Adam Scroxton is back at the grueling Cotswolds 100 to try and claim the Fastest Known Time (FKT) after missing out by just a few minutes last summer. Armed with the Propain Terrel CF, a robust gravel bike built to withstand the roughest terrain, and a revised nutrition strategy, the goal is to beat the current record of 7 hours and 52 minutes. However, with recent heavy rainfall turning the technical climbs into rocky rivers and overgrown trails, this 100-mile figure-eight loop quickly turns into an absolute battle against the elements.
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Do you think a gravel bike is the ultimate tool for a massive 100-mile mixed-terrain challenge like this, or should I have stuck to a proper mountain bike? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
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36 Comments
Descending is much more confidence-inspiring in the drops rather than on the hoods.
As soon as you started looking for your glasses it was over lol.
Yeah a short travel xc whip is more suitable & of course we'd like to see you suffer some more 😂
At least you gave it a go .
In all fairness it is a gravel bike not a chunky boulder bike 🙂 .
But yes put in the training and give it another go .
Hard to say what bike , enduro or XC maybe but that will be slower here and there .
Tyres are a great way to make use of reclaimed nets .
add a suspension fork. it may work
Thats not gravel bike route
Another L. Who would have known it? 😂
I am suffering, while i am watching😮
That's a shame Adam; visually the terrain was on the upper edge of gravel limits. Kudos to you for giving it a crack.
Gravel bikes remind me of 1990's rigid mtb's.. After awhile with increasingly technical tracks they just become not up to the job, and hurt your arms etc due to the jarring and vibration. I remember doing these races and feeling like my biceps were going to get shaken off the bone. and it hurt. So you need suspension to remain in control and have an enjoyable time without getting too beaten up. Also are quite a lot slower on the rough descents due to this.
My rigid single speed is a great gravel bike. It also happens to be a great mountain bike!!!
That’s not an MTB!?🤷🏼♂️ sorry but if everyone moans about Eebs being on this channel then this shouldn’t be on it!
Good try. A much higher stack may have helped but tbh, Epic 8 would monster this!
Avg hearth rate 68 🙈
I’m sorry, but riding what is essentially a road bike on a mountain bike trail isn’t a great idea. It’s like taking a sports car off-road on all-terrain tires and expecting it to perform like a Jeep.
You shoud‘ve ridden that with a Trek Checkout.
That would’ve been the perfect bike for the descents and it’s also reasonably fast on regular stuff.
Just switch out the original Bontrager 55mm wheels.
They have amazing grip, but they run a bit slow for my personal taste.
Justinas still won on them and didn’t seem to have a disadvantage compared to his usual RaceKings(it is a crime that they where discontinued)
10:20 Lower back pain means that the geometry isn’t optimal and that you should ride suspension for this.
Theres no sense in hurting yourself just because you want to prove a point on a specific bike.
The Gravel industry should finally start adapting suspension technology more openly.
I am glad that there now are amazing bikes like the Trek Checkout but we need even more of that stuff.
Yeah maybe if you ride american gravel you can get away with a riding bike and low profile tires.
But the roads that you see at events like Unbound would be considered roadcycling in good old Europe.
Paris-Roubaix has worse parts than Unbound.
So in Europe with its more gnarly, rooty and rocky roads we often need suspension to be comfortable if we want to ride into the forests.
The best bike is the one you are on with larger tires.
I prefer my Mtbikes over my gravel bike for off road.
Does his hands ever get badly numb ?
In my experiments, i have found my trek supercaliber with flight attendant is as fast or sometimes faster of their is rough terrain involved. Actually the first time i took it out in my weekly gravel ride it was faster in that 20 mile loop. Try it with peyote or thunderburt and will have no issue beating your time.
Its good for potholes.
Ah, the desperation of clickbait. Nowhere in the content do you ever make the claim that you will never ride a gravel bike again.
You should try the Trek Checkout or Checkmate if available in the UK. The route definitely looks more xc than gravel but that's my opinion. At the very least seatpost suspension might take the edge off.
DO OVER! in 3 months. 😀
Get in the gym with Ollie, do some core based yoga/pilates, prep the back.
The power's there, was your nutrition fine (seemed so)?
A bit of bum luck on technical issues can't be helped.
The robust sections of the route… excessive for rigid forks. Lauf Grit forks or Red Shift suspension stem probably aren't enough either. Would the 40mm travel of a RockShocks Rudy/Cane Creek Invert be enough or feeling the need for 80mm+ ?
Lauf Seigla…no problem.
A slightly "underinflated" 50/55 mm tire combo would work wonders on a trail like this. You might give up a couple of watts on the paved sections, but you'd gain far more once things get rougher (arguably even on the gravel itself).
I'd also try to keep as much weight off your hands and lower back as possible, and consider giving a suspension stem and/or seatpost a shot.
As for Vittoria's claims, I'd take them with a grain of salt. I've ridden the Terreno T50s before and, while they're definitely grippy, they aren't particularly fast rolling. That being said, I have no idea how much quicker this new recyclable compound really is.
Why, but why would you do this to yourself?!😂An XC hardtail would clearly be better suited.
if you had a dropper post you could've hit those descents way faster and not skipped any of them. In addition to the obvious benefit of lowering your weight it allows you to get into the drops for the steep descents where you have more control, hoods are terrible for chunky stuff. Tires are skinny too. 50mm + is the way. I bet if you made those two changes you'd get the FKT on this. Suspension is overrated.
Lightweight hardtail MTB slammed with -17 degree stem or more, 2.2 tires and clip-on bars next time.
I don't know the route well enough to know what sort of time can be gained/lost on the descent by riding and MTB rather than gravel. Perhaps a consideration is the energy conservation of riding an MTB downhill as you could relax much more than on a gravel bike. Aero will be better on gravel but you can move your hands next to the stem on the MTB. Overall I think you can do it but you always need favourable conditions for a FKT which you didn't have this time.
if it was a broken spoke( you didnt confirm it at the time ( 11:55 ish) wouldnt it be bets to check and remove any possible debris
just wait till your 60 !
and you`ll make sue the suns been out for a few days
Wait till you get into you 50's 😂
That is xc mtb territory! Well done for giving it a go on a gravel bike. But it was the wrong tool for the job.
An xc 120mm full sus carbon bike with remote lock out and some inboard stubby bar ends. Jobs a goodun 😉
My set up is just that and i have 2 carbon gravel bikes. But xc mtb's are so competent now, with a 36t chainring on, they are every bit as fast and on terrain like you were on, they are quicker hands down.
Third time's a charm with the right bike next time 👍😎