Neil Donoghue's Longest Day Kit Check

The summer solstice or the longest day of the year. In ancient times it was a sacred day of worship, but this year Neil went on his own pilgrimage along the South Downs Way. Here he talks you through his Canyon Exceed and all the kit he used to complete his epic ride.

The South Downs Way is a 100 mile trail in the south of England that connects the cities of Winchester and Eastbourne via rolling hills and downland. It features various technical singletrack, steep climbs and descents as well as lots of undulating fire roads.To tackle this beast of a ride he needed some serious kit.

Canyon Exceed full carbon fibre frameset
FSA carbon wheels.
Shimano Di2 XTR
Continental Cross Kings
Topeak Frame Bag
Topeak Saddle Pack
Topeak Multitool and Cages

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[gmbntech]

What kit do you always have for longer journeys?

[boralaser]

Me and my mate have done the SDW 3 years running. it's such an awesome ride, a real testing day on the bike and you really can't beat that sense of achievement doing a hundred mtb miles. Great video.

[neildaniel]

Did my SDW on a 120mm Trek Fuel Ex with 1x10 and my normal Osprey backpack and was fine on all the hills! The only dicey part was the run down the grassy hill towards QECP as there was still dew on the ground and I didn't dare touch the brakes until I was on the flat before the gate. I got up to 43mph and arrived at the gate with both feet out tripod style, both wheels locked up and giggling like a little schoogirl! The walker the other side of the gate just looked at me and asked if I was having fun.
The ride is so much more about the mental side rather than the physical equipment, keep going steady and you'll get a lot further than you think. I really need to do it again as I now know what to expect and reckon I can easily get my time down from 13.5 hrs to 12. More of this type of riding please!

[michaelb]

Thanks Neil, great video and well done on the epic ride!

[andyheilmann]

An e-bike for the camera crew probably sounds like the fairest use for one.

[NZWozza]

Thank for this Neil and crew. Coming over from NZ to ride Ratrace the Crossing, so this was right up my alley.

[parksie]

The biggest off road ride I've ever done was the London to Brighton off road. 75 miles in just under 8 hours on my Canyon Strive CF 9.0 Team. I nearly died.

[carlswanson]

yes, yes, more long ride videos. please.

[jamesnoble]

That bike is a beast! Love to see a video about kitting out your bike/self for a big XC day on different budgets.

[scottc]

I would love to see a video with Blake and neil going bike packing for a few days! Tell Blake to get involved

[brendavane]

Thanks for sharing the background to such a great ride. It looked great.

[charlesb]

I've been doing these kind of rides for 20years on and off, I think there great for metal well being and enjoyment .
I've been using a 2013 Giant xtc 29er and love it. Funny thing it's set up very similar to how you set you bike up!
Great video!

[samnelson]

Neil can we just take a moment to appreciate you bringing up the importance of good shorts and chamois cream, never spoken about and I feel its often hard to get the right information about despite how important it is on longer rides. I have a couple of very long MTB races coming up and really want to make sure I look after myself on these, what would you regard as good quality shorts or bibshorts and what to keep an eye on when buying them with marathon rides in mind?

[the_spanner_chmp]

I managed around 76 miles of the SDW but I started Eastbourne and rode west towards Winchester ( psychologically heading home) had to stop at QECP due to bottom bracket failure.
Still, managed to raise £1200 for Wessex Heartbeat.
I will be going back and trying again but on a different bike.
Loved it and the scenery was amazing.

[donsmor]

Hi Neil.
Really enjoyed your ' longest day challenge.' Rode S Downs from Eastbourne to Chichester & back in 1992. (Kona explosive) Met one person on a mountain bike. I'm sure a few more bikes now;)

[MilatovichFamily]

Nakamura Cliffrunner 20+ years old. Still ride it up to this day. 26er, grip shifters, 3x7, v brakes... Longest ride so far was 54 km in one dsy. But will change it for a trail or enduro bike. The idea of longer multi day ride is really great Idea NeiL! And DO tke Blake with you! It would be epic! Maybe do a longer, maybe 20 or 30 minute video of the trip. Have you tried a trail or enduro bike for such a trip? I think it would be interesting experience.

[paulbutler]

I've done the SDW100. Camelbak loaded with snacks and spares. My wife was support crew, meeting me every 20 to 25 miles for a pitstop and real food. I'll do it again with you guys at GMBN if you want a group ride. Failing that, join me for a multi day event in South Africa next year, Joberg2c.

[Quevallyn]

Planning to do the CX Sportive South Downs cyclocross ride next year so that’s been a big help with knowing what to expect. Then hoping to make it a two day epic and ride back to Bournemouth via the quiet back roads and seaside promenades. Watch it be typically British and chuck it down with rain 😉

[bryanhughes]

Biggest ride was 245kms off road in one day, which I did 3 years in a row, all around 12-13 hours. Have also done 2 100 Milers, with last one being done almost an hour faster than the previous one, in over 8 hours. I find I enjoy the challenge of the long distance events.
245km Race was the TransKaroo and the 100 Miler is the Cederberg100Miler.

[Road]

Midsummer sunrise, great time to be out on a MTB.