Cycling UK Forum

Hi guys, I want to know if this idea is going to be possible. I'm 21 and of reasonable fitness (when i say fitness I mean i'm slim but my stamina is currently poor, however i intend to work on that) I like giving myself seemingly impossible tasks so I have decided that I want to cycle John o Groats to lands End but as I haven't got the money to shell out on a road bike I am planning to ride my trusty 2004 Specalized Rockhopper that I used to ride when I was a downhill biker. So u can imagine the parts are old and the wheels could do with being replaced as i have had them for the last 5 years (I recently spent 100 fitting panniers and having a proper service done on it so my gears are working fine, this was for a Glasgow to stornoway cycle, which had to get canceled at oban due to ferry troubles) not to mention the pain I was in from doing that cycle in a day with no prepartation before hand, (I was also cycling on MTB tyres). I have bought a set of Mitchellin country rock tyres now, which are more road friendly. The bike has front suspension forks which are slightly rusted but they are spring loaded so I have been informed that rust won't matter and obviously everyone knows what a hardtail is, (no back suspension and slightly downward sloping frame). The bike has been customized sumwhat from the time of purchase, such as disk brakes and different front and rear mechs and chain ring, handle bars, quite a bit really anyhow it seems to me that those who do this cycle do it on a road bike with minimal weight. my question is how much harder am I making my trip by using this bike, what preparation shall I take and how much will the trip cost. I'm expecting that due to my lack of preparation/training and the choice of bike, this would take me around 3 weeks to do - is that realistic? and will my bike survive. I also intend to use clipless pedals as I currently ride large flat welgo pedals suitable for downhilling. Any info would be greatly appreciated but please bear in mind I haven't a great amount of money so buying a road bike is not a solution, if there are ways to make my current bike easier and more reliable that info would be awesome. It's important to note I haven't ridden in a long time and my ability to carry out extensive bike repairs is minimal. Thanks. Duncan.

Not much harder. The no.1 thing you need is slick high-pressure tyres. I did LEJOG this summer on a hardtail Giant MTB with a higher shorter stem than supplied and bullhorn bars. It was great. I had Specialised Fatboy slicks (always use them) which you can pump to 100 psi. These are as fast as any road-bike tyre. MTB's have a very suitable gear-range for Lejog.

You shouldn't have any problems. I did it when I was 61 on a Carrera Fury Hardtail in 14 days and it was fine. I did have road tyres and a Brooks saddle. I was camping & was fairly heavily loaded so for peace of mind I changed the cassette (large cog 34 instaed of 32) and smallest chain ring was 22. It's not just the physical challenge, though. Not everyone is happy with the mental challenge and long hours in the saddle.

If you are comfortable on the bike and can up you fitness then there's no problems ahead for you. You will be one of many who have tackled LEJOG on an MTB.

Well thats made me feel happier, i was under the impression most people used road bikes, but if a lot are using MTB's then im happy, i reckon once i replace all the dodgy rusted parts the bike should hopefully be fine. Now all i gotta do is get into shape!.

Can i just ask, when people say that they are using a support vehicle, are they getting sumone following them the whole way? - it didnt even cross my mind that i could have someone follow me, isn't it more of a accomplishment without the car? N also whats a realistic budget to do it on, if i do go ahead with it i would do it for charity, i imagine people will be kinder to you if you let them know this? maybe even the train companies could give you a free ticket home as a donation?

When I cycled Lejog and then back to Yorkshire (21 days total) I spent £700 on the road (food -cooked my own most nights; pub most nights; campsites; occasional restuarant & cafe) + £31 (first class) train to Penzance. I could have done it a bit cheaper with out any major change.

One campsite waived the fee because I was collecting for charity. I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for the train companies to cough up

I met a few people doing it supported (eg one group rode lightweight road bikes and met up with vehicle for meal breaks and then at campsite). Not my cup of tea (though I did envy them when they passed me going up Helmsdale) but just another way of doing it. The most impressive I met was a guy on a fixed (camping and cooking) .

Jack wrote: I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for the train companies to cough up

Surely a pone call to head office to remind them of there charitable obligations would fix this

LenzieLad wrote:Can i just ask, when people say that they are using a support vehicle, are they getting sumone following them the whole way? - it didnt even cross my mind that i could have someone follow me, isn't it more of a accomplishment without the car? N also whats a realistic budget to do it on, if i do go ahead with it i would do it for charity, i imagine people will be kinder to you if you let them know this? maybe even the train companies could give you a free ticket home as a donation?

Doing LEJOG is not that unusual or that challenging for many organisations to consider sponsorship.

Budgets are determined by the quality/type of accommodation and number of days spent on the ride. £150 for ten days' camping and £150 for ten days' food might be a suitable starting point.

Getting to and from the start by train should cost less than £100 in total if booked far enough in advance but therein lies a problem - Wick or Thurso can be difficult to book as there is limited bike capacity on the trains.

We were staying in B&B's and budgeted for £50 per person per day, which was about right - normally around £30 for B&B, £10-12 for evening meal and £5-8 for snacks and meals during the day. You could probably do it a lot cheaper if camping and cooking your own food. We were unsupported and carried all our own kit. You should be Ok with 2 panniers, you may need to carry a bit more if camping.

We met loads of people doing the ride on MTB's, some with knobby tyres on. Most were taking 2-3 weeks.

Train cost £58 each from Nottingham to Wick and £75 (first class) each from Penzance back to Nottingham. The train coming back was 35 minutes late into Derby and we got a 50% refund from the train company.

did it in 9 days on my mtb. all i did was put some slick tyres on it and off we went. minimal training. we did have a support vehicle but i am confident that i could have carried my gear if id needed to. just wouldnt have taken much. we stayed in ibis/travel inns and B&B's for most of it and it didnt cost us that must. think it was about £300 inc food for the time we were on route. we did some serious price blagging though and got discounts everywhere we stayed. the travel inn (i think) in preston were the best. gave us 2 rooms for nowt including breakfast. all you got to do is ask. if they say no, youve lost nothing if they say yes, youre quids in. good luck.

Mountain bike eminently suitable because of comfort and gears. Make it easier on yourself by fitting slick road tyres, Shwalbe City Jet are cheap (normally around a tenner), pump up to 85 psi and have good puncture resistance. 60 -70 miles a day and you're there in about two weeks!

Enjoy