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Bikes of Headstock 500 2024

20 May, 2024

Nic Veloadventurescardiff

Age: 52

Cap number: 83

Location: Cardiff

Bike: 1996 Steel Arrow Pacer by Villager, Swiss Designs, reimagined, refurbished and rebuilt at Cardiff Cycle Workshop, a not for profit social enterprise, where I work. 85% of the components are refurbished, rebuilt or from donations to the workshop. I also built the wheel set myself too. 1x11 on an old Deore hub 11-46t rear, 36t upfront, CX cantilever brakes.

Key items of kit: Alpkit Elan bivey gives me added protection without the weight of a tent, coupled with an Endura thermal gilet, a super light weight Rab sleeping bag, and Exped sleep pad all help ensure a light load, and a good night kip.

Remi Kotoni

Age: 49

Cap number: 60

Location: Chelmsford

Bike: Curve GMX+ Steel, AXS GX drivetrain, AXS Dropper, 2.6” Vittoria Mezcal tyres, mega 56cm bars flared.

Key items of kit: Tailfin aerorack, Wizard Works frame and top tube bag, Fidlock bottles, Topeak Ninja CO2 downtube cage holding tool bottle.

Simon Barclay

Age: 36

Cap number: 4

Location: Oxfordshire

Bike: On One Huntsman

SRAM GX drivetrain, Stooge Moto Bar, Hope Components, EX511 rims with DHF DD tyres- hoping for less punctures.

Key items of kit: Aeroe spider rack Alpkit and Tailfin bags Sea to Summit sleep system 20k mah power bank Hydration bladder Water filter Galibier cycling clothes Waterproof socks and jacket

Tudor Gillham

Age: 32

Location: Cardiff, UK

Bike: 1991 Kona Lava Dome built up from the parts bin, set up singlespeed for the hell of it.

Key items of kit: A huge amount of faith that the bike will last 500km ...

Dan Ricketts

Age: 40

Location: Essex, UK

Bike: Sonder Frontier (Roçinandos)

Key items of kit: Rocinandos (the successor to my cheap as chips Orbea "Rocinante"). SRAM drivetrain, Rockshox Judy 100mm fork, Mezcal 2.1 rear and Maxxis Ardent 2.25 front. A plethora of bags from all over but mainly PlanetX. OnOne Geoff alt-bars for comfort with Ergon GP1 grips.

Sam Davidson

Age: 33

Cap number: 21

Location: Bristol, UK

Bike: Trek Procal

Key items of kit: Flat pedals, sandals and a tailfin of pork pies will see me through the worst of the Welsh hills and valleys.

Plush SID forks and home made feed bags ensure effortless pork pie consumption during the day.

Exposure lights and and SOL escape bivvy for pork pie consumption by night.

Ant Warland

Age: 34

Cap number: 107

Location: Cardiff, UK

Bike: Surly ECR

Key items of kit: Frame: Surly ECR (Large, 2017). Chromoly steel Fork: Surly ECR (29"). Chromoly steel Wheels: Hope Pro5 Fortus 35 rear, Shimano Deore Halo Vapour 50 front Tyres: 29x2.6" Vittoria Mezcals Groupset: Shimano XT M8000 Drivetrain: 2x11, 34/24T crankset, 11-42T cassette Surly Moloko handlebars Wizard Works Shazam saddle bag Ron's Large Fabio's Chest handlebar bag Fjallraven frame bag Topeak top tube bag Exposure Maxx-D front light Cane creek eeSilk+ suspension seat post

Gareth Newnes

Age: 44

Cap number: 75

Location: Cwmfelinfach

Bike: Planet X Titus Titanium

Key items of kit: Garmin 820, Alpkit riptide bag, Alpkit handlebar bag,

Steve Jackson

Age: 50

Cap number: 50

Location: West Sussex, UK

Bike: 2019 Epic Expert Hardtail

Key items of kit: Re strap bags/ Exposure lights with Silva head torch as back up/ Garmin 520 and Trust power bank for recharging

Chris Read

Age: 59

Cap number: 85

Location: Suffolk

Bike: The frame is a Salsa Fargo Ti with a Sram GX groupset, DT Swiss 511 rims on Hope Pro 4 hubs shod with Vittoria Mezcal 2.35 tyres, 100mm RockShox SID Ultimate forks, Redshift shockstop seatpost, Ergon saddle, Hope stem and loop handlebars. Stopping is taken care of by Hope Tech 3 V4 brakes squeezing 220mm discs front and rear

Key items of kit: Upfront my dry bag is kept in place with a Salsa EXP anything cradle and the rear is taken care of with a Tailfin alloy AeroPack with a Tailfin 5L Cargo Pack on one leg and a water bottle cage on the other. Hydration is carried in 3 900ml bidons and tools and repair kit in a canister in a fourth cage. The rest of my gear will be chosen nearer the time depending on the weather forecast and my mood, navigation by Wahoo and Garmin Etrex and lighting by Cateye and Silva. Now all I have to do is find some decent legs…..

Dwane Dixon

Age: 51

Location: Todmordem

Bike: Sonder

Key items of kit: My bike

Rob Merro

Age: 57

Cap number: 70

Location: Swindon

Bike: Cube C62 stereo 140 Dual suss MTB. XT 2x 11SPD, 36/26- 11/42

Key items of kit: Dry bag on bars consisting of tool kit and spare clothing. Frame bag with electronics/food/sundries. 2nd frame bag with first aid/hygiene-skin maintenance. Seat bag contains tarp, sleeping, bivvy bags & inflatable mat. Space for extra food. Hydration backpack with 2litres and 600ml bidon on frame.

Marc

Age: 41

Cap number: 43

Location: Northamptonshire

Bike: 2019 trek Roscoe

Key items of kit: Budget bike bag specials! Mostly rhino walk from Amazon!

Tobia Zantedeschi

Age: 32

Cap number: 115

Location: London

Bike: I will ride the Headstock 500 on my Chiru Divider assembled with Shimano SLX/XT groupset, 1x12 10-51cassette and 30T chainring, Vittoria Barzo 2.6 for confort and grip.

Key items of kit: I am using a custom made frame bag from Kicking Donkey, Restrap race top tube, Tallfin down tube pack, Decathlon Riverside saddle bag. Food will be stored on the bike while fluids in my North Face Summit run training 12L pack. My sleep system consists of a small tarp, Neoair Uberlite inflatable mattress, Seat to summit pillow and Cumulus Vencer 200 sleeping bag. Mountain Equipment, Albion and Spatz gear are my brand of choice to keep my body functioning in any condition. For the night shift Magichsine and Decathlon lights, with a 24.000 mAh powerbank.

Zane Khokhar

Age: 39

Cap number: 57

Location: Newport

Bike: One One Whippet carbon.

Sram GX running a Mavic Crossmax xls wheel on the front and WTB (Mavic not playing ball) on the rear shed in the classic Vittoria Barzo/Mezcal combo. Sonder Confucius bars with eBay grips and fabric scoop Ti saddle with carbon seatpost. One up alloy pedals no pictured.

Key items of kit: Will be using a mix of Wildcat/Lomo/tailfin bags (tailfin Down tube bag yet to be fitted) 2 x Moon lights, power bank and garmin 530 for nav. Alpkit pipedream 400 bag, Numo mat and Hunka Bivi (tent if looking wet) Some spare warm clothes, tools and lots of grub. Camelbak chute hydration vest

Martin Dunn

Age: 50

Cap number: 26

Location: Canterbury

Bike: Nukeproof Reactor - Tenuous aero gains and a 'more is more' approach to suspension travel. Should have no excuses on the descents.

Key items of kit: Big squishy bike on fast-rolling RaceKings (might change if very wet on the day). Redshift aero bars and SQ Labs inner bar ends covering the hand placement options. Cyclite bags for food and tools and a Tailfin downtube pack for everything else.

John Regan

Age: 55

Cap number: 88

Location: Pembrokeshire Wales UK

Bike: Specialized Chisel. SRAM sx 12 speed, 11-50t on the back, 32t on the front. Rockshock Judy fork. Victoria Barzo tubeless tyres, Brooks C17 saddle.

Key items of kit: Garmin 1030 with Garmin battery pack (navigation). Exposure Maxx D MK13 and Exposure Sirus - front lights, Exposure flare rear light. Exposure battery pack. Montane gecko hydration vest, OEX bivi with vango aotrom mattress. Bags - Restrap large top tube bag and Apidura expedition saddle pack.

Si Gittings

Age: 46

Cap number: 35

Location: Monmouthshire, Wales

Bike: Scott Scale 930 (2018) Vittoria Barzo 2.25 front / Gato 2.2 rear

Key items of kit: Restrap/Ortlieb/Alpkit/Decathlon bags; 1.5L Camelback hydration bladder; Lifestraw collapsible water filter; Garmin 530; Lezyne Deca Drive 1500i / Moon Nebula lights; Anker 20000 mAh power pack.

Andrew Bartley

Age: 45

Cap number: 5

Location: Cardiff

Bike: Cube Attention Slx 2024

Key items of kit: Aeroe spider rack with 8l dry bags Trail mountain frame bag Rockbros top tube bag and handlebar bag

Luke Robbins

Age: 42

Cap number: 91

Location: Guildfors

Bike: Trek mmarlin 8

Key items of kit: Water filter Stove Sleeping bag Tent Spares

Ben Cook

Age: 49

Cap number: 17

Location: Bristol

Bike: Santa Cruz Stigmata. CX/Gravel set up.

Key items of kit: Lots of food.

Gary Davies

Age: 47

Cap number: 23

Location: Cardiff

Bike: 2017 Scott Spark 930 FS with some modifications 1x12 Crank: Shimano XT 30T Drivetrain/Shifters: 10-52 SRAM with GX Shifter Shimano XT brakes Original Syncros/Formula Wheels Front tyre: Vittoria Mezcal TNT G+ 29 x 2.6 Rear tyre: Vittoria Mezcal XC-Trail 29 x 2.35 PlanetX On-One Geoff Handlebar Handlebar Grips: ESI XXL 8.25 Chunky Front mudguard: RRP Proguard Rear mudguard: Mudhugger

Key items of kit: Handlebar bag: Apidura Backcountry Handlebar Pack 9L 2 x Alpkit Stem Cell XL (3L) Saddle bag: Alpkit Koala 13l GPS: Garmin etrex 32x Lights: Exposure Joystick & MaxxD

Chamois cream: Gurney Goo

Olly Webb

Age: 27

Cap number: 108

Location: Reading

Bike: Specialized Chisel

Key items of kit: Racing Ray/Ralph tyres, 32x10/51 Slx gearing. Topeak saddle bag for sleeping bag, down jacket and first aid. Tailfin frame bag for food and electronics. 2 fork bags with tent, mat, stove, gas, dehydrated meals, spare layers and tools.

Billy Breckon

Age: 31

Cap number: 8

Location: Wellesbourne

Bike: On one big dog... butchered a nice trek carbon xc bike for parts to put on a steel frame. I know that's going to hurt some people but with mud and grit rubbing into the frame with bikepacking bags and throwing a 30kg rig over gates... Steel is my preference here 😁

Key items of kit: Bivvy bag, restrap race rear pack, frame pack (for all the food), aero bars (more for resting the arms where possible and for strapping stuff too)

Darren Orchard

Age: 45

Cap number: 77

Location: Dorset

Bike: Klein Adroit Race (1999)

Key items of kit: Fully rigid 90's MTB frame with Cannondale fatty rigid forks, Hunt x Mason 27.5 wheelset, Goodyear Connector Ultimate tyres, 1x drivetrain, M8000 chain set with 32t chainring and 4iiii pm, 10sp Shimano Deore shifter and rear mech, 11-42 cassette, Shimano Ultegra rear brake caliper, M200 front caliper, M200 brake leavers, Mix of Apidura Restrap and lifeline bike bags, Moon rear lights, Raveman pr900 front light. Nice bike to ride even though its structure is 25 years old - will it make it.....

Simon Miller

Age: 59

Cap number: 71

Bike: On One Whippet

Key items of kit: Too much!

Steve Haskew

Age: 39

Cap number: 42

Location: Cheshire, UK

Bike: Mostly stock Sonder Dial with a mix of SLX and XT, 30x10-51. Vittoria Mezcal 29x2.35” on Sonder Alpha XC wheels.

Key items of kit: Restrap bags and a Tailfin Aeropack to fit all the kit. Sleeping kit is an Alpkit Ordos 2 tent, Thermarest Neoair Xlite mat and Mountain Equipment Helium Solo bag. Exposure Maxx-D, Joystick and Boost-R for lighting.

Two key items of kit for this event that goes through the Welsh wilderness will be MSR Trailshot water filter to keep supplied in areas without shops and a Wacaco Nanopresso because without coffee I’m going nowhere fast!

Richard Hibbert

Age: 31

Cap number: 45

Location: Llangynidr

Bike: Specalized Epic Evo

Key items of kit: Restrap and Apidura cockpit and frame bags. Garmin head unit and lifeline Pavo front light. Shedloads of Hobnobs and mars bars to keep me going! I’ll be using a innovate hydration vest to keep everything close to hand.

Adam Robbins

Age: 44

Cap number: 90

Location: Essex

Bike: Stanton Sherpa

Key items of kit: Aeroe spider rear rack, Alpkit top tube bags Exposure lights

Adrian Davies

Age: 38

Cap number: 22

Location: Cardiff

Bike: Whyte Gisburn

Key items of kit: Alu frame GRX groupset + brakes Dropper post Schwable G One Ultrabite 50 (front tyre) Maxxis Rambler 45 (rear tyre) Big Agnes Fly Creek tent Restrap bags Garmin 540 edge