Under-biked, over-biked, bimbling free …

[Hyppy]

… I did some Strava sections quicker …

I've mates who call this kind of analytics 'matheletics' and so extrapolating the rest of your post I think you can probably lay claim to having been a round the world record holder based on those numbers. Congratulations!

[whitestone]

… I did some Strava sections quicker …

I've mates who call this kind of analytics 'matheletics' and so extrapolating the rest of your post I think you can probably lay claim to having been a round the world record holder based on those numbers. Congratulations!

Damn! That was going to be next year's target, looks like I don't have to do it now

[Dyffers]

Often when I consider what I want from riding one of the big multi-day events, top of the list is 'finish'. Fast pace for three days then DNF would be an unacceptable outcome.

If it was my first time round the HT550 I would be tempted to sacrifice enjoying the downhills for robustness of a (probably steel not carbon for when I crash it ) rigid bike with robust XC tyres.

The second attempt I'd drop a load of just-in-case items once I knew the course, take some suspension and give myself a time target.

YMMV as they say.

[Hyppy]

Often when I consider what I want from riding one of the big multi-day events, top of the list is 'finish'. Fast pace for three days then DNF would be an unacceptable outcome.

If it was my first time round the HT550 I would be tempted to sacrifice enjoying the downhills for robustness of a (probably steel not carbon for when I crash it ) rigid bike with robust XC tyres.

The second attempt I'd drop a load of just-in-case items once I knew the course, take some suspension and give myself a time target.

YMMV as they say.

Oh aye: I'm very much in the completing rather than competing camp at most every 'race' I ride.

[fatbikephil]

On a related note, I recall chatting with Fraser McBeath after his 2017 attempt on a gravel bike. His thinking was that, given the amount of doubletrack and road on the route, this would work well. He did get to Suileg Bothy on the Sunday night before food poisoning put him out, which proved his point, but he said it wasn't very enjoyable....

Having fun on the route (or any route) is key to getting round a big ride in tact. Hence why I struggled so much on the 2023 BB300....

[Alpinum]

[...]Having fun on the route (or any route) is key to getting round a big ride in tact.[...]

Exactly. Right mindset will make a much bigger difference then what bike or tyre etc.

[Hyppy]

By way of an update: A week of riding dry, hard, bumpy trails again and I've switched out the rigid forks to some SIDs.