bike suggestions for log distance runs????
Discussion
Im looking to ride from lands end to john ogroats in the new year. Any suggestions on bikes? my budget is approximately 500quid and i dont want a hybrid / tourer as you dont get much at that budget. I think i'd be fine on a road / race bike. I like the look of Trek 1.1, 1.2 ans 1.5's. Any experiences? any suggestions or anyone selling anything that would be suitable?
Hi,
I'd agee that I wouldn't fancy a hybrid, town or MTB for such a ride. Even if you only aim for 60-70miles a day then it will be hard work, even on a very light MTB with slicks.
IMO it depends if you are doing it solo or with a support vehicle. If you're going solo then you'll be carrying some clothing, some tools/spares, etc, so that probably means you will need panniers. And the lighter road bikes aren't really suited to mounting panniers, so you'd be looking at a touring bike (maybe called "Audax" style) which will most likely have a triple chainset but otherwise look pretty much like a normal road bike. The main difference is that it will have slightly heavier wheels/tyres and most likely have clearance for mudguards and brackets to mount panniers as well.
If you do have a support vehicle, then just get the lightest road bike you can afford and carry a mobile phone !
In virtually any price bracket the bikes are very similar, minor tweeks here and there but nothing dramatic. You are most likely looking at an Al frame, but if possible I prefer to have carbon front forks as I reckon they are more comfortable than Al forks. If you're new to riding these sorts of distances, then I'd go for a bike with a triple chainset as well.
this place
http://www.bikeradar.com/road
has a lot of reviews covering all price ranges and they are usually fairly on the ball with their longer term reviews and group tests.
I'd agee that I wouldn't fancy a hybrid, town or MTB for such a ride. Even if you only aim for 60-70miles a day then it will be hard work, even on a very light MTB with slicks.
IMO it depends if you are doing it solo or with a support vehicle. If you're going solo then you'll be carrying some clothing, some tools/spares, etc, so that probably means you will need panniers. And the lighter road bikes aren't really suited to mounting panniers, so you'd be looking at a touring bike (maybe called "Audax" style) which will most likely have a triple chainset but otherwise look pretty much like a normal road bike. The main difference is that it will have slightly heavier wheels/tyres and most likely have clearance for mudguards and brackets to mount panniers as well.
If you do have a support vehicle, then just get the lightest road bike you can afford and carry a mobile phone !
In virtually any price bracket the bikes are very similar, minor tweeks here and there but nothing dramatic. You are most likely looking at an Al frame, but if possible I prefer to have carbon front forks as I reckon they are more comfortable than Al forks. If you're new to riding these sorts of distances, then I'd go for a bike with a triple chainset as well.
this place
http://www.bikeradar.com/road
has a lot of reviews covering all price ranges and they are usually fairly on the ball with their longer term reviews and group tests.
I rode London to Stockholm on a Saracen Tour 1, which despite its name was quite unsuited to doing so! Mounting a rack on it was a bit of a hassle because of the lack of braze-ons but I just got a universal fitting one which worked ok in the end, and combined with a front handlebar bag could easily carry all my things.
I'd agree with the good saddle recommendation, I swear by the Selle SMP TRK, as I didn't suffer any discomfort from it at any point of the journey, although your mileage may vary!
I'd say you're on the right track with bike choice, I don't know if you're really going to find much difference between any of the cheaper road bikes as once they fully loaded they're going to behave pretty differently anyway. It probably is worth thinking about what riding position you really want to ride in though, whether you can put up with the racer position the whole time, or if you'd benefit from some higher bars?
I'd agree with the good saddle recommendation, I swear by the Selle SMP TRK, as I didn't suffer any discomfort from it at any point of the journey, although your mileage may vary!
I'd say you're on the right track with bike choice, I don't know if you're really going to find much difference between any of the cheaper road bikes as once they fully loaded they're going to behave pretty differently anyway. It probably is worth thinking about what riding position you really want to ride in though, whether you can put up with the racer position the whole time, or if you'd benefit from some higher bars?
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