Is this good?

[PaulSB]

Just happened across this highly entertaining thread. I'm planning LeJog or perhaps JoGLe next summer. Originally had planned it for last summer but had an accident which severly limited my cycling in 2007.

I realise this is probably an anethema to the purists but I shall be using the credit card / B&bs and until this evening was planning to travel very light on my road bike. I'm now wondering if I should be on the look out for a second hand tourer?

Should say the road bike fits like a glove. I can do 80 miles without any serious discomfort, though from there to 100 I'm hurting! It's the legs, not my nether regions.

 

[bonj2]

Just happened across this highly entertaining thread. I'm planning LeJog or perhaps JoGLe next summer. Originally had planned it for last summer but had an accident which severly limited my cycling in 2007.

I realise this is probably an anethema to the purists but I shall be using the credit card / B&bs and until this evening was planning to travel very light on my road bike. I'm now wondering if I should be on the look out for a second hand tourer?

Should say the road bike fits like a glove. I can do 80 miles without any serious discomfort, though from there to 100 I'm hurting! It's the legs, not my nether regions.

Why would you need one if you can do 80 miles in comfort on your existing road bike, and aren't going to be taking much in panniers?

 

[PaulSB]

Why would you need one if you can do 80 miles in comfort on your existing road bike, and aren't going to be taking much in panniers?

That's pretty much what I was thinking but thought I'd ask the question! I don't even plan to use panniers - I hate carrying anything on the bike - just a large saddle bag of some sort. If the clothes get too smelly I'd buy a new T-shirt.

The way I see it is this, and I'm quite prepared to be mocked, I need good cycle clothing to keep, warm, cool or dry as appropriate, which I already have plus a few bits for the evening.

 

[bonj2]

sounds like the best way of touring to me.

 

[Abitrary]

With the advent of carbon nanotube technology, we will soon have frames that are 1 micron thick, and weight 1 gram. The carbon nanotubes will also be programmable to imitate the properties of any current frame metal simply by sending an electrical current through them.

Not a moment too soon if you ask me...

(er, sorry, did noone read this? It's a good mix of humour and reality)

 

[Rhythm Thief]

ONLY nineteen years?! If it was a car, that'd make it E-, or F- reg. How many E or F reg cars do you see around? Hardly any. Because they cost more to get through their MOT than they're worth, so they get sent to the scrapyard.

Sorry to revive an old post, but my E reg Volvo 240 is still going strong, bought for around the same as Kathy's bike (is she still around? Did she buy the bike?). Volvo designed the 240 to have a twenty year working life. Since Ford took Volvo over, the design life of new Volvos is around five years. Much the same applies to old bikes.
Anyway, as you were.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Just read the first sixteen pages of this. Bonj is hilarious!

 

[User482]

That's pretty much what I was thinking but thought I'd ask the question! I don't even plan to use panniers - I hate carrying anything on the bike - just a large saddle bag of some sort. If the clothes get too smelly I'd buy a new T-shirt.

The way I see it is this, and I'm quite prepared to be mocked, I need good cycle clothing to keep, warm, cool or dry as appropriate, which I already have plus a few bits for the evening.

I doubt you'd manage without panniers. As a minimum you're going to need a change of clothes for the evenings, underwear, a couple of cycling tops & shorts, waterproof, lock, food, lights, maps, tools, spares, etc etc. I travelled fairly light myself as I was staying in youth hostels, but I still filled 2 medium panniers.

 

[vernon]

Just happened across this highly entertaining thread. I'm planning LeJog or perhaps JoGLe next summer. Originally had planned it for last summer but had an accident which severly limited my cycling in 2007.

I realise this is probably an anethema to the purists but I shall be using the credit card / B&bs and until this evening was planning to travel very light on my road bike. I'm now wondering if I should be on the look out for a second hand tourer?

Should say the road bike fits like a glove. I can do 80 miles without any serious discomfort, though from there to 100 I'm hurting! It's the legs, not my nether regions.

There is no right or wrong bike . It's just that some bikes are more right than others.

I've done JOGLE and LEJOG and seen the full spectrum of bikes being used ranging from carbon fibre road bikes on a supported ride and the riders carried nothing more than would fit in their bottle cages and cycle shirt pockets through to folding bikes via tourers, expedition bikes, hybrids, tandems...you get the idea.

I am confident that I could do LEJOG in the manner that you aspire to on my road bike but I find my tourer more comfortable and I like the independence offered by camping hence the tourer in my first choice as my road bike does not have the rack mounting points to allow panniers from being carried.

If you are considering a saddle back, you might like to consider the Carradice range of saddle bags. They have a good reputation fro longevity and function. www.carradice.co.uk

You might also consider a Brooks B17 leather saddle. Doing 80 miles in a day is very different from doing 80 miles per day for 12 or so days. I've found the bRooks to be comfortable from day one.

If you go to the CTC website their message board has a LEJOG section and you might also consider looking at the web site which acts as a repository for LEJOG and JOGLE accounts.

http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewforum.php?f=22&sid=c43a9d2323ce41e0c37b94678a95f544
[SIZE=-1]http://www.users.waitrose.com/~ianclare/links.htm

You'll find more information in the above two sources as they exist soley to deal with LEJOG advice and matters.
[/SIZE]

 

[PaulSB]

Thanks Vernon, that is very helpful.

 

[vernon]

Thanks Vernon, that is very helpful.

I see you live in Chorley. That brings back memories of my LEJOG ride in 2005 when my Galaxy frame broke at the drop out in Chorley at 7:30 on a Friday night. I rang someone in Preston that I'd met on my ride in Bristol and he ferried me to Bill Nickson's house where my frame was repaired by 8:30 the same evening! Bill refused to accept payment for the repair. What a gent.

Will you be taking a break (no pun intended) in Chorley seeing that it is roughly half way.

I was so glad I had a steel frame. It would have been game over otherwise

 

[PaulSB]

Part of my plan is to stop one night at home. Collect clean clothes etc and carry on. Nickson's are still going strong I believe. My favoured LBS is in Blackburn so I only know of Nickson's by name.