The Ingredients

A high-powered E-MTB with a removable battery is an absolute must—I ended up using six batteries to complete this challenge. Fully tuned suspension is essential to balance performance with fatigue resistance over the very long day in the saddle. Powerful brakes are critical because, don't forget, you’re descending Everest as well as climbing it. Armoured tyres are also important - after all, nearly 70% of mountaineering accidents happen on the way down. A dialled-in saddle and cockpit setup is key since you’ll undeniably be spending a long time on the bike. Finally, include as many lightweight upgrades as you can justify while still adhering to the priorities above.

        The Suspension

        The stock Fox 38 fork was swapped for the skinnier and more forgiving Fox 36 Factory, and the suspension tuned for my weight and riding style with a heavy emphasis on endurance and fatigue reduction. We went with more sag than usual (35%), less ramp than usual (less volume spacers) and ran the compression settings towards maximum so, as the ride went on and fatigue set in, we had the ability to soften the suspension further on the dials alone rather than having to stop to make pressure changes. Its all about those precious minutes on the trail!

              The Wheels

              The front wheel was replaced with one of the lightest production wheels available, the Roval Control World Cup swiped straight from my cross-country race bike. This wheel has carbon fibre spokes and weighs in at 450g! We kept the existing Traverse SL rear wheel but modified it with a DT Swiss Ratchet DF pedal kickback device that would reduce the vibrations and bump inputs being transferred through my legs and ultimately keep them fresher for longer on the super tech descents.

                    The Cockpit

                    Getting the perfect riding position means a compromise between climbing and descending. I settled on a 90mm length stem and a 720mm width handlebar, which gave me a sustainable posture for the entirety of the challenge. The Roval Control one-piece carbon cockpit is also just quite cool.