could have a new thread for next years rides.

The group start list is finalised and will be posted soon.

A good mix of returning riders and new-blood. Should be suitably pointy at the pointy end.

[touch]

I'm in.

[JoseMcTavish]

I'm in too, thanks Bob for the application tips. Great winter so far for getting some tough snowy miles in too!

[whitestone]

I'm in too, thanks Bob for the application tips. Great winter so far for getting some tough snowy miles in too!

No problem Craig. I'll see you in Tyndrum

[sean_iow]

I'm in as well. I'm sure I'll have a long list of questions for the veterans, apologies in advance.

[GregMay]

Indeed.

[AlasdairMc]

Not this year for me; hoping to ride it in 2019 with some overseas chums so doing the original 430 early in May instead. I might even miss out my annual Cairngorms Loop attempt too..

[padonbike]

Hallelujah! A HT post at last. Well done Fitz.

[postierich]

I am in training starts soon.........

Rich

[sean_iow]

I am in training starts soon.........

Rich

I started mine August 2016 was that too soon?

First question, does anyone have definitive stats for distance and climbing, assuming the route is the same as this year. I've got to decide on gear ratio and only have 5 months to worry about it

[whitestone]

I am in training starts soon.........

Rich

I started mine August 2016 was that too soon?

First question, does anyone have definitive stats for distance and climbing, assuming the route is the same as this year. I've got to decide on gear ratio and only have 5 months to worry about it

I can point you at my Strava activities which come to 868Km and 15180 metres of climbing. (Edit: I forgot to restart my GPS after changing batteries in Ft William so the first climb on the WHW is missing from those stats)

SS ratio? Javi to the forum Remember you've got a 50Km flat time trial along the Great Glen

[padonbike]

Neil Beltchencko is world class and he used 1x12 with 32 x 10-50. Hopefully that ends the gear procrastination before it starts
And in anticipation of similar with respect to tyres: around 2.3 wide, knobbly tread of some sort and air inside.

[ianfitz]

I am in training starts soon.........

Rich

I started mine August 2016 was that too soon?

First question, does anyone have definitive stats for distance and climbing, assuming the route is the same as this year. I've got to decide on gear ratio and only have 5 months to worry about it

880km/16160m by my reckoning. Far more peddling than you may think. Many of the climbs are big and steep. Pushing will happen!

[sean_iow]

I like a good push, if I didn't I'd have gears it's a matter of choosing a ratio to give the best ballance against pushing on the up hills and spinning out on the downs/flatter bits. I prefer to have to work harder on the climbs than be undergeared on the flatter bits but I'm also aware that day after day of riding will take it's toll on my legs.

[philipft]

I like a good push, if I didn't I'd have gears it's a matter of choosing a ratio to give the best ballance against pushing on the up hills and spinning out on the downs/flatter bits. I prefer to have to work harder on the climbs than be undergeared on the flatter bits but I'm also aware that day after day of riding will take it's toll on my legs.

Good point 32 18 in 2016 was too big for me, by then end couldn’t even clear the fire road out of Fort Bill

[sean_iow]

Neil Beltchencko is world class and he used 1x12 with 32 x 10-50. Hopefully that ends the gear procrastination before it starts
And in anticipation of similar with respect to tyres: around 2.3 wide, knobbly tread of some sort and air inside.

Neil brought 12 gears, I've got to pick 1, if only there was some way altering the gear ratio on the move? Nah, it would never catch on it would be too complicated

SS ratio? Javi to the forum Remember you've got a 50Km flat time trial along the Great Glen

That's what's on my mind as on 32/20 with 650B on the SS that might be frustrating. Equally I might be so worn out that even that is hard work. Javi can spin much faster than I can, I rode with him briefly on this years Braunton 150 but he dropped me easily as my legs couldn't keep up on the flat, and he's just faster than me so I'd of got dropped on the hills anyway I think he ran 32/21 (650B) on the B150.

Looking through peoples reports from previous years Andrew Hutcheson used 32/18 on a 29er in 2014. It would be interesting to know what Tom Rowntree used in 2015 when he won. No that I have any aspirations of that before we get carried away or that I'm in any way their class, but just interested to know what ratio he used as I'm a nerd like that Of course bike weight also plays a big part of the equation and I'm aiming to loose 10lb off my loaded weight from the other events I've done.

Bob, as I know you've ridden the routes of the events I've done how would you say the steepness of the climbs compares between the HT550, B150 and the YD300?

[NewRetroTom]

It would be interesting to know what Tom Rowntree used in 2015 when he won.

32:18

[sean_iow]

It would be interesting to know what Tom Rowntree used in 2015 when he won.

32:18

Thanks Tom, I was hoping you'd spot this and reply

[whitestone]

Bob, as I know you've ridden the routes of the events I've done how would you say the steepness of the climbs compares between the HT550, B150 and the YD300?

I know what you mean about Javi! He can go from 20rpm on the steep rocky climbs to about 150rpm on the flat. I know it's a generalisation but the climbs on the Braunton150 are mostly short and steep, those on the YD300 are mostly long and draggy. I've not done much singlespeeding - no genuine MTB singlespeed rides but I have done faux SS on the fat bike in the Dales just as training you understand, I'm not that weird.

Ignore the hike-a-bike sections for gearing, you'll be pushing/carrying those no matter what gearing or number of gears you have. The YD300 has 6700m of ascent in 300Km vs 16,000Km in 880Km for the HT550 so quite a bit tougher per Km but I reckon the HT550 is closer to the YD300 in terms of profile and general gradient and style of ridable climbs than the Braunton. There was a SS side discussion on the Cairngorm Loop thread where I think it was Greg May who reckoned it was the most SS friendly of the ITTs. In my opinion the YD300 isn't far behind - Ian Barrington did it SS in 2015 - I'd consider doing it on SS.

If you use the gearing you had for the YD300 as a starting point then it probably isn't far off. The Fort Augustus - Fort William section is likely to be frustrating no matter what gearing you use.

[Zippy]

Hmm - this is starting to really get under my skin.

ITT this year methinks, then might think about group start (besides not done any qualifying rides recently since the CG loop got kicked out). I just don't want to be flailing about at the back end of the group - but killing myself doing it - hence ITT for now.

[whitestone]

First question, does anyone have definitive stats for distance and climbing, assuming the route is the same as this year.

Just loaded the files into Bikehike and they add up to 861.6Km (that 0.6 could be important ) and 16,307m of ascent. But I've a file of this year's route and that shows 852.6Km and 14,584m on bikehike.

Let's just say it's a long way and there's quite a bit of up and down

[Zippy]

quite a bit of up and down

Net level though

[GregMay]

..There was a SS side discussion on the Cairngorm Loop thread where I think it was Greg May who reckoned it was the most SS friendly of the ITTs....

And I still do.

Note to all SS, or potential SS, riders - the new proposed self adopted "amendment" to the TDR rules, one I agree with - singlespeed riders start, and finish the entire ride on the same gearing.

It was becoming commonplace to switch out gears for the latter "flatter" parts of the route.

Not a rule, as it's not a race, but maybe something to consider adopting a mindset from the out.

[sean_iow]

I'd seen that rule and thought it was obvious that should be the case, but if the end of the TDR is much flatter than the beginning then I guess it would be worth the time/effort to do. It seems some people will try and get away with whatever they think they can. I would never think to change the gearing during a ride. It's the word 'single' which gives it away. Once you start changing the gearing by what ever means you might as well fit gears.

Perhaps I take my 'ethics' too far, I won't even draft behind cars/vans on my commute as I would get an unfair advantage on the Strava segments, even if the leader-board is filled with local race team riders with a lead-out Getting a new PB behind a bus is only cheating myself

[Dave Barter]

I have no evidence for this but in my gut I think 2018 is going to be a "bad weather" year for the HTR riders and make it even more interesting.