Bikes of Mountains of the Merfynion 2023

Robert Poll

Name: Robert Poll

Age: 57

Cap number: 73

Location: London

Bike: My Factor LS (N=1) bike. Ultegra 12sp Di2 with a GRX800 48-31T Chainset (I know, but it seems to work!) to give me a 31-34 lowest gear. Parcours Alta wheels and Conti TerraSpeed 40c tyres. Zipp road bars and a Selle Italia SLR Boost Superflow saddle.

Key items of kit: Sleep system is OR Helium Bivy, Therm-a-Rest Hyperion bag and Neo Air mat. Probably more sleeping bag than I need. Bags are Ortlieb bar bag, Relevate seat pack and Apidura frame bag. Tools and emergency kit in Condor bottles and an Apidura Hydration pack. Modified Lezyne 1300XXL (50% longer burn time) front light and Exposure Joystick helmet light. Exposure Boost-R rear. Snow Peak titanium spork (16g).

Graham Spiller

Name: Graham Spiller

Age: 43

Cap number: 72

Location: Bristol, United Kingdom

Bike: Focus Paralane, Shimano Ultegra. Hunt wheels with SON dynamo. Panaracer Gravel King SK 32c tyres. Splitting the difference between a road bike and a gravel bike, hopefully achieving a good balance of robustness for the rough stuff, and agility for the smooth bits.

Key items of kit: Restrap top tube bag full of snacks. Patagonia synthetic down hooded jacket; Sea to Summit sleeping bag, SOL bivvy bag, Gore waterproof jacket. Three water bottles for a two-and-a-bit-litre capacity. SON and Exposure lights. Ass Savers Fendor Bendor to keep some of the mud at bay.

Bryn Davies

Name: Bryn Davies

Age: 21

Cap number: 70

Location: Pontardawe, South Wales

Bike: I’ll be riding my Windover Bostal gravel bike, fitted with Edco wheels with a schwalbe G1 R on the front (40mm) and a Hutchinson Override (45mm) on the rear. I’m using Sram rival shifter and callipers coupled with an eagle drivetrain with the exception of the rival cranks. Finishing kit is Profile Design aero bars, Prologo scratch M5 saddle and shimano XT pedals.

Key items of kit: I will be using the Tailfin Aeropack coupled with with Tailfin top tube bag in the 1.5L size. In the Aeropack I’ll be running my Outdoor Reasearch helium bivvy (without the poles) and a sleeping bag liner. I’ll be riding in my favourite bibs, some Albion pocket bib shorts and will be using a Garmin 1030 for navigation. My top tube bag will contain all my spares such as plugs, hanger and tubes as well as food and a power bank to keep everything charged.

Richard Hibbert (Dicky)

Name: Richard Hibbert (Dicky)

Age: 31

Cap number: 77

Location: Llangynidr

Bike: 2021 Trek Domane SL7

Key items of kit: Continental Terra speed 35mm F&R Garmin 1040 solar Anker power bank Mixture of Restrap and Ortlieb bags RAB Bivvy bag and Down jacket Exposure zenith 2 light

Thomas Webb

Name: Thomas Webb

Age: 45

Cap number: 78

Location: Sheffield, UK

Bike: Cotic Roadrat from an era before ‘gravel’ (marketed as a ‘life bike’!). Has been through many iterations, starting as a commuter with Shimano Alfine internal hub gears, via a winter training bike (to where it will return), and now for this event dyno lights and some knobbly tyres. It’s heavy (~12kg before kit, ~20kg with kit), but solid and I like the flat bar and old school (x-lite!) bar ends.

Key items of kit: Restrap saddle bag, Nemo Dragonfly tent, OMM Raid sleeping bag and jacket, Alpkit sleeping mat and frame bag, Apidura top tube bag and feed bags. Hunt wheels, Pirelli Cinturato tyres (40mm), SON Dyno with Supernova lights, mixed Shimano Ultegra / GRX 1x set up, Hope brakes, PDW front mudguard, SKS rear, Garmin 830 + battery pack and backup Edge Touring. A lot of Veloforte bars and many pairs of gloves.

Justyna Sieber

Name: Justyna Sieber

Age: 33

Cap number: 66

Location: London

Bike: Pearson - On and On

Key items of kit: Apidura handelbag, Apidura framebag, Apidura saddlebag.

Clare Walkeden

Name: Clare Walkeden

Age: 41

Cap number: 84

Location: Warwickshire

Bike: Reilly Spectre frame with Cairn Adventure fork. Groupset: Shimano Ultegra 11-32t (50/34). Wheels: Hunt SuperDura with Son Deluxe Dynamo front hub. Schwalbe G1AllRound tubeless (700 x 45 (front), 42 (rear).

Lights: Front @exposure.lights race MK12 and Diablo Helmet

Key items of kit: Sleep kit: Mountain Equipment Helium women’s specific sleeping bag, Alpkit Hunka Bivvy, Numo air mat and Rab siltarp.

Key Clothing: 7Mesh CoPilot Jacket Fizik Atlas shoes, Sealskins waterproof socks and SwiftWick merino socks Other: Katadyn BeFree Filter

Bags: @apidura 14L front roll, 4.5L Pocket Apidura Fuel Pod, Alpkit top tube and bilbie Ortlieb rear loader 11L (kit).

Lights: Front @exposure.lights race MK12 and Diablo Helmet

Tech: Garmin Edge 1030 and Edge 1000 as back up.

James Bradbury

Name: James Bradbury

Age: 44

Cap number: 75

Location: Chippenham, UK

Bike: Spa Elan 725 Steel. 40mm Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tubeless tyres - almost slick so mud will be type 2 fun. 1x11 Shimano "gravel" groupset. Mudguards because it's miserable to be sprayed with gunk for days on end. SON28 and Edelux II front light. Redshift suspension stem.

Home-made rear light bracket with reflector, SON dynamo light and post for CatEye flasher. This bracket took many iterations to get right, but is cheap, lightweight varnished pine and means the lights are never obscured by the wheel or luggage as they would be on seat stays. My aero bars have a custom GPS mount made from an old tablet tube and a Polaris map trap for route notes.

Key items of kit: Garmin eTrex 30, Exposure Joystick with helmet mount, LifeStraw, tiny backpack for the next few hours of food.

Oliver Glen

Name: Oliver Glen

Age: 19

Cap number: 68

Location: Durham UK

Bike: Ridley X Bow, SRAM Apex 10spd 49-34 36-11, Madspeed 7 Wheels, Specialised Pathfinder Pro tyres 42mm front 38mm rear, Forza finishing kit, Van Rysel aero bars

Key items of kit: Bags: Apidura Expedition seat pack, Alpkit Deluge frame bag, Topeak top tube bag, Attacus bar bag. Sleep kit: OR helium hopped bivy, Rab down sleeping bag, Exped Synmat 7 pad. Navigation: Wahoo elemnt bolt. Lights: Gloworm alpha g1.0, Exposure tracer rear light. Luxury item: spare bibs.