Anybody done the Off Road Assault on Mount Mitchell? I’ve been wanting to do this race next year maybe. Been training on my 140mm trail bike. What would be the ideal bike for this race? It seems like I’ve seen mostly XC bikes because it is a lot of climbing; but the downhill sections (Kitsuma and Heartbreak) are pretty chunky, would like a “Downcountry” bike work well? I’m looking to buy a new race bike. Thanks

Depends a lot on your goals and skills. If you want to be at the front end of the pack and have the skills to descend quickly, you’ll probably want to go with a light xc bike. If you just want to get through the day a longer travel bike will make the descents more enjoyable (and likely faster) though the climbs will be a slog.

Pretty much what he said^^^^

If race results are your exclusive goal, XC bikes pretty much always rule. Most races where the ups and downs both count are won (or lost) on the climbs and the flats.

I count “Downcountry” bikes as XC bikes in this regard. Just go with a more XC build for stuff like wheels and tires.

OTOH, if you just want to finish, not embarrass yourself and really enjoy the downhills… a 140 trail bike is fine IMO.

https://spotbikes.com/collections/bi...40982834872354

Holy wow, that looks amazing if you can do it

I figure fitness is probably a much bigger deal than the ideal bike. Maybe the new bike you need is a road bike to train on