Way of the roses - which bike??

[Pjays666]

Hi all, I am going to do the way of the roses in April next year with a friend . We are intending to camp en route and do the trip over three days. Which bike would be best for the trip. I have a diamondback contra flow (hybrid) which I have been riding for a year but have just bought a road bike (giant defy. 1).

 

[Brandane]

If your road bike can carry luggage, i.e. a rack and panniers, then take that (as long as the wheels are up to the task of carrying the extra weight). If not, the hybrid. Any bike is perfectly capable of doing the ride.

I did it over 3 days going east to west, with stops in York and Grassington. I stayed at B&Bs, so didn't have to carry much luggage. Since you are asking, I assume you haven't done much cycle camping before? Personally I find it a complete PITA carrying all that extra weight for a 2 night trip. If you can afford it, I would go down the B&B route. That way you could definitely use the road bike, which will be much lighter - and there are quite a few hills on the western side of the route. Enjoy it whatever bike you decide to take .

 

[Pjays666]

Thanks for the comment, you are right I haven't done any cycle camping to talk about. I did the Leeds Liverpool canal in May this year, one night stayed in travelodge and camped 1 night. That said the ride was supported and we had a good laugh when we camped hence the wish to camp . That said we will be unsupported on this ride and need to consider weight I suppose. ( and power to charge phone etc). Any device welcome.

 

[Amanda P]

Mrs Uncle Phil and I did this trip a few weeks ago on our tandem, and we camped most of the time, stayed with WarmShowers folk once. (We completed the circuit by going up the coast to Whitehaven and doing the Reivers Route to Newcastle and then back to York-ish).

If you're carrying camping kit, you may not want to squeeze it into three days. We staged it:

Brid-Yorkish (spent the night at home) 130 km
Yorkish - Pately Bridge 107 km
Pately Bridge - Settle 47 km (but some serious climbing)
Settle - Morecambe and on to Silverdale 68 km

As for which bike, I'd opt for the hybrid if you're camping. You might be able to cram camping gear onto a road bike, but load-carrying isn't what it's built for and you'll probably be more comfortable and enjoy the ride more if you take something with fatter tyres and a more relaxed riding position.

If you opt for the credit-card-and-toothbrush option, road bike.

 

[Pjays666]

Thanks uncle Phil it is looking like the hybrid then, just need to work out stops etc now and decide what kit would need to take with us and whether to stretch it out another day. Looking for local charities worthy of some fundraising now as well.

 

[Brandane]

Brid-Yorkish (spent the night at home) 130 km
Yorkish - Pately Bridge 107 km
Pately Bridge - Settle 47 km (but some serious climbing)
Settle - Morecambe and on to Silverdale 68 km

I don't think you were following the prescribed "WOTR" route, given those distances then?
Especially the bit between Bridlington and York!

 

[Amanda P]

I don't think you were following the prescribed "WOTR" route, given those distances then?
Especially the bit between Bridlington and York!

Maybe not. Yorkish is ten miles or so from York, and there was a bit of pootling about Bridlington trying to find the 'official' start. Other than that, we stuck pretty close to the official route.

I just put the distances from our log into MyCyclingLog. My sig ticker should look rather healthier when it catches up...

 

[numbnuts]

Way of the roses - which bike
A Thorn .....I have the Club Tour

 

[P.H]

Whichever you're best at getting up the hills on It's not the hilliest of routes, but there are some good ones. I did it in May with friends, hosteling rather than camping, stayed at Malham and York, a good route.

 

[Pjays666]

Whichever you're best at getting up the hills on .

Working on that I better take the car. Seriously though I am doing quite a bit of hill work, I wouldn't say i have got to the point of enjoying it yet but they are getting easier. Living at the top end of Burnley it is impossible to do a non hilly ride

 

[DCLane]

I'm aiming to finally get round to doing WoTR next year after a sore knee put paid to an attempt in 2012.

However, the plan is to do the whole thing in a day on the Secteur. Not 3.

 

[JackE]

A friend did this route on a Moulton TSR 30 recently and really enjoyed it. Wants to do it again next year from E to W.
He was asked a number of times why he was doing it on a "folder".

 

[Amanda P]

A friend did this route on a Moulton TSR 30 recently and really enjoyed it. Wants to do it again next year from E to W.
He was asked a number of times why he was doing it on a "folder".

If we hadn't been tandeming, I'd have taken my Moulton AM. It's a fantastic bike. Fashion victims and folk who think it's a folder can continue in their ignorance; those of us who've ridden one for any length of time know better.

 

[Pjays666]

FWIW surely it is about the enjoyment of the journey and being comfortable. The reason I asked the question about which bike was because I have no experience to talk about on a road bike (I don't pick it up yet) and didn't want to do all my training on that only to have to use my hybrid, which I enjoy riding, got the road bike as I live in a hilly part of Lancashire and hope to get more enjoyment on the road.

 

[bigjim]

I'd take the Defy plus a big saddlebag and B&B it. The bike will cope with a loaded saddlebag with no problems if you are average build.
I've took a road bike through France with panniers and camping gear without any problems but I did put a bigger tyre on the rear wheel and I'm a big git.
But it's a personal choice. I don't like hybrids and always want an even lighter bike when I'm hillclimbing.