which bike for LEJOG?

[simon_o]

as a complete cycling novice i'm looking for a bit of advice. For reasons not entirely clear, other than the idea a good challenge I've agreed to ride the length of the UK with a couple of friends next year.

i'm in my mid 30s & haven't owned a bike since school, i have a reasonable level of general fitness but so far cycle training has involved a few sessions on a bike in the gym - 30km in an hour seems ok, not sure how i repeat that for 7 hours a day yet?

The plan is to run self sufficient with minimum kit & complete in about 9 days

so I've done a little bit of reading up & had more or less picked a bike based on price range & available size

Trek 1.2 C H2 2013 Road Bike

But, the more i read the more confused i get, so some specific questions, which may indeed elicit conflicting advice
- compact or triple chain set?
- road bike or touring bike?
- what have i not even thought about?

maybe in the end it doesn't it really matter, just get the miles under the belt before i start..

Would appreciate any thoughts or advice

 

[vickster]

You won't sustain 30km/h on the road when there are hills and lights and traffic. Personally, I can do that on an exercise bike, on the road, I manage 14mph average tops (did 13.8mph over 102 miles last weekend)

I don't think you need a touring bike per se but the ability to have a fixed rack and mudguards would be useful - the Trek doesn't have rack mounts from what I can see

Something like this would work, also with a more relaxed geometry. I have the 2012 WSD equivalent with fixed rack

http://www.ashcycles.com/site/giant-defy-2-2013

 

[simon_o]

Thanks vickster, I appreciate there's no way I'll sustain that kind of speed

I was thinking of a seat post mounted beam rack for something like this topeak bag & by riding next july/august avoiding the need for mudguards

 

[vickster]

Doesn't it rain in a lot Scotland in the summer?

Beam racks have quite low weight limits, I'd still want a fixed rack personally but you can do with P clips

Best is to go and test ride a few bikes in your budget

Cycling for 7 hours a day is ok for one day, not sure for a week! I am meant to be doing London-Paris next year, saddle soreness concerns me!

 

[simon_o]

scotland - rain? never!

i must admit having not yet spent any time on a proper bike the saddle time is the biggest concern

 

[vickster]

Make sure you budget for a few pairs of good padded shorts...put some assos or castelli on your xmas list

 

[colly]

There is a the vague hint of the outline of the beginnings of the start of a plan forming here:

http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/an...-9-days-lejog-7th-june-15th-june-2014.139480/

A little earlier than your dates but even so it might be of interest.

 

[biggs682]

@simon_o one that can accept mudgaurds and or a rack

so i would suggest more of a touring bike

 

[berty bassett]

i would have thought if you have got to carry everything you need then a tourer without doubt . if you get a back up vehicle then you could maybe think more of speed and less on comfort . personal choice would be a tourer with drop bars so you could change position a bit - but thats my choice and others will say totally different i guess but like you said - most important to just get miles in

 

[srw]

As they say - I wouldn't start from here.

A 9-day LEJOG is 100 miles per day, every day, for 9 days. Carrying your stuff and allowing for mechanicals, weather, and getting lost that's probably 9 to 10 hours of cycling per day. Get up, have breakfast (quickly), ride for 3 hours, have lunch (quickly), ride for 3 hours, have a snack (quickly), ride for 3 hours, eat supper, sleep. Repeat 9 times.

That's a reasonable stretch even for an experienced rider. For a novice it's a very big ask. However, it's certainly achievable.

As to the bike - the most important thing is that it's comfortable. 9 hours on a bike is a long time, but the least important bit of comfort is the saddle - given time on the bike, proper clothes and a decent amount of shifting position and standing up you'll be reasonably comfortable. The second most important thing is that it can carry what you want it to. For me, that would mean a tourer, with the handlebars at or above the level of the saddle - but people do long-distance rides on all sorts of strange machines.

 

[simon_o]

There is a the vague hint of the outline of the beginnings of the start of a plan forming here:

http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/an...-9-days-lejog-7th-june-15th-june-2014.139480/

A little earlier than your dates but even so it might be of interest.

Thanks for the heads up colly - a bit early for me unfortunately, i'm going to be busy at work through to mid june so need an extra few weeks to get that training in

 

[simon_o]

cheers guys, a bit more food for thought there

9 day seemed like a good number, but it's early stages yet, i'll try & rack up a few long rides & start to get a better idea of how achievable it is.

on the gear front i was figuring on travelling light, a change of shorts & shirts, the bare essentials of pump, inner tubes etc. and little else b&bs should mean not having to lug a tent around

 

[User482]

cheers guys, a bit more food for thought there

9 day seemed like a good number, but it's early stages yet, i'll try & rack up a few long rides & start to get a better idea of how achievable it is.

on the gear front i was figuring on travelling light, a change of shorts & shirts, the bare essentials of pump, inner tubes etc. and little else b&bs should mean not having to lug a tent around

Depends why you're doing it. I was interested in seeing the countryside, finding nice places for lunch, and having a good time in the pub each evening. My daily mileage of 75 or so meant completing the route in 12 days. That was perfect for me - no need to make an early start, a decent lunch break and we were still finished by 5pm, then a hot shower, change of clothes and off for a decent meal.

As for the bike: for "credit card" style touring (B&Bs etc) then any bike you feel comfortable riding all day. If it won't take panniers you could probably get by with a very large saddle pack. Mudguards greatly increase comfort if the roads are wet. Beam racks are rubbish in my experience.

I used a Thorn Audax which was ideal for that kind of work.

 

[DCLane]

I've got a Specialized Secteur, which has proved fine for rides over 100 miles/day quite often. It'll take a rack/guards as well, although Raceblades seem to fit better.

 

[HorTs]

I completed a my LEJOG earlier this year, solo, self supported and camping in 10 days cycling.

The first 8 days were between 80 and 100 miles, a 140 mile 9th day and a 13 mile 10th day.

I also had 2 rest days.

If you're planning to do it in 9 days and carry everything with you then I'd say you'll need a bike more geared up for touring. Not to say that you couldn't do it on a shopper but it will be hard.

Do you plan to camp or B&B? If camping you'd definitely want a proper rack over a post mounted one.