Anyone got some light wheels I could hire for a day?

[DiddlyDodds]

Based on you going up and down the same hill why would you be carrying water and food up with you , just leave it at the bottom of the hill, as its going to take somewhere between 10 and 20 hours you will have to have a feed station at the bottom or top anyway
To save weight get a unicycle like Ed

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD6JRZzt-vk

 

[dodgy]

I can't think of anything more dull than an 'everesting' but glad that cycling is diverse enough to support it! I'd rather do a long ride and see things.

 

[craigwend]

Many years ago I worked in the bathroom industry making fibreglass moulds for various cast resin products...

Anyways a new chap came to work with us 'T' , who for a change actually had experience working with fibreglass,this having had his own business making bespoke fibreglass fairings for amature motorcycle racing

I suspect one of the downfalls for his business was when a 'rotund' customer asked if he could make the latest fairings as light as possible / shave off X grams etc, and T suggested to the customer that he might be better off just going on a diet ...

 

[jay clock]

Didn't two guys take a Boris bike to France and ride it up Mont Ventoux all in 24 hours?

I think it was 25 hours as they cannily did it when the clocks went back

 

[Marchaugh]

I suspect you’ll still ride better/faster with light wheels, even if it’s only because of the psychological effect. I don’t have discs so can’t help but good luck in finding some. Have you tried bike shops in the area. They may welcome the publicity.

Only bike shop near me sells low end bikes so they can't really help.
Did a test run today and the descent is faster than I thought. Didn't pedal at all and hit 49mph and averaged 46mph. The aero wheels probably help a lot with that so might not stress too much trying to get some lighter ones.

 

[Marchaugh]

You only need the front brake really even returning back down each time... and the lowest gear so the smallest single chain ring on the front so no front mech or front mech cable +no left hand brakecable or rear disc and so then you don't need the left hand brake/shifter lever at all... that must save quite a lot!

I am going to remove my front mech and big ring, but it's Di2 so I don't fancy taking out the internally routed cable just for a couple of grams.
I did think about just having one brake but I needed both brakes to stop quickly for the turn around at the bottom as I'm going about 40mph.

 

[Marchaugh]

What tyres are you riding and what pressures?
One of my old clubmates told me before my first hill climb (and last), that the front tyre should be as hard as you dare, so that it doesn't absorb any energy. The rear can be a little softer to give more grip.

Might be nonsense, but something to try if you have the time to practice.

Interesting, I'm riding S-Works turbo cotton tyres at 79psi rear and 76psi front which I calculated using the Silca pro tyre pressure calculator (pretty useful https://info.silca.cc/silca-professional-pressure-calculator)
However I have got to go down the hills so I probably want a fair amount of grip at the front as well.

 

[Marchaugh]

Yup, well 3.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUWCeAzkc2Q

Epic video, Cameron Jeffers did the same thing but up the Alpe d'huez

 

[Marchaugh]

Based on you going up and down the same hill why would you be carrying water and food up with you , just leave it at the bottom of the hill, as its going to take somewhere between 10 and 20 hours you will have to have a feed station at the bottom or top anyway
To save weight get a unicycle like Ed

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD6JRZzt-vk

Yes I could do that, I was planning to stop every hour (at my car at the top) and just take one gel, 550ml bottle and one bar for the hour. But I could just leave the stuff at top and have a swig every other rep or so. However the time spent stopping to have a drink may undo the benefits of the weight saved of not carrying it with me 🤷🏼‍♀️ Complex stuff
Actually I can ride a unicycle and own 2, however you can't freewheel on them so the descent would take just as long as the ascent.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

You are trying to artificially reduce the time. Just ride the bike as is and see how you get on. Remember, no one else cares if it’s less than 10 hours. In fact no one else probably cares at all.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Assume OP has latex tubes in his turbo cottons. Tyre pressures seem a bit low to me, but we don't know rider+bike weight or width of tyres (assume 25s at the pressures quoted, at least I hope so, braking from 40+mph x 80+)

How about helium. Would that diffuse?

Yes it would. All gases diffuse through butyl rubber. Helium diffuses 2/3 slower than hydrogen but about 2.5 times faster than air. HTH

 

[Twilkes]

You are trying to artificially reduce the time.

All cycling is artificial, the use of technology to harness power. If he wanted a pure challenge he would be running up the hill, stripped, shaved and greased, and I for one would applaud him.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

All cycling is artificial

True as far as the machinery goes, but the physical effort is purely natural - so long as you're not riding an e-bike anyway.

If he wanted a pure challenge he would be running up the hill, stripped, shaved and greased, and I for one would applaud him.

I'd be too busy laughing to applaud!

 

[Marchaugh]

Ride done. That was absolutely brutal 😵
Never doing that again.
https://www.strava.com/activities/3655394626

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Ride done. That was absolutely brutal 😵
Never doing that again.
https://www.strava.com/activities/3655394626

Chapeau!