Inside the British Hill Climb Champion’s Bike: A 5.9kg Scott, 930g Wheels and a Carbon Chainring

Ed Laverack won his second British National Hill Climb Championship on Sunday, finally getting the better of long-time rival Andrew Feather on Porlock Toll Road.

The Welsh rider covered the 6.6km course, which averages 5.5%, in 14:32.1, beating the four-time national champion by just 1.2 seconds. Junior men’s winner Ezra Bateman posted a faster time, but Laverack’s ride ended a seven-year wait for his second national title.

The result followed thorough preparation and three wins from four open hill climbs. The longer course also suited his ability to sustain a steady power output. His bike was a carefully lightened Scott Addict RC Ultimate weighing just 5.9kg.

Photographer Mark James captured the details of Laverack’s bike as he celebrated at the finish.

Frameset

Scott describes the Addict RC Ultimate as its lightest production road frame. The claimed weight is 640g for a size medium frame and 270g for the fork.

Built using the brand’s top-tier HMX-SL carbon, it is among the lightest production framesets available. Laverack’s bike has a chrome finish.

Wheels

The Brink Velix-Evo 2.0 wheels are one of the standout parts of this build.

Last year, Harry MacFarlane won the national title on a 770g set of Brink rim-brake tubular wheels. Laverack’s wheelset is reported to weigh around 865g—an impressive figure for 37mm-deep rims fitted with aero carbon spokes rather than the lightest available spokes.

Brink keeps the weight down with just 20 spokes per wheel and a monocoque rim construction using T1100 high-modulus carbon.

Laverack passed over a shallower, lighter 24mm option, suggesting he was balancing weight savings against aerodynamic drag. The wheelset costs around £2,340.

The hooked rims measure 23mm internally and 30mm externally. They are fitted with 700 × 28c Vittoria Corsa Pro Speed tubeless tyres, among the lowest-rolling-resistance race tyres available.

Drivetrain

Laverack uses a Gemini Rigel single chainring, a specialist component designed for exceptionally light hill-climb builds.

It combines a carbon body with teeth machined from 7075-T6 aluminium. At just 92g, it weighs roughly half as much as a SRAM Red aero chainring and costs around £113.

He runs a 42T version on SRAM Force cranks with a Quarq spindle-based power meter, saving weight compared with a dual-sided setup. The chain is waxed for drivetrain efficiency.

Pedals

Laverack uses SPD-SL-compatible Rockbros pedals in place of the more common Shimano option.

The pedals weigh around 180g, with another 52g for the cleats. Together, they save approximately 70g over a Dura-Ace pedal-and-cleat combination.

Other Details

• Cassette: A SRAM Red AXS 10–26T, the narrowest range in the line-up. Its X-Dome construction is machined from a single block of steel, and it weighs 175g. With Laverack averaging 27km/h, there was little need for a larger sprocket.
• Front derailleur: Removing the front derailleur and its mounting hardware is said to save several hundred grams, with a small aerodynamic benefit too. The mechanic plugged the mounting holes to keep water out.
• Cockpit: Around 40mm of spacers raise the front end. Despite a headwind towards the finish, the position may have offered a useful compromise between aerodynamics and power delivery.
• Bar tape: There is none. The drops remain intact, though—sponsor Scott would not allow the more extreme approach of cutting them off.
• Lights: Front and rear lights are mandatory for the hill climb. Small lights are strapped to the tops of the integrated handlebar.