Drop bar or flat...fast road trip...

[littleaitch]

Im a relative newbie and def non technical but about to do an 868km cycle (Bangkok to Phuket) unsupported (solo) so carrying my own kit although minimal weight if I can help it, no tents or anything just clothes/water! Its an 8 day trip on good tarmac undulating road most of the way.

Given its hot, humid and monsoon season I want to finish each day as quickly as possible... Ive a specialised hybrid and a dawes 300. Just started training on the latter and its lighter, quicker etc although taking some time to get used to and confident on. Had conflicting advice though if a rack CAN be fitted to it??? Which would sort of end the debate on which bike to take with me as I need small panniers.

Does anyone know about the rack on the Dawes? Researched online and cant really find anything.

Ive been doing 40+ miles on specialised OK but it does feel clunky & slow next to the Dawes. Been told racing bike will be "too uncomfortable" for the distance?

Have to make a decision this week really to finish training on the right bike. Im pretty fit generally but just trying to convert to bike fit (and then winging it the rest!)

PS any advice on hydration in those sort of temps/conditions?

Thanks for any help!

 

[Mr Bunbury]

Comfort depends on how fast you ride. If you're determined to do a ride at <10mph no matter what bike you're on, it's best to use a biek adapted for comfort over speed. However, if you're like me (and it sounds like you are), I find that 5 hours sitting in a saddle is a lot more comfortable than 8 hours, so it's actually quite a good idea to ride a racier bike - just don't take the Specialized Shiv, that would be a bit silly!

A lot will depend on what the roads are like where you're going. If they're strewn with bomb craters and potholes, take the hybrid. Otherwise, the road bike should be fine. See what you can do to make the road bike more comfortable; flip the stem upwards, rotate the bars upwards a bit to give you a higher hold on the hoods of the brakes; add another layer of bar tape, consider a wider cassette if you're currently running 12-21 or similar. As for the panniers, does your bike take full mudguards (as in, other than crud/raceblades)? If so, you've got eyelets for a pannier rack. If not, you can fit a rack using P clips round the seatstays. I've seen the odd Dawes Giro X00 and I reckon the rear triangle should be strong enough to cope with this.

As for hydration, definitely fit two bottles! If you want more water, you might find a Camelback helpful. I don't personally like them as I prefer to keep weight off my saddle, but you may find them to be just what you need. Get some Nuun tablets, oral rehydration salts or similar to replace the salts that you'll lose through sweat.

 

[Norm]

Just looking at the bars (because I think Mr Buns has covered most other factors above), I think drop bars are more comfortable for a long day in the saddle, because you have 5 positions for the hands, whereas flat bars just have one.

So I'd say that speed and comfort are both on the same bike.

 

[andym]

People tour with both types of bar - if the Dawes feels right then go with that.

It might be worth researching water purification/filtration systems so you can top up your water en route (I don't know whether that's being alarmist or not).

 

[Fab Foodie]

If I was travelling all that way to ride a bike, I'd wanna see the view and not worry about what time I'd finish.
Having said that, I always find drops more comfortable.