Forumite Members › General Topics › Other Stuff › 100 Mile Bike Rides!
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February 13, 2019 at 10:06 pm #30731
Anonymous
Forumite Points: 0So I’ve gone and done a stupid thing and signed up for a 100 mile bike ride in May, which I am clearly not ready for.
I know there are one or two cycle enthusiasts here and was wondering if I might get some advice.
My current bike is a 2014 Ridgeback Velocity Hybrid, which I’m led to believe is on the heavier side, but should be good enough. But I’ve read all sorts of other things. My tyres seem to be wide and I’d most likely need to change the wheels as well if I wanted to swap to thinner tyres for less rolling resistance. I’ve not been able to decipher what I do have though. On the wheel I have these numbers:
On the wheel itself I can see a big 240, then mach1.fr, ETRTO 622x19c
ERD 597
Alloy 6063T6
finally a 21/19c
On the tyre I have 28×1.6 and they are 42-622 Continentals. Not sure if any of these numbers mean anything.
The other thing I need to change is the saddle. I have some cheap cycle tights from Aldi which has helped cushion me a bit, but they aren’t completely getting rid of the lack of comfort even on my short commute. I’m going to be ordering some better cycle shorts from Wiggle (their DHB brand), but I think the saddle will need to change.
If it’s almost a “change the handle and mop head to improve your mop” style thing, I’m curious at what a more serious road bike might be that would be more suitable. My standard commute to and from work takes about 25 minutes (5 miles) on it, so I’m not wanting to spend over the top amounts.
Thanks for any help!
February 13, 2019 at 10:39 pm #30732Freakshow
A few years back I had some schwalbe tyres on my mountain bike I can’t remember the actual name of them but they are no longer in their current line up replaced and renamed I guess they were completely slick and kevlar lined they where full width tyres not thin ones and they were brilliant I could free wheel down a hill and overtake and leave my brother who was pedalling like the clappers no real rolling resistance at all. So you may not need smaller wheels. Just had a google they where called schwalbe kojaks also on their website it says bigger tyres reduce resistance. So you may not need smaller wheels I think the 28 x 1.6 is the tyre size. I’ll wait for the pro’s to correct me if I’m wrong.
have a look here assuming you doing nice and steady not Tour De France
https://www.schwalbe.com/en/rollwiderstand.html
Mark
February 14, 2019 at 10:07 am #30738Kojaks aren’t very puncture proof, so you might be changing inner tubes a lot! They’re still made for the Brompton, but most people will run Schwalbe Marathons for those as it’s a pain to take the wheel off.
28×1.6 is your wheel size (28) and the width of the tyre (1.6in) in old money – the 42-622 also describes the tyre size in the ERTO number. Here states that the tyre is 700x42C (which 28×1.6 is about 700mm x 41mm so it would make sense).
If you change to skinner tyres then the rolling resistance can decrease, but the ride comfort can decrease as well, as well as grip etc. I’ve become a fan of a thicker tyre. When I did road biking, I ran 28mm wide tyres in comparison to the “standard” 23mm as they were comfier to ride!
Saddles are personal, so I can only say be prepared to try a few!
Training wise, rather than a single long ride at the weekend, two shorter rides on the Saturday and Sunday can help as well – as you are tired on the second day and that replicates the longer ride in total.
Good luck!
"Everything looks interesting until you do it. Then you find it’s just another job" - Terry Pratchett
February 14, 2019 at 11:00 am #30741I run Schwalbe Big ben on my single speed, helps save the wheels over the terrible pot holes on the roads around here. Also handy for going up and down steps.
Your tyres should be fine. Make sure they are inflated correctly. I’d only consider changing the tyres if they very worn/cracked or really heavy. Rotational weight can make a huge difference. My fat bike came with some Kenda tyres, terrible things. I switched to some Schwalbe Jumbo Jim and saved 850g per tyre which made a big difference to how the bike felt. They also grip properly.
I have a Stratos 4ZA saddle on my single speed, for me it’s a perfect mix of size and comfort. As mentioned already saddles are very personal.
You have plenty of time to get ready so don’t worry about it. I’d be more concerned about the logistics of the ride, is it supported? Are there feed and water sites? If not where can you get supplies? Are you going to carry spare tubes or just hope for the best?
Sadly no cycling for me for over a year now. ?
February 14, 2019 at 9:58 pm #30775Forumite Points: 0Thank you all for the information. That does put me in less worry about my bike, I’ll take a look at getting some better tyres, as while they don’t look too bad, they have been on the bike for 5 years. I’ll look at some more road type ones. I think the worst road I will travel on is cobblestoned, so I’ll just have to take it easy over that bit.
Drehza, I’ll be cycling to and from work most days, so that will tire me out, I’m probably going to have to gym during the week and use an exercise bike, plus have a chance to cross train a little on rest days. Long rides on Saturday and Sunday are the plan though.
Thanks for the link on the saddle Planeman. I realise it’s very personal so I may go to a bike shop and try a few out to get an idea of the different styles. I will make sure to research what stops there are. I will carry two water bottles with me and some gels/cereal bars through the day, but would be good to plan out when and where I should be using my stuff or holding off due to an upcoming water stop. As to your tyres, are they not Mountain Bike ones? I can’t tell from the image provided whether they have deep or shallow grooves?
Just also ordered a few items of clothing from Wiggle to try and save my butt from too much punishment! Expensive hobby this cycling lark! 😛
February 14, 2019 at 10:21 pm #30776Forumite Points: 0Can’t seem to edit my previous post, or I’m being dumb and not spotting the button.
I was just looking at the Schwalbe website, and I don’t seem to find 42-622, 700x42C or anything like that. Has it been changed? Or is it toowide for Schwalbe to stock? I guess the other question would be, what tyres would my wheels support?
February 15, 2019 at 1:02 am #30781I’ll be cycling to and from work most days, so that will tire me out,
A few of my friends are cyclists and runners, and they tend to take the long way home e.g. instead of the five mile direct ride home, add a mile or two and slowly build it up once you’re comfortable with each distance 🙂
February 15, 2019 at 3:13 pm #30796The Big Ben tyres on my single speed are classed as mountain bike tyres but they are not wet, muddy weather ones. They are more like a slick tyre with tread cut into it. More suitable for hard packed, dry ground.
February 16, 2019 at 10:48 pm #30824Forumite Points: 0@Tippon, definitely something I will employ for my longer training rides. 2×25 mile runs is going to be easier to manage timewise than 1 5o miler.
I went to my local bike shop to get some advice about my current bike. He ended up showing me a lot of things, plus introduced me to the new bikes that were there. I’m now extremely tempted to use my cycle to work voucher on a shiny new one. Think I’ll do the 100 miles first and decide if I want to keep going or if I’m sick of cycling 😛
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