Rigs of the 2024 Tor Divide

There’s a vast range of riders and set-ups in the first edition of the Tor Divide, from ultralight riders ready to endure some discomfort for a fast finish, to folks planning to take their time and enjoy the entire weekend.

There’s no wrong (or right) way to enjoy the Tor Divide routes, just as there isn’t the perfect bike for the event…..or is it?!! We’ll let you be the judge of that, we just cannot wait to see the riders and their rigs at the event enjoying the route.

When the ride starts on the morning of the 18th of May, you will be able to follow along live via the FollowMyChallenge 2024 Tor Divide page.

Richard Gale

North Yorkshire

BIKE: I'll be riding the 250km route over two days. The bike is a custom Ti Smokestone Mr Harry with modified geometry Hope RX4+ brakes, Zipp Hi Top S carbon wheels with Vitoria Mezcal Trail tyres, SRAM AXS mix of XO1 Eagle & Force Shifters. Redshift Stem with Ritchey Beacon bars and Redshift Pro Seatpost with Brooks B15 saddle. An Exposure Toro light will take get me through dark hours if needed.

BAGS: Luggage will be Ortlieb bar bag and Tailfin Carbon Aeropack & Tailfin Top Tube bag for snacks. 

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Sleep system will be weather dependent but Exped UL mat and pillow with Marmot down sleeping bag. If the weather is looking uncertain I'll take a Terra Nova Photon 2 tent, if it's looking good it'll just be my sleeping bag or sleeping bag + Tyvek UL Bivvy.

Neil Phillips

North Yorkshire

BIKE: I'll be riding the 250km route over two days on a Cotic SolarisMax. The bike is a custom build with SRAM GX, Hope brakes, Roval Control wheels and a Specialized Power Mirror saddle. Need a comfy saddle for big days!

BAGS: I use Ortlieb QR Seatpack and Ortlieb Front roll. Solid dependable and never let me down. Frame pack, top tube bag and stem cells are Wizard Works. Great brand and bomb proof. Fork Packs are Apidura.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Sleep system will be Big Agnes Copper Spur Bikepacking Edition, Exped Halloumi mat and Enlighten Equipment quilt. For that little bit of luxury I have two pillows, Sea to Summit and an Alpkit Drift. 

Rup Hoyland

County Durham

BIKE: I'll be riding the 250km route over two days on a Ti Sonder Broken Road. The bike is a custom build with SRAM X01 Eagle Drivetrain, Zipp MOTO wheels with Vittoria Syerra tyres and a Rockshox Pike fork travel adjusted to 120mm. The front wheel has SON 28 hub dynamo and Exposure Revo / Redeye light setup.

BAGS: Bags are a tried and tested mix of Altura & Blackburn.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Sleep system will be weather dependent but most likely a Alpkit Soloist or Elan hooped bivvy, with a Rab Mythic 180 sleeping bag and Alpkit Numo mat.

Iain Robinson

Cumbria

BIKE: It’s a Fairlight cycles Secan 2.5 rolling on 40mm Pirelli Cinturato M tyres shod on @hopetech RDForty hoops. I’m running a mixture of Shimano GRX and Hope components for stopping (with a little help from Gorilla brakes with their Endurance Pro Ultimate pads) and starting.

BAGS: Bars, stem and saddle are curtesy of Ritcheylogic and the seat post is, once again, Hope. Bar tape is Ergon gravel offering for a bit of comfort. The bottle cages are from Kingcage and Bentley components supplied, not only the beautiful rear dropouts on the bike frame, but also the stem cap and the tools to mount an extra bottle on the downtube (with a little help from a couple of Voile straps). Bike luggage is a mixture of Alpkit and Tailfin cycling.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: I’ve got a variety of lights from Knog to light my way when the trails get dark. I seem to have packed a fair bit (I was hoping for the minimalist approach); I’ve got a sleeping bag, mat and bivvy bag, lots of SNACKS, the usual tangled mess of charging cables and a change of clothes for after the event.

George Lees

Derbyshire

BIKE: Santa Cruz Blur. Gx / xo1 / hope / intend. Keep Pedaling (MCR) built wheels, Maxxis tyres.

BAGS: Bags from Revelate and Restrap.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: drjon handlebar mounting system.

Si Bowns

Derbyshire

BIKE: Santa Cruz Stigmata

BAGS: Restrap half-frame bag and top tube pod, the aim is to light and stop for food/water top-ups.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Mam Tor seemed a fitting backdrop.

Mick Roman

Cambridgeshire

BIKE: I'll be riding my Canyon Grizl for some serious underbiking 'fun'. In the picture, the bike is running 45mm G-One Bites but these will be swapped out for some 47mm Michelin Power Gravel that measure 50mm on the Hunt wheels.

BAGS: Keeping kit minimal with a 5l saddle bag and 4l bar bag. I may add a 1.5l frame bag after a few test rides before the event. I will definitely be using a Uswe Outlander Pro for extra hydration capacity.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: In terms of gear highlights, it got to be the Albion clothing I'll be using for the event.

Nunziella Salluce (BikeChallenge)

Greater London

BIKE: Vitus VRS-1 Substance 2021 (alloy), 650b alloy WTB wheels with 47c Teravail Rutland front and WTB Venture 47c back. 

BAGS: Topeak saddle bag (7L), small Restrap frame bag and Wizard Works stem bag. Topeak handlebar bag (7L) and redshift suspension stem.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: E-thirteen 9-46 cassette and 40t oval chainring with SRAM Apex 1x groupset.

Alessandro Gordo (BikeChallenge)

Greater London

BIKE: Vitus SRS-1 Substance 2021 (steel), 650b Parcour Carbon wheels with 47c Teravail Rutland front and WTB Venture 47c back. 

BAGS: Restrap saddle bag (14L), large frame bag and top tube bag. Podsac handlebar bag (7L) and Redshift suspension stem and Ergon bar ends.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: E-thirteen 9-46 cassette and 40t oval chainring with SRAM Apex 1x groupset.

Paul Cant

Suffolk

BIKE: 2017 Mondraker Foxy XR, Hunt Trail Wide wheels with Maxxis Ardent Race 27.5 x 2.35 tyres. Suspension: Fox all round. Drivetrain: 2x Sram GX. Brakes & Pedals: Shimano XT. Cockpit: Garmin 830, Exposure Strada RS and Inner barends

BAGS: Handlebar bag with down jacket and 20000mAh battery. 850ml bottle for carb mix on the frame. Restrap Saddle pack will carry a bivvy, fleece liner and inflatable mattress. Riding pack will include: Gorewear Shakedry jacket & trousers, Merino hat, 2.5L bladder, Tools, Down Trousers 

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Snacks (LOTS)

Claire Escaron

Greater Manchester

BIKE: My ride for the route is the Cannondale Topstone 2. Being a rigid alloy frame with carbon fork, I’m relying on tubeless Schwalbe G-One Overland 45c with 76 Projects Hi-Flow valves for comfort and grip. Stock Shimano GRX 400 gives me 2x10 and stopping power with hydraulic disc brakes. Borrowing from mountain bikers, I’ve got DMR V12 pedals.

BAGS: Topeak BackLoader Seat Pack gives me 10L haulage, easily fitting my Salamanda Bivi Tent. Hanging off the seat tube, a velcro pouch holds Crank Bros Allen key set.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Three water bottles and Topeak Mountain Mortph bike pump populate the versatile mounts. Up top the Garmin840 Edge and light show me the way.

Jim Sutherland

Scottish Highlands

BIKE:  I'll be riding The Tor Divide 2024 on a Lapierre 529 hardtail, which is a bit of a 'Time Machine' as it has done a lot before I was given it!  Running a SRAM 11 speed GX with oval 32t x 11-51 cassette and Deore brakes.  New tires are Vittoria Agarro upfront and Barzo at the back both on 29'' rims.  Alpkit Confucius bars with wee stubby aeros for hiding from any wind & rain!  Ergon saddle and grips.

BAGS: Tailfin alloy Aeropack doing most of the work on this ride to accommodate my stove & gas, food, sleep clothes and some spare kit.  A simple Revelate Mag-Tank for snacks, Tailfin 1.7L Cage Pack for my waterproofs mounted on a drj0n StrapDeck.  My SixMoonDesigns Lunar Solo shelter, Alpkit quilt & pillow and Forclaz sleeping mat are all
in a SixMoonDesigns dry bag mounted to another drj0n StrapDeck with a G-Funk.
Finally strapped to the arch of my Aeropack I have a small, foldable pannier bag that I made myself this winter out of Cordura from RipStopOnTheRoll and spare liner material from SixMoonDesigns.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Hopefully enough of the right base layers from Vinted so that I do not get cold overnight...
But the real gear highlight for me will be waking up to a glorious Peak District view on day 2 and preparing my LOAM coffee for breakfast!

Remi Kotoni

Essex

BIKE: I had a dilemma (still have) between my steel gravel bike and my XC full sus. Ultimately I decided to go with my Curve GMX+. Bike is finished with AXS drivetrain & dropper post.

BAGS: A full Tailfin set including Tailfin Aero rack, frame bag and top tube bag. X-wide Skingrowsback bar bag.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: super-handy Fidlock water bottles.

Andy Lindley

Cheshire

BIKE: KTM Scarp Sonic, Fox 100mm suspension front and rear, SRAM Eagle AXS groupset 34t chainring & 10-50t cassette. Tyres are Schwalbe Racing Ray(f) and Racing Ralph(r) combo 29x2.25”.

BAGS: Currently testing a large Tailfin top tube bag, to be replaced with a smaller pack on the day.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Jersey with 7pockets to stash the rest of my gear, including a GORE shake dry jacket and arm warmers. Exposure MAXX D light.

Matthew Eastwood

Derbyshire

BIKE: A reliable Ribble CGR frame, Hunt wheels and Schwalbe G-One Allround 40mm tyres.

BAGS: Restrap frame bag and Alpkit bar bag.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: 2x is not dead!

Matthew Scholes

Hampshire

BIKE: Sonder Broken Road with GX Eagle group set. Hunt wheelset shod with 29 x 2.6" Vittoria Mezcals. Ergon for the hands and the arse.

BAGS: Tubus Vega rack with 13l Ortlieb dry bag. Relevate top tube bag. Relevate and Apidura feed bags. Alpkit dry bag strapped to the handlebars containing an Alpkit soloist tent.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: I'm planning on giving the HT550 route a go, hence the reason for dragging all of this stuff round the event and using it to test the gear for the trip.

Kris Chrachol

Staffordshire

BIKE: This is my final(ish) setup for the event. Ragley Trig steel frame drop bar adventure bike. Groupset is a Shimano GRX 11/42 x 38t Wolftooth oval chainring. 650b wheelset with 45c Pirelli Cinturato tyres.

BAGS: Restrap Race top tube bag L, Restrap Race frame bag L, Topeak Koala Backloader 10L saddlebag.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Photo taken in Wales, Ogwen Snack Bar, Llyn Ogwen

Carl Hopps

Yorkshire

BIKE: Fairlight Holt, SID 110mm forks, Shimano XT groupset, Sonder Confucius Handlebar, Hope Fortus 26 Pro5s wheels, Vittoria Mezcal 2.35 29" tyres. Brooks Cambium C15 saddle.

BAGS: Restrap Race 7L Saddle (Albion insulated Jacket, Albion merino top, spare socks), Restrap Race Top Tube (pump, multi tool, tubeless plugs, sweets), Restrap x2 Race Stem Bags (Snacks, Hydration Tablets, Quick links, Power bank, Cables) and Canister bag (emergency bivvy, a few more snacks).

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Lights are Exposure Toro, Trace, Blaze and Ledlenser MH10 head torch. I'm wearing Albion Zoa waterproof jacket, Albion pocket bibs, Decathlon Merino top, Albion mesh base layer, Waterproof socks and Specialized Recon 2 shoes.

Daniel Gauld

Greater Manchester

BIKE: On One Whippet carbon hardtail, Sram GX, Charge Spoon, Odi grips, XTR pedals, Schwalbe Racing Ralph and Racing Ray, Lezyne Micro Drive Pro 100+.

BAGS: Ortlieb Seat Pack QR 13L, Tailfin 1.5L & 2.7L, Camelbak Mule for Hydration.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Hunka Bivvy, Pipedream 400, Forclaz MT500 3/4 mat Endura BaaBaa socks.

Larry Day

Lake District

BIKE: I will be riding a Salsa Rangefinder.

BAGS: Roswheel saddle bag, Salsa canister, Aguille top bag, and Decathlon handlebar sling with dry bag and mat on top.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Super budget ex hire bike, and cobbled together kit BRING IT!

Mike Jacklin

Greater Manchester

BIKE: Trek Checkpoint ALR. GRX, Force, Dura-Ace, XTR, XT, Absolute Black mish mash. Bontrager Pro 3V Wheels, Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M 45's, Bontrager RSL stem and seatpost, Zipp handlebar.

BAGS: Roswheel frame and saddle bag. Restrap top tube bag.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Rockshox Rudy Ultimate 40mm fork and Garmin 540 Solar.

David Arnfield

Derbyshire

BIKE: I’m going down the gravel bike route with my trusty Stayer Groadinger. 650b Roval Rapide CLX wheels, 47mm Pirelli Cinturato tubeless tyres, SRAM Rival AXS group set, 1x with a 46t chainring, 10-44 cassette. Also have the SRAM wireless dropper post with 50mm travel for extra clearance on the descents.

BAGS: Currently without bags apart from the Jack the Rack front rack. I will most likely run a Tailfin Aeropack in the back and a top tube bag for ample storage options.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Win wing mudguard at the back and Cateye front/rear lights make up the setup for my ride. Also double bottle cages for ample water storage.

Tim Roberts

West Midlands

BIKE: Trek Super Caliber 2023.

BAGS: Bit of a mixture, seatbag is a Decathlon one, super stable and a valve on the dry bag with is superb. Custom framebag, front roll harness, top tube bag and feedback from Spoked in Portland. Alpkit drybags as well.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Brookes B17 saddle and a Hope carbon seatpost for a comfy bum. Hope brakes make stopping a lot easier too. Vittoria Mezcal tyres, changed to 2.1 from 2.25 for this weekend, see if I notice any difference apart from a bit of extra mud clearance.

Stephen Turner

Greater Manchester

BIKE: Olsen Tiger Ti, Pacenti Forza Carbon wheels with Schwalbe Racing Ralph tyres. Seatpost and stem: Thompson Elite. Fizik Argo saddle. Hope RX4 Shifters and SRAM Rival AXS (for when I run gears!).

BAGS: Tailfin aero pack and tailfin top tube

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Appleman Chainset (beltset?), Gates Carbon Drive beltring, belt and sprocket.

Gordon Green

Greater Manchester

BIKE: Titus Silkroad Titanium frame - very adaptable! Running Velocity 29ers with Hope Pro4 rear and lovely American Classic front hub. Magura TS8 forks - a bit retro but very reliable and 140 travel. Shimanos new Cues Groupset - thought I’d give it a test and upto now has been amazing! Carbon Haven bars. ODI grips. Very light set up without the luggage!

BAGS: Topeak CubiCubi light system. Mixture of Madison bags and Podsacs.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Time carbon pedals - love ‘em - light and lots of float. ODI grips.

Iason Polymeros

Greater London

BIKE: Trek Checkpoint ALR5 2022, 650B Arkane Wheelworks wheels (a local wheel builder) with 47mm Teravail Rutland at Front and 47mm Teravail Cannonball at Rear with a Win Wing 2 Mudguard, GRX 810 front and rear derailleur with 46/30 Chainrings and 11-34 Cassette. Exposure TraceR at Rear, Giro Roc Loc 5 LED Light on Helmet and Bikil 2400 Lumen Front Light. Navigation: Hammerhead Karoo 2 and Garmin Forerunner 455 Solar.

BAGS: Alpkit Big Papa 17L, Apidura Expedition Full Frame Pack 7.5L, Restrap Toptube Bag 0.8L and Restrap Small Handlebar bag 14L.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Sleeping Setup: Alpkit Cloudbase Sleeping Mat, Alpkit Pipedream 400 Sleeping Bag, Exped Ultra Pillow, Alpkit Hunka XL Bivvy Bag. My Lucky items: ALL THE FOOD and my Greek Flag Stickers!

Tom Kelly

Derbyshire

BIKE: This is my Trek Procaliber 9.5 that I'll be riding for the long route. It's my daily driver for commuting in the peaks on a daily basis. Highlights include XT cranks with a 32t oval chainring, XT 12 speed cassette, Deore 12 speed mech and shifter and DT Swiss E1900 wheels. Depending on conditions in the week ahead I'll either run Bontrager XR2 team issue or Pirelli Scorpion XC tyres.

BAGS: The top tube and frame bags are from the Decathlon Riverside range and the handlebar bag is a custom modified Podsacs harness with a Rixen Kaul style handlebar clamp.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: I'll be carrying a Rab biv bag, down quilt and a Forclaz super light inflatable mat to sleep on, possibly along with a small tarp. The frame will be carrying my 1L water bottle, with an additional 500ml in my hydration vest and a Sawyer water filter.

Andrei Tereskin

Greater London (originally from Novocherkassk, Russia)

BIKE: I’ll be riding my titanium Sonder BrokenRoad. I have there SRAM GX Eagle (cable) with 30T chainring and 10-52t cassette from Garbaruk. Extra ergonomics for maximising hand positions on : Ergon SM MTB saddle and GS3 grips with flat tops and barends, Spirgrips handles and Ridefarr aero bolt-on.

BAGS: I have a mix and match of bags from different manufacturers: Tailfin in the back, Apidura race top tube bag, Ortlieb rolltop full frame bag, revelate feedbags. I have a harness with roll bag in the front on the photo but likely will manage without it for the ride, prefer lighter steering and cleaner look of the frontend without the bag.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Thermarest xlite pad with emergency bivy will be my sleep system, but not planning to use it. I’ll be riding through the night as the forecast seems perfect for that, my lights setup consists of Klite (wide beam / mtb version) powered by Son28 dynamo plus Fenix HM65R light for the helmet as a backup.k

Ben Connolly

West Midlands

BIKE: Titus El Chulo frame that I bought with my first paycheck for £55. Bargain due to an oversight of design meaning the largest chainring is 28t, ideal for climbing but I can max the bike out on the flat. Parts bin mix of deore, zee, xt, carbon fork

BAGS: Luggage is from Wildcat which just keeps working well. Sleep up front, layering out back, food in frame bag.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Highlight for me is the matching lime green tarp that I sewed myself, 185g and £50 for the materials. Building it up into a cosy den is a satisfying activity. I also love how the bike evolved and grows, uniquely mine and utilitarian.

Glen Mailer

South Yorkshire

BIKE: It’s a 2016 CaadX and by this point I think almost every component has been replaced! It also does double-duty as my town bike, so I stick to flat pedals and have some 700c wheels to swap in. It has SKS mudguards - all year round! - JRA monitor 650b wheels with Terravail Rutland tyres which are newly added this year for the event, Juin Tech cable hydraulic disc brakes and a GRX 400 groupset: new this year after the Sora groupset disintegrated thanks to this year winter weather.

BAGS: Restrap long top tube bag, loads of room for food.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: sleep wise I’ve got a cheap mountain warehouse bivvy, a foil bivvy & an Alpkit Numo camping mat, which when combined with wearing my jackets is just about enough to keep warm and comfy without having had to spend or carry loads

Matt Slack

Greater Manchester

BIKE: 2022 Cotic Cascade, Fox 32 SC 100mm fork, 11 speed XTR drivetrain 30T x 46 mezcal / barzo tyre combinations. Jones bars rather than drop bars for comfort.

BAGS: Mixture of Alpkit seat pack, Cotic framebag and apidura bar bags. And a decathlon chalk pouch as a feed bag.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Most of the kit came direct from my mountain bike, so it's quite burly: XM421 rims, 4 pot brakes and flat pedals. I've only ever "credit card" packed before , so should be an interesting experience

Matt Clark

Gloucestershire

BIKE: J.Laverack GRiT, SRAM Force x1 12spd. Running Hunt Gravel 650b wheels with Schwalbe Ultrabites.

BAGS: Bike will be loaded with a mixture of Tailfin, Ortleib, Restrap and Alpkit bags!

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: All kitted out in GRVL gear!

Alan Shaw

Lincolnshire

BIKE: Giant Stance 1 29er due to receive a few more tweaks and a change of tyres after a shakedown ride.

BAGS: Aeroe bikepacking system.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: -

Stephen Niblett

Norfolk County

BIKE: Specialized CRUX with GRX Hopefully we will be able to take the Win-wing off on Saturday morning, running 45mm WTB rubber with Peatys sealant

BAGS: A mixture of bags from Restrap, Skingrowsback and Blackburn sideloading bottle cages from Specialized.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Lighting taken care of by Exposure and navigation courtesy of Hammerhead Karoo2. Nutrition as always Styrkr