black'n'yellow
Guest
But the OP doesn't want to do a job. He wants to ride LEL and survive.
job / purpose - delete as appropriate. Same thing.
But the OP doesn't want to do a job. He wants to ride LEL and survive.
What does he want to do after LEL? That is as big a factor as any IMO.
Obviously you can ride any distance on any bike but it is easier and more pleasant to ride long distances at a steady pace on a bike other than a full on racing road bike or a shopper or a BMX.
I remember having a beer was my #1 priority after LEL
I don't understand what you've got against steel. I'd also throw titanium into the mix. I've done rides approaching the 250 mile mark in under a day on a mainly carbon Giant and a titanium Planet X. I wasn't uncomfortable on the Giant but I was much more comfortable on the Ti bike. From what I've heard the ride comfort on steel is even better than Ti.
it's 'easier and more pleasant' to ride those distances on a bike you can be comfortable on. There's no reason why 'full on' racing bikes should be excluded from that...
it's 'easier and more pleasant' to ride those distances on a bike you can be comfortable on. There's no reason why 'full on' racing bikes should be excluded from that...
I've ridden the Bryan Chapman Memorial 600km audax on an Orbea Gavia racing bike, an old SJS cycles touring bike, a custom Ti bike and a Specialized Roubaix.
For comparison sake, consider the Custom Ti bike and the Orbea
Orbea: Aluminium frame, 25mm tyres, no mudguard at the back, useless clip on mudguard at the front, normal race geometry
Ti bike: Ti frame, 28mm tyres, full mudguards, long head tube and short top tube
Both bikes had gears from approx 100" to 30"
The Ti bike was more comfortable because it was designed to do that sort of ride. The bigger tyres give a smoother ride over rough roads. The mudguards keep the dirt off you. The more relaxed geometry is easier on the body. Titanium soaks up more road noise than Aluminium
The Orbea is faster but any ride over about 50km I would definitely prefer the Ti bike.
I'm not "excluding" racing bikes. But in my experience, riding these sort of distances is easier on a bike with features that racing bikes do not have. A lot of people say that riding long distances is as much a mental discipline as a physical one. So feeling it's an easy ride can make the difference between getting there or giving up
my input for what it's worth. when i decided to ride lel i didn't know much about bikes and internet forums. so after some research online, came to a conclusion that a suitable bike for lel would be some 531c steel racer capable to accept full mudguards (which is what i bought). there were a lot of praise for brooks saddles, so i got that as well. i managed to get around lel, but only just, and my body was aching everywhere - especially knees, achilles, lower back and arse. was it the bike's fault - no, i was simply unfit to ride such a distance, irrespective of bike.
fast forward to last summer, i rode 1200km in good comfort on an aggressive geometry race bike, and there were no aches or pains after the ride, just general fatigue, which is kinda normal. and again, it wasn't the bike that made me "comfortable" - i was much fitter last year than before lel.
now - i haven't ridden much during last three months (elbow surgery, holidays etc.) and did 200km ride last saturday on the same bike. my knees, achilles and lower back are still sore - and it's already tuesday!
so my conclusion - comfort depends on rider's fitness, and not a bike (although correctly set up bike is important).
While I'll let zigzag answer for himself, I will say for what it's worth that when it comes to long distance riding the people I ask for advice are zigzag, frank9755 and arallsopp.Ok if this statement is true then riding lejog on a bmx will be comfortable if your fit !
While I'll let zigzag answer for himself, I will say for what it's worth that when it comes to long distance riding the people I ask for advice are zigzag, frank9755 and arallsopp.