Amateur MTB Marathon: What bike?

This challenge, hopefully the first of many, was all about putting an amateur through an event with the best help available but also with the best kit available. We've had some very kind offers from various distributors and suppliers, and I'm going to go through the pro level kit I'll be using as well as paying thanks to those that have kindly supplied it, starting with the bikes.

It's key to point out that the best thing about these marathon events is that they're ridden by riders of all levels on kit of all levels. They're truly becoming festivals of mountain biking and a celebration of our sport. The best thing about them is the accessibility, the personal challenge and the fact that you can literally "run what ya brung". That said, we wanted to examine the amateur and remove any excuses such as poor kit or advice in this series.

There's a lot of debate around what makes the ultimate marathon bike and to complicate matters, riders in the top 10 at Mountain Mayhem were riding carbon full suss bikes, carbon hardtails, rigid titanium bikes and everything in between. The only thing they had in common was the incredibly fast and resilient riders on them, and that the bikes were all pretty damned light.

In reality it comes down to rider preference and from my long training rides on a variety of bikes, I knew that a light-weight full suspension bike was going to suit me the most. My body is going to find the shock of anything past 12 hours a huge challenge so I needed comfort above anything else. Light-weight is good, but it wouldn't pay to literally grab the lightest thing I could get my hands on because it needs to be easy to ride, especially when it's the early hours of the morning and I'm simply trying to keep the bike on the trail.

After much deliberation and a last minute cancellation due to unavailability, I've settled on the Whyte E-120. We reviewed it back over the winter and I knew it was a good bike but we never had it on dry trails so arguably it never had a chance to truly shine. Finally getting it out ride after ride on bone dry trails it really has proven itself to be such a fantastic ride. I think it's about as perfect a race bike as I could hope to run, it's light enough but it rides and feels lighter than it actually is, and its handling is impeccable; the mid-travel configuration should look after me late into the night and it's about as comfortable as mountain bikes get.

Whyte have handed me the best selling XT model, which as the name suggests, gives you XT everything bar the brakes which are Avid's eye-wateringly powerful Elixirs. Finishing kit is Easton/Thomson mix and all of this comes in at around a pretty competitive £2999 (just look at some equivalent frame only prices from other brands). I've removed the Mountain King tyres for a Kenda Small Block 8 on the rear and a Maxxis High Roller on the front, both in 2.1 size. I've substituted the XT wheels out which are a little burly for my needs so the E-120 is now sporting some rather pimp Crank Brothers Cobalts which just happen to be in for review at the moment. These changes alone have shaved a pound off the stock bike's weight.

Finally, I added my trusty 2.5 year old SDG Bel Air saddle. It's by far not the lightest of saddles but it seems to make the most alien of bikes feel familiar the second I put it on and that's got to be worth something. Probably the most significant tweak I made to the bike in all honesty!

Whyte E-120

Gary's modified Whyte E-120 XT

Whyte were also scheduled to drop us a 19 C for review and they've kindly arranged to ship it early to be a back up bike for the race as well. It's worth considering a backup bike if you can sort one. If a race is muddy it's highly unlikely that anything short of a rigid singlespeed is going to last 24 hours without a single mechanical but even in a dry race you can't rule out a component failure or even crash damage. A dead bike can end your race but it doesn't need to.

The 19 C is Whytes Carbon racing hardtail. A couple of practice rides has proven it to be light and very fast. A superlight carbon hardtail is a popular choice, it's even lighter for starters and on smooth courses is going to offer arguably better power delivery and pedalling efficiency. But 24-hours is a long time and if the course isn't all that smooth, say like our local event the Bristol Bike Fest, it can be quite punishing on a hardtail.

Whyte 19 C

Whyte 19C

Shortly we'll be taking a look at the rest of my race day kit including jerseys shorts and socks from Twin Six; helmet and gloves by Giro; Lights by Light and Motion; and Hydration packs by Dakine.

Gary Lake - Executive Editor

Gary Lake has been mountain biking for over 15 years now and has had a passion for everything cycle related ever since. He is a CTC-qualified trail leader and wannabe endurance racer.

Gary has always been looking for a way to give something back to the sport. With a successful career in digital media and internet marketing, and with over 10 years' experience in the industry, it was somewhat inevitable that Gary would put these skills to use in something cycle-related.

After a year in the planning and making, in February 2010 Cyclist No.1 was born.