'Best' type of bicycle for randonneuring?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by ambimb on February 20, 2012 at 9:47pm

I'm still looking. Anyone know of a good bike for reasonable $$? I'm drooling over these: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/02/2012-light-duty-touring-bi...

Permalink Reply by Eric Peterson on February 20, 2012 at 11:05pm

There may be an ideal bike for you - but if so only you can find it.

An ideal bike for everyone - no way.

Many bikes will work for randonneuring, as long as the bike is comfortable to ride for long distances, reliable, and has adequate gearing for whatever climbing is on the ride. You probably also need some means of carrying gear and supplies you may need along the way and a good lighting system for longer rides. There are many bikes that can be adapted to fit these basic needs.

My first two years were on a Bridgestone RB-1 on which I completed distances from 200K to 600K.

Eric Peterson

Permalink Reply by Joe on February 21, 2012 at 7:04am

I totally agree with what Eric said and your link has some good options. I rode a series on the Casseroll a few years ago. Now I'm riding a Surly Pacer. You certainly don't need a $10,000 super bike and sometimes they're worse (thinking of the guy with the Stork last year that got the front wheel gummed up with dirt and grit and it wouldn't turn thru the forks until we stopped, removed the wheel, and scraped off some of the mud). And more $$$ doesn't really mean more speed either...I consider myself a pretty strong rider and a guy with a city commuter bike and flat pedals rode me off of his wheel last year. The bike could not have cost more than $500...maybe even less than $300...big U-lock and the works.

This is a long way of saying.....comfort, reliable, adequate gearing, way of carrying your stuff, maybe lighting....

Joe

ambimb said:

I'm still looking. Anyone know of a good bike for reasonable $$? I'm drooling over these: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/02/2012-light-duty-touring-bi...

Permalink Reply by mike w. on February 21, 2012 at 9:50am

Good advice above...

 Just have a well-fitted setup, a saddle that you can tolerate for 8-20+ hours a stretch, sturdy wheels & good tyres -28mm-32mm wide is good, opt for simplicity, durability & comfort over & above weight considerations, good gear ratios, fenders (a must for the inevitable rainy and muddy ride), good lighting system. Doesn't have to be new or high-tech- i've been using either my 40yr sports bike or my 25yr old touring beast, both steel framed dinosaurs, but reliable and straight-riding road handlers -especially appreciated when i'm knackered with 50k left to go.

Oh, and good shoes, comfortable gloves, proper clothing, and decent foul weather gear will do wonders.

See you on the road

Permalink Reply by ambimb on February 21, 2012 at 11:29am

Was that the first 200k in Delavan last year? If so, the guy with the city commuter w/u-lock may have been me. (Not that I'm a strong rider, just that you sound like you're describing my bike.) I did that ride on a Bianchi Milano w/a 7-speed internal hub, which is my daily commuter bike that I rode over 4,000 miles last year. It's very comfortable and I can ride it for hours, etc., but I think it's time for something different. Plus I want to save my commuter for commuting. It's one thing to keep a commuter running reliably, and another thing to keep it running and in good enough shape that you're ready to trust it for 200-600k at a shot. I'm not looking for perfect, just exactly what you're all describing -- solid, reliable, comfortable, and preferably w/drop bars and at least 18 gears... 

Joe said:

I consider myself a pretty strong rider and a guy with a city commuter bike and flat pedals rode me off of his wheel last year. The bike could not have cost more than $500...maybe even less than $300...big U-lock and the works.

Permalink Reply by mike w. on February 21, 2012 at 3:37pm

My ambition is to do a 200 on a classic 3 speed someday... maybe not this year, though.

Permalink Reply by Joe on February 21, 2012 at 4:00pm

Well I rode with the guy as we left Broadhead and the drop happened soon afterwards LOL. A few years ago I rode with a woman in her 60's on a recumbent who made me suffer like a total dog from Oregon back to Delavan. And I busted out a 2:31 1/2 Ironman bike leg at the Lake Geneva Triathlon last year. So I guess you never know when you're going to be the hammer or the nail!

I've been thinking a lot about how similar a commuter and a randonneur bike really are....like, other than maybe wheels and tires, pretty similar!

ambimb said:

Was that the first 200k in Delavan last year? If so, the guy with the city commuter w/u-lock may have been me. 

Permalink Reply by Joe on February 21, 2012 at 4:01pm

There was that guy a couple of years ago doing the 200K and 300K on a single speed....so it's possible, right?

mike w. said:

My ambition is to do a 200 on a classic 3 speed someday... maybe not this year, though.

Permalink Reply by Eric Peterson on February 21, 2012 at 5:55pm

You can ride on any kind of bike you want, but here are some options for bikes that might be considered more suitable for randonneuering:

1. Older bikes with 27" wheels. These typically had room for fenders and reasonable tires. A modern 700C wheelset gives you even more room. Drawback: bike will probably need maintenance work, either by you or someone you pay to do the work.
2. Newer bikes with 700C wheels. Typically no room for fenders, but swap in a 650B wheelset if that's important to you.
3. Rando-specific bike. New or used - not generally available, you have to know where to look for these.
4. Buying a new non-rando bike would be the worst option, because you are paying top dollar for a new bike that is probably designed for riders who want to go fast for shorter distances, but probably not comfortable for long rides. 

Like many recreational activities, much time can be spent debating and analyzing the gear options.

Eric Peterson

Permalink Reply by ambimb on March 31, 2012 at 8:39am

I finally found my brevet-bike -- this 2001 Bianchi Volpe. I've put some miles on it already and it's a huge improvement over the 7-speed tank I was riding. It will require some tweaks before I can get through 180 or more miles at one shot on it, but I think it's going to be exactly what I hoped. I'll be trying it out in Delavan on May 5 so if you see it (and me) say hello! 

Permalink Reply by Lee on April 5, 2012 at 6:11pm

Looks nice, I like the frame color. It looks like you've got the gears to tackle the hills on the 300k.

I'm not sure what tweaks you had in mind but a few come to mind, the first being clipless pedals, e.g. spd's. It looks like your saddle is positioned near or at the rearward limit on the post. Are you riding it in this position now? That position could be appropriate if you have long femurs but otherwise it might be a little too far back. Other than that, it looks like you're just a saddle bag or two away from going for the 200k! :)

Permalink Reply by Lanterne Rouge on April 5, 2012 at 10:14pm

That Volpe looks great. It'd be hard to not notice that bike out in the field!

I used competitive cyclists' fit calculator to dial in some of my measurements on the bike - one of the measurements is for the saddle to bar distance, or amount behind or in front of the bottom bracket the saddle nose ought to be. For whatever reason, when I brought my Jamis, the saddle was set like the above picture. I don't have particularly long femurs, so sliding the saddle towards the bars (with 2 cm of setback) felt MUCH better to me. 

Oddly, the fit guide gave me way, way too high of a saddle height, but what can you do. I'm also looking into SPD pedals/shoes, but clips and straps will have to do for now. It looks like the Volpe already has a set of those. I'm using clips and straps now, and have a wicked hot spot on the outer edge of my left foot. I'm not sure if it's due to pedaling mechanics or an equipment issue. 

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