TAV
Guru
- Location
- mountainash
Racing bike
- Thread starter TAV
- Start date
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DCLane
Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
- Location
- Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
If it's a road audax you'll be fine; I did Paris-Brest-Paris on 23mm tyres and generally ride audaxes on 25mm GP5000's.
In terms of a bike anything goes. What you've got there is commonly used - if I'm correct it's a Specialized Tarmac with 10-speed Ultegra; I've a drop-bar aluminium audax frameset but lots turn up on full carbon with Di2 and carbon wheelsets.
I've done a 200k audax on my NeilPryde Nazarê race bike and I've ridden with someone who's done a 300k on a TT bike with full disc wheel.
In terms of a bike anything goes. What you've got there is commonly used - if I'm correct it's a Specialized Tarmac with 10-speed Ultegra; I've a drop-bar aluminium audax frameset but lots turn up on full carbon with Di2 and carbon wheelsets.
I've done a 200k audax on my NeilPryde Nazarê race bike and I've ridden with someone who's done a 300k on a TT bike with full disc wheel.
OP
OP
TAV
Guru
- Location
- mountainash
Cheers guys my Al genius equilibrium with the mudguards on and all the large bags and heavy wheels makes the bike way a ton and it's sluggish as hell but I was worried about the trails. I know it will be easier on the lighter bike but not all audaxs are on the just the road.
Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
I really don't recognise this in the context of a randonnee, but you've "done a few audaxs". How many km of those were not tarmac? Name them.
Your genius Genesis dressed up for a 200k audax will not "weigh a ton". Spend less time on the Weightweenies site.
What are these "large bags" of which you speak? Are you planning to ride to the start the evening before and need overnight kit? Don't take the bags on the ride itself: arrange somewhere to leave them.
"Heavy wheels"? As a proportion of the system mass? Inconsequential.
"not all audaxs are on just the road" Either this Genesis set up or your lighter bike will be fine on every audax organised in UK, unless a ride is advertised to include rough stuff (eg TINAT). Your Specialized (with its Easton wheels) looks fast. Do you carry a spoke key?
"worried about the trails" 99% of the routes are tarmac: give us a link to a UK audax with more than 1% "trail". Very occasionally there might be a bit of canal path or the like: still perfectly fine on wheels that go round and round.
No sensible person rides super fragile 'not many spoke' wheels on a 200km+ (do they?).
On 200km plus randonnees, nearly all the upright riders are on "racing bikes" (as in with drop handlebars).
It may be that you fear other riders will gaze scornfully at your "carbon all singing light weight road bike [with carbon deep rim wheels] but the tyres are 25mm". Worry not. Noone will gaf. Have you got room for 28s? Mind you that'll add about 50g to the all up weight. However if you ride without mudguards (worried about the 'look' on a 'racing bike') other riders will prefer not to follow your wheel if the road is wet. I hope you will admire their mudguards when following theirs.
HTH
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matticus
Guru
Any idea of the figure for Pat's "Old Drove Roads" (the one with Salisbury Plain plus a bit of Ridgeway)? That had to be severals of kms. First time I rode it on 25s, and really really hated the stony sections!
Much nicer with 35mm tyres, albeit a slower time overall ...
Mark Rigby's event to Newport was probably much fewer kms of off-road, but the amount of Real Mud compensated (plus that dreadful bridge nr Monmouth)! Not sure he still runs it, mind.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
The only thing you may need to worry about is gearing for long distances, especially if hilly. You don't want to be grinding up hills 3/4 of the way through an Audax if you've run out of gears. My 'race' bikes have a 39x26 bottom gear ! Hence riding an event in May, I'll be on the cross bike with 34x32 (or 34x34) if the cassette will fit as there is over 10,000ft of climbing and 130 miles.
Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
Think the Old Drove Roads 200 had about 30km of range roads. I can't remember (I've not ridden the event itself) how much of that 30k is concrete surfaced, but a fair proportion. I have ridden many of those range roads on 25s on a glued and screwed frame.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44143227
People's thresholds for riding rough stuff vary so much. If I have not managed to find a short section of it on a 200, by advisory aberration, then I feel I've failed slightly. Map recce is vital for this approach, mind.
I suggest that a randonnee called 'Old Drove Roads' might offer a clue to the potential rider who is nervous about the robustness of his chosen steed/wheels on "trails".
@fossyant - kilometres and metres please, for audax. Over 3000m on a 200km is significantly scenic. And gears in inches ftw.
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OP
OP
TAV
Guru
- Location
- mountainash
I thought that it would be easier to ride the carbon fibre light weight specialized tarmac sl4 with carbon wheels over the coming 200k audax but it didn't feel right as most of the guys will be riding their steel/ aluminium rode bikes with mudguard. I know it's not a race so I shouldn't worry. It is definitely harder though on my audax aluminium bike.
Attachments
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
No one really cares what you ride. But if it’s going to be wet or muddy in the lanes they’d (as well as cafes) would appreciate you having mudguards. Save your race bike for nice weather dry days in the summer. Use your aluminium jobbie for other occasions.
OP
OP
TAV
Guru
- Location
- mountainash
Yeah your right guys cheers for all the advice so many bikes on the market these days. Alot of guys are going down the titanium route to save on weight so weight does make a difference even on the audax/ long distance rides.
matticus
Guru
Yeah, of course it does (and I'm guilty of riding a Ti-bike - it's not even my first!); but there are tons of online calculators to test how much it matters.
Find one of them, then:
- put in the figures for your next audax (distance, alitutide gain),
- put in adding 4kg of weight,
- see how many hours difference this makes. Finally
- let us know the answer! :P
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Psst it's an audax, not a race
OP
OP
TAV
Guru
- Location
- mountainash
I'd love to but the Mrs isn't happy about me buying that carbon racing bike I probably should have invested in a ti frame for audaxs but I'll now have to work with what I've got I may change the triple that I've got on there and put a l x that will save a few pounds.
