Beginner starting to train for Land's End to John O'Groats

[RyeRye62]

Hello I am new to all this and just wanted some advice I will be starting to train up end of January running to get my fitness up then buying a bike and shoes and cleats in February I was wondering the best bike to get to start with and the best training schedule to work around my work, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Sharky]

I admire your ambition. I've had a lifetime of cycling and I'm still not ready for the LEJOG trip.

Just get your bike, join a club and enjoy.

 

[steveindenmark]

Hi,

First of all, do you know we have a Lejog section? If you go into the touring section it is at the top of the page.

You have asked a very difficult question as there are many ways of doing Lejog. Will you be on an organised Tour where all your gear is carried for you and accomodation sorted for you. Will you be camping or using bed and breakfasts, or both. Will you be trying to do it as fast as possible or taking your time and spending a month doing it.

The way you do the tour has an impact on what bike you need. You cannot put 30kg of camping gear on a full Carbon road bike and I wouldnt get to JOG in 7 days on my Koga World Traveller.

There are lots of routes to do the ride. Will you be on roads all the time or will you be using tracks and canal paths as well? Skinny 23 C racing tyres are awful on tracks.

Do you want drop bars or straight bars. Do you need racks front and back or just a rear rack and bar bag?

Once you know how you want to do it you can then think about what bike you need.

How fit you need to be depends how fast you want to do it. But it is only a race if you want it to be. Jannie and I are doing it next year and are planning on 3 weeks. We are reasonable fit but are close to being 60.

Have a look at the CTC Web page, there are a lot of Lejog journals on there and you can see how other people did it and what they rode.

Once you decide how you want to do it there is a massive range of bikes to choose from. If you are carrying all your camping gear I would suggest something with a triple chain ring to get over the hills. Even then the list is huge. The decider here is the price you want to pay.

If you tell us the price and how you intend to do it, we can give you some ideas.

 

[raleighnut]

^^^^^+1 but good luck, I've been wanting to do it for years but injuries keep getting in the way (non-cycling related accidents)

 

[sreten]

Hi,

YMMV, but this is great bike to just get into riding around a lot :

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/hoprider-500-city-hybrid-bike-id_8222609.html

As for training for LEJOG, ride a lot for a long time unless your young.
(The young can get into a cycling tour pretty unprepared that would
kill a well prepared older rider going too far, too fast each day.)

Clipless pedals and the shoes to go with are for a road bike, which
may be the best way to do LEJOG, but not necessarily the best
way to get into riding around on a bike a lot,

rgds, sreten.

 

[steveindenmark]

Sreten, if you look at my original post you will see why it is not really practical to give the OP advice about which bke to buy until he gives us some more information about how he wants to do the ride and what his budget for a bike is.

As for the age thing, what a load of tosh. Speak for yourself mate. I am nearly 60 and doubt if I could ride End to End in 7 days. But am certain I can ride it at my own pace.

Personally, you couldnt give me that Btwin to ride.

 

[PaulSB]

The questions steveindenmark asks are all correct and relevant but, and I'm sure this was not the intention, might dissuade the OP from setting off.

Cycling is as simple or complex as one chooses to make it. A guy from our club, a better rider than me, spent months training for a supported LEJOG this year. By pure chance I was CC touring at the same time. I did no training but ended up riding further and with no problems while the other rider struggled.

My question to the OP would be is this your only cycling interest or ambition? If so why?

Find a decent LBS, explain your target, budget and take the advice. Decide if you are camping or B&Bing.

Regarding training work out your average distance per day and train to be able to ride that distance comfortably in a day. This could take several months depending on ride frequency, fitness etc. I don't see the relevance of running in relation to this project, what counts is miles on the bike but I am not a runner so could be totally wrong.

Then take a long weekend and ride that distance three days in succession and use accommodation, camping etc. similar to that on LEJOG. Survive that and you'll do the LEJOG. During the LEJOG factor in a rest day when you may only ride half the distance or less.

 

[Scotty1991]

I don't know much about the LEJOG, but it sounds like a tough cycle. Never the less stick to training and don't give up or lose motivation. Anything is possible

 

[snorri]

I don't know much about the LEJOG, but it sounds like a tough cycle. Never the less stick to training and don't give up or lose motivation.

There's really nothing tough about it, unless you want to make it tough by setting time restraints or get severe weather. As for training, you can start training on departure from LE or JOG and will get fitter as you go, it worked for me.

 

[biggs682]

@RyeRye62 wow what a start .

my advice is also go and try as many different bikes as you before you settle on one

as you are in ST Neots feel free to wander along the a14 and throw a leg or two over some classic retro road bikes to see what you think ?

the above is a genuine offer that is always there for anybody

 

[steveindenmark]

Wouldnt it be nice if the Op returned to their post.

They dont know what they are missing :0)

 

[BigonaBianchi]

The LeJOg ride I did was a lot of fun and there is no reason a t all why you can't do it. My advice fwiw is to plan your route well, very well, know where your staying each night and book it if hotels, yha or bn'B's, the last thing you will want at the end of days ride is to be flapping around in the cold and rain looking for a place to stay.If you are not bike fit, get bike fit before you go, and be ready for some deceent climbs and some rough weather, so get the right clothing.
Ride with a GPS, and put the track files in there before you go. Maps are ok but they are heavy and annoying in the rain at ever junction in towns etc. Know how you will get to and from the start/end points with your bike. Allow enough time so you arn't stressed chasing a deadline.

Right, all that said, the biggest thing to do is just bloody go for it, and have a laugh. Go with a can do attitude, and accept things won't always go according to plan A, B or C.

 

[sreten]

Sreten, if you look at my original post you will see why it is not really practical to give the OP advice about which bke to buy until he gives us some more information about how he wants to do the ride and what his budget for a bike is.

As for the age thing, what a load of tosh. Speak for yourself mate. I am nearly 60 and doubt if I could ride End to End in 7 days. But am certain I can ride it at my own pace.

Personally, you couldnt give me that Btwin to ride.

Hi,

Well your making loads of assumptions based on your own personal bias.
Riding any bike will make you fitter for riding a good bike full stop.

You can note I'm saying a day to day bike is not the best LEJOG bike.

As for the age thing your just very wrong in all useful respects.

A 20 year old who doesn't ride bikes would manage LEJOG quite
well, a unfit 60 year old who never rides bikes would never make
it unless at absolute crawl, a totally pointless exercise.

At 55 I ride a far less effecient bike than the Btwin for all my
short journey's (a folding shopper) and do up to about
15 miles on it in a day, it does the job, keeps me fit.
My other bike is 15 miles + and is not day to day.

Personally IMO anyone who thinks the Btwin is not a great day
to day bike is disappearing up an alley of utter bike snobbery,
and doesn't understand real bike fitness.

Like this bike team checking out a hill and coming across the local postman :
http://www.madegood.org/bikes/magazine/friday-velovid-postman-vs-cycling-team/

rgds, sreten.

 

[Douggie954]

If you live in St Neots near Bedford there is a very good LBS in Bedford called Transition Cycles. They have a good selection of bikes at different prices, although no real touring bikes. They will also allow you to buy parts to take on LEJOG and then refund you if you do not use them. With any bike bought you get a free annual service from them.

 

[steveindenmark]

Sreten, I am not sure what you are trying to advise. You dont know how the OP wants to ride Lejog but you are suggesting he buys this Btwin because riding any bike to get fit is better than riding no bike at all. So then does he go out and buy a Carbon Focus Cayo Di2 because he wants to ride it as fast as possible?

When this is my other bike how can you say I suffer from bike snobbery? I cant even afford a seat and pedals.



So its a totally pointless excercise if you just crawl along doing Lejog in your opinion. Other people may think, the longer you take, the more you see and the more you experience. I am sure the many walkers who just crawl along would not agree with you.

Bike fitness. I know a bit about that, I think. I got my Koga World Traveller to this lighthouse this year.



And then to the bottom of this hill and back. If you knew where it was you would know you need to know a bit about bike fitness.

It is not bias I am talking about, it is experience.




All I am trying to say to the OP is tell us how you want to do it and we will give you a long list of bikes to research. But in general terms there is no bad bike to do Lejog on. In fact the worse the bike is the more respect you deserve. Take the guy who did it on the Raleigh Chopper. Huge respect. What a madman.