ground is sodden and it’s pouring with rain.
There is a limited choice of camp sites along the C2C route, which will dictate where and when you stop. It is vital to book ahead in the summer season. Wild camping is not permitted or possible.
Choosing your bike
The C2C route is almost evenly split between minor roads and traffic-free paths, tracks and cycleways. All the roads have well-maintained tarmac surfaces, suitable for full-on road-racing bikes. Surfaces on traffic-free sections may be tarmac, cinder, stones or even mud in wet weather. Some of the going is quite bumpy and rough, becoming extremely rough on some of the alternative off-road sections. The result is that the choice of bike involves a compromise.
Lightweight road racer These have lightweight frame, drop handlebars and skinny 23 or 25mm tyres. They are very fast on well-surfaced tarmac roads, but uncomfortable and bumpy on all but the smoothest traffic-free paths, with potential for punctures or the nightmare of a buckled front wheel. Many road racers have double chain rings, which require more physical effort to ride uphill than the triple chain rings fitted to most mountain, touring and hybrid bikes. The bikes are no good for carrying an overnight bag, and would have to be carried on rough tracks. If there is rain, expect to get very wet and messy without mudguards.
Mountain bike A lot of people appear to choose mountain bikes for the C2C, but maybe that’s simply because they only own a mountain bike. Nevertheless, these are a reasonably good choice, and perfect for riding on rougher surfaces – particularly super-rough tracks like the Old Coach Road out of Keswick, which will provide lots of fun on a full-suspension mountain bike. They are much slower than the road racer on smooth tarmac, due to greater weight and rolling resistance, with wide, knobbly tyres and smaller 26in wheels. For cyclists who choose to keep off the roughest tracks, it may be worth buying a set of smooth road tyres for a faster ride. A mountain bike should be easy to pedal uphill, with lots of gears, and easy to control downhill, thanks to a sit-back position with straight handlebars. It’s advisable to fit a mudguard over the front and rear wheels. Fitting a pannier rack to a mountain bike can be tricky, reducing the amount of gear you can carry. A single-wheel mountain-bike trailer would solve that problem, but pulling one wouldn’t be much fun on the C2C.
Touring bike This is a classic style of bike for long-distance touring. It looks similar to a road-racing bike with drop handlebars, which help to vary your riding position, but is heavier and more durable, with slightly wider wheels and tougher tyres, full-length mudguards, pannier racks for luggage and a great gear range for easy pedalling uphill. These bikes are a good compromise choice for all surfaced roads and many traffic-free paths on the C2C, although it may be a bumpy ride without suspension. Tyres are much narrower than a mountain bike, so they will have to be pushed on rougher tracks, which could be tiresome with a heavily laden bike.
Audax bike These are a specialist cross-over between a touring bike and lightweight road racer, fitted with mudguards and lights, and slightly more heavy duty than a racer, with wider gear ratios. Audax bikes are used for long-distance cycling events over 100, 200, 400 or even 1200km. They are a good choice for those who want to complete a fast C2C and spend as much time as possible on roads.
City bike A sit-up bike designed for pedalling around town and watching where you go is not a great choice for the C2C, owing to the extremely undynamic riding position for tackling hills, but it is still capable of getting from coast to coast.
Hybrid This cross-over between a touring, city and mountain bike, with lots of different permutations, is probably the best compromise solution for the C2C.
Recommended features
Riding position that gives the option of sitting up to enjoy the view or dynamic riding up and down hills.
Medium width 700x35mm tyres, such as Schwalbe Marathon Plus, to combine easy rolling with excellent grip, durability and puncture resistance, plus reasonable handling on rougher tracks. Wider diameter tyres give a softer, more forgiving ride on paths and tracks.
Lightest possible frame and components, making it reasonably easy to push the bike and ride up hills.
Front suspension is useful to soak up the bumps on a hybrid or touring bike, but not if it adds a lot of weight. Functional, lightweight suspension comes at a premium price.
Very good brakes. Either V-brakes with wire cables or hydraulic disc brakes. The latter are most efficient, but can interfere with fitting racks and mudguards, as well as being considerably more difficult for DIY maintenance.
A wide range of derailleur gears, with triple chain rings at the front and eight or nine cogs at the back, will tackle any hill on the C2C with ease.
A good set of full mudguards is vital for riding through mud, puddles and rain. Make sure they are securely fitted, with good clearance, so that mud and crud do not clog up inside.
A strong, secure rack mounted over the rear wheel is extremely useful, so that gear can be carried in two panniers with space for a rack bag on the top. Front panniers allow even more gear to be carried, at the cost of making the bike more cumbersome to handle and very heavy to pedal or push uphill.
Horizontal, flat handlebars, which may be a little swept back, help provide a dynamic riding position. ‘Riser’ handlebars, with the ends lifting upwards, make it possible to sit up and enjoy the view. It’s just a matter of finding the right compromise for your kind of riding. Comfortable grips are important. If they feel hard, wear a pair of cycling gloves with padded palms, which also take the shock out of a bumpy ride. 90° bar ends can be useful for changing riding position.
Riding 225km (140 miles) makes it important to have a reasonably comfortable saddle. They range from squidgy gel saddles that promise to be soft on your backside to hard leather – the choice is yours. Remember that for maximum pedalling power and comfort the saddle must be at the correct height, with the down-stroke leg almost (but not totally) straight at the bottom of the circle.
To achieve maximum pedalling power, use clipless pedals. However, a pair of simple ‘bear trap’ pedals suits this kind of ride very well, enabling cyclists to wear trainers or sandals and still storm up those hills.
Fitting the bike with lights is sensible, even for cyclists riding the C2C in mid-summer. You may get delayed and still be riding as dusk falls or get caught by thick mist on the high hills. In either case, it is important to be visible on murky roads. Except for cyclists who expect to ride in the dark, flashing LEDs provide an ultra-bright, low cost, lightweight solution.
A handlebar-mounted cycle ‘computer’ is optional, since the C2C map provides a very effective ‘mile counter’. It’s useful to be able to record your mileage, and it may be interesting to log average or maximum speed, but a significant disadvantage of using a computer is that it’s easy to get transfixed by those little numbers clicking off the miles, when you should be enjoying the views.
A bike with back panniers and a front rack bag outside the Cyclists’ Barn, Greystoke (Stage 2)
Bike hire
What if you don’t have a suitable bike or are flying in from overseas? No problem – you can hire one. For instance, Haven Cycles provides a dedicated hire service from premises in Whitehaven within 500m of the start of the C2C. A choice of alloy hybrid or mountain bikes is available for adults or children, fitted with mudguards, rear racks and a basic toolkit. Prices (in 2013) are £40 for up to three days then £5 per day
