There will be some stretches of unsealed roads on the route. If you have a choice of bikes to bring, we recommend you bring a touring, hybrid or mountain bike with slick tyres. If you are planning to bring a road bike, you may wish to fit thicker tyres. Alternatively, you can
hire a mountain bike or tandem for some parts of the ride.
The NSW Big Ride is a road ride for everyone. However, to take advantage of the best routes through spectacular landscapes, there are three short stretches of unsealed road - one just outside Port Macquarie (1 km) and two through Coopernook State Forest (6km + 7 km). These unsealed sections include patches of loose gravel, with small and big stones (up to around 30mm diameter). These sections are definitely unsuitable for road bikes with narrow tyres. We recommend wider touring tyres for road bikes and hybrids, or slick tyres (minimum tread, as opposed to knobblies) for mountain bikes. Check out the tyre options at your local bike store.
Most of the NSW Big Ride uses sealed roads, but while much of these are in good condition with generous shoulders, there are narrow sections featuring multiple repair patches and potholes! You'll be riding across numerous wooden bridges too. These can feel pretty bumpy, so again wider tyres are best.
One of the NSW Big Ride event team -a veteran of several Big Rides-reckons she will bring her mountain bike with slicks. In all cases, you should choose the bike and tyres you feel confident about riding on various surfaces, and be able to quickly and safely pull off the road (onto dirt or gravel) if you need to. You might even consider
hiring one of the limited number of mountain bikes and tandems for some parts of the ride.
Equally important is the general state of repair of your bike. Is your bike as fit as you are? You want to be confident your bike is up to it when you climb the hills and descend the fantastic sweeping downhills along the route, so check those brakes and gears, as well as every other component. Get your bike serviced by a bike mechanic if you're not able to. And don't forget to pack a puncture repair kit, pump and spare tubes, as well as any special bits and pieces which may not necessarily be carried by the mechanical support crew.
A final word of advice about your choice of bike. Nine days in the saddle is a long time, so you need to be very comfortable with your bike. Once you've made your choice, and especially if you're purchasing a new one - or even a new component such as a saddle - give yourself plenty of time to train with it. Arriving on day one of the NSW Big Ride with a brand new bike out of the box, or a new saddle that looked good in the store, may not seem like such a great idea 40km, 100km or 400km down the track when your body starts to rebel against this unfamiliar machine. Your bike should be like a familiar friend, perfect company for a tour around the mid-north coast
