400k audax

[Redlight]

Ah what to pack, what to leave at home... The saddlebag has been packed and repacked several times this evening. The bag drop offer is very helpful if you're driving to the start but for those of us arriving by bike, everything still has to be carried. Jersey and shorts for the day with leggings, extra base layer and a winter top for the overnight stretch. Bulky but not too heavy to lug on the whole route.

 

[tatr]

I've ended up with:

Day
Jersey
Base layer
Merino base layer
Wind proof gilet
Bib shorts
Mitts
Shoes
Merino socks

Night/rain/cold
Leg warmers
Shoe covers
Down gilet
Waterproof jacket
Winter gloves
Merino buff

Navigation and lights
Garmin 820 + phone
Cateye 800 and 300 front light
Cateye 50 rear light
1 spare battery (fits all lights)
Head lamp (doubles as spare rear light in emergency)
10,000mAh battery pack and cables

Punctures
3x spare tubes
Repair kit (incl multi-tool, tyre levers, Di2 cable, missing link)
2x Co2 cartridges and also a pump

Food and luggage
Few harribo, couple of flapjacks, space to carry more
Half frame bag
Top tube bag
2x 750ml bottles (required new side entry bottle cages to fit!)

All-in weight is 12.8kg plus water.

I started packing thinking I'd have loads of space but of course it hasn't ended up like that at all

 

[DCLane]

@tatr for a 400 I'd have:

Day - wearing
Jersey
Base layer
Bib shorts
Mitts
Shoes
Socks
Toe covers for shoes

Night/rain/cold
Tights
Shower jacket
Arm warmers
Long gloves

Navigation and lights
Garmin 200 + power supply
2 x front 25 watt lights
2 x rear 1 watt lights
Head torch (must remember to get mine back!)
2 x AA and 2 x AAA spare batteries

Punctures
3x spare tubes
Repair kit (incl multi-tool, tyre levers, brake/gear cable, missing link, tie straps, duct tape, emergency spoke)
Pump

Food and luggage
Mini malt loaf, flap jacks, gels/bars
Rear clip-on bag
Top tube bag
2x 750ml bottles
creams, etc.
first aid things
Lock
A6 clipboard with my laminated route instructions on

All-in weight is ? 13-14kg I think but the bike's 10kg to start with

 

[jiberjaber]

I might have mentioned before I think, but Kingdom Of The East Saxons is a great first 400km ride around Essex with great TLC! An info thread has just opened on the other forum for them thats interested.

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=103145.new#new

 

[Redlight]

I'm travelling a tad lighter:

Day: Base layer, bib shorts, jersey, socks, shoes, mitts, cloth cap, glasses, wind jacket when needed, e.g. first thing

Night: Most of the above + thicker socks, winter gloves, water/wind proof tights, winter top, thermal cap

Small bar bag with money, train tickets, phone, battery boosters for phone and Garmin, ID, cafe lock, copy of route sheet just in case, toothbrush and paste

Crossbar bag with nuts, dried fruit and fig rolls for grazing on the move

Sadddlebag with all the clothing when not being worn and fresh kit for riding home on Monday, plus toiletries, some turkey and mayo rolls for emergencies, energy/malt loaf bars, head torch , 3 tubes and patches, basic tool kit

Lighting is hub dynamo plus two battery lights at rear.

No idea what it weighs but if it slows me down uphill it will contribute to my momentum downhill :-)

 

[smutchin]

@tatr for a 400 I'd have:

Good list. Not that much different to what I would take...

Navigation and lights

Garmin 200 + power supply
2 x front 25 watt lights
2 x rear 1 watt lights
Head torch (must remember to get mine back!)
2 x AA and 2 x AAA spare batteries

For me it's dynamo lights, front and rear, and a USB battery pack, which is kept topped up via the Igaro D1 charger. I know I should also carry back-up lights but I didn't on last week's 400 and regretted it slightly because I had some problems with my front light. Also forgot to pack my head torch but fortunately didn't need it.

Punctures
3x spare tubes
Repair kit (incl multi-tool, tyre levers, brake/gear cable, missing link, tie straps, duct tape, emergency spoke)
Pump

I only carry two tubes, plus a couple of CO2 canisters, but also instant patches and a pump as back-up. So far, this year, with 1,300km of audaxing under my belt, I've not needed any of them!

I don't carry spare cables or emergency spokes. Maybe I should. I do have a missing link in my emergency kit though.

Food and luggage

Mini malt loaf, flap jacks, gels/bars
Rear clip-on bag
Top tube bag
2x 750ml bottles

I tend not to carry much food, which I sometimes regret. Usually a few gels but they're for emergency use. Plus some jelly babies to snack on. I do always carry enough electrolyte tabs to see me round the duration of the ride though.

creams, etc.
first aid things
Lock

Three things I really ought to add to my kit. I bought some mini tubes of sun cream last year but I'm very bad at remembering to use it. Very useful on a 400 - even if it's not sunny, you're spending a long time outdoors exposed to UV light. I did have a small café lock which I used to carry on long rides but it broke last year and I haven't got round to replacing it yet. The need for such a thing was brought home to me on the LWL when two riders got their bikes pinched from outside one of the controls - a rare occurrence but it does happen!

A6 clipboard with my laminated route instructions on

It's years since I used a printed routesheet - I've been GPS only since 2014 - but I have a Klickfix handlebar mount for the purpose. I had to dig it out recently so I could test my routesheet for my own ride I'm organising in September. It was quite a weird experience.

 

[Redlight]

I might have mentioned before I think, but Kingdom Of The East Saxons is a great first 400km ride around Essex with great TLC!

Got that one marked as a 'possible'. The other possible option is heading north for the Pendle 600. Logistically, KOTES would be a lot easier, even if extended for a 600. A lot will depend on how this weekend goes!

 

[Dogtrousers]

I might have mentioned before I think, but Kingdom Of The East Saxons is a great first 400km ride around Essex with great TLC! An info thread has just opened on the other forum for them thats interested.

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=103145.new#new

If you're interested in GPX files there are none on the auk page (at the moment at least) but with a bit of sniffing around I found these from 2016 - which may obviously be a bit out of date, but worth a look at. And there's also this, which is again from 2016, so caveat.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Welsh mountain survival gear is undershirt, merino base layer, jersey, gilet, down gilet, waterproof jacket.

You will boil. Maybe jacket on for the downhill in the rain.
To the various lists above I'd add a 'under helmet' cap for first thing and overnight.

 

[jiberjaber]

If you're interested in GPX files there are none on the auk page (at the moment at least) but with a bit of sniffing around I found these from 2016 - which may obviously be a bit out of date, but worth a look at. And there's also this, which is again from 2016, so caveat.

Yep, 2016 was the first running of it, here's my ride report from it.

https://www.strava.com/activities/629703646

 

[Dogtrousers]

Yep, 2016 was the first running of it, here's my ride report from it.

https://www.strava.com/activities/629703646

Stop tempting me. It has everything I need. Flatness, manageable logistics ...

 

[Heltor Chasca]

This is a great thread. Lots of very valuable stuff.