Transpennine Trail Choice of Bike

[channiere]

Im considering starting riding again with the aim of completing the said trail this year. Any help and advice on choice of bike would be appreciated.

 

[Andrew Br]

IMO the optimum bike is a hub-geared, disc-braked cross bike with full guards and semi-knobbly tyres.
Realistically, any bike can do it including skinny tyred racers. If the weather is or has been wet then a tourer or hybrid would be better.
While I'm not usually a fan of wearing a rucksack on the bike, it might be worth carying your gear that way because there's a lot of picking up the bike to get it over bike gates. There is also a longish wooden staircase/bridge to be negotiated near Widnes.


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[DCLane]

I'm doing it at the end of June hopefully.

If it's dry it'll be the Carrera or even the Secteur on 25mm tyres.
If it's wet it'll be the Python MTB on less knobbly tyres than it's got (atm Kenda 2.1" very knobblies!)

 

[wiggydiggy]

Carrera Subway with its 26"x1.75 handled the Sheffield > Leeds section admirably

I'm doing it all soon(ish) on a Marin Belvedere 700*28c - I've cycled on most of the trail arounf sheffield/leeds on this and its been fine

 

[Cyclist33]

Hoping to do this year so interested in the comnents as id be either on a light 700c hybrid with 32 slicks or 40mm cx tyres, or a 26" mtb with fast rolling knobbies.

Stu

 

[Andrew Br]

Be aware that parts of the trail around Manchester stay wet for a very long time and, further afield, some of the tracks are very bumpy.


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[wiggydiggy]

Be aware that parts of the trail around Manchester stay wet for a very long time and, further afield, some of the tracks are very bumpy.


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Oh yes I've been told this, I'm willing to make the trade off though on 700*28c that my progress will be slow in those parts but vastly easier/quicker on the rest.

 

[Edwards80]

Be aware that parts of the trail around Manchester stay wet for a very long time and, further afield, some of the tracks are very bumpy.


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I go out on the trail round here fairly often with the Mrs on my MTB . . . which I haven't changed from slick tyres yet Anything with a few nobbly bits should cope with it, even with the slicks I haven't found anything un-rideable. . . just a little interesting.

 

[wiggydiggy]

I go out on the trail round here fairly often with the Mrs on my MTB . . . which I haven't changed from slick tyres yet Anything with a few nobbly bits should cope with it, even with the slicks I haven't found anything un-rideable. . . just a little interesting.

I've been testing my bike pretty well on some on the trails around me - some very sticky mud on a bridlepath nearly got me but a combination of granny gear and sheer bloody mindedness saw me through lol