Hi Smitty, I don't ride brevets, but I do ride 100K solo rides whenever I can. They're my favorite length. Not so long that they're a time-sink, but long enough to really feel like you're accomplishing something.
IMHO, the Marathon Supremes will be fine. If you're itchin' to get some new tires, then any of those you mentioned are good. Also consider Jack Browns Greens. Food is anything that works for you. I usually have a combo of Clif Bars and paninis that I eat. YMMV I carry the same tool kit for all my rides: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyclotourist/4315416462/ Pretty minimalist by some people's standards :-) Have fun, it'll be a great time! On Mar 6, 10:04 am, William <[email protected]> wrote: > Nick's advice is very accurate on all points. I'll add to it that you > absolutely don't need to buy "faster" tires for a 100k. I'm the last > person to talk you out of buying new rubber just because you want to, > though :). That's one of the funnest aspects of owning a bike that takes > several kinds of tires! But you won't need to. It's only for truly long > brevets, like the 400 and beyond, that I think you should think about > milking a little more efficiency out of your bike, because that time saved > can mean sleep time in the bank. The other thing to consider is that the > veteran randos that attend the Populaire treat it like a social gathering. > It's really a medium distance training ride for a lot of them. They'll > bring their spouses or children. Some will ride a more leisurely bike than > they would for a brevet. I'm planning on riding my Bombadil for the SFR > Populaire later this month, and I'll pack a full on picnic. > > Without question THE best part of randonneuring is the people. Be > yourself, relax and do what you are comfortable doing. The camaraderie and > supporting atmosphere you'll find at every speed echelon will be the thing > that has you planning out your first 200 (and beyond). > > > > > > > > On Tuesday, March 6, 2012 9:55:39 AM UTC-8, NickBull wrote: > > > Since randonneuring is unsupported, long-distance bike riding, it is > > appropriate to show up with whatever you would normally take on a long solo > > bike ride. That way, if you run into trouble, you don't have to slow > > someone else down to help you. Just take what you'd normally take and wear > > what you'd normally wear and eat what you'd normally eat on a long ride. > > No guarantees of course, but chances are you'll find someone who rides at a > > compatible pace who you can chat with to help the miles go by. In my > > experience, randonneurs are welcoming and helpful to newcomers. And there > > are all sorts of different "styles" of randonneuring bikes, some people > > ride carbon-fiber racing bikes with narrow tires while others ride metal > > bikes, some with narrow tires, some with wide. I've been riding on 650Bx42 > > Hetres for the last little while. The Grand Bois 700x32's are a very nice, > > fast tire, but possibly slightly more flat-prone than something like your > > Marathon Supremes, though I've gotten flats with both. I'd much prefer to > > ride on a fast tire and fix the occasional flat than to ride on a sluggish > > tire that is "flat proof". But based on your comments, it seems like you > > really don't like handling flats, so then that would gravitate toward using > > a "flat proof" tire. > > > Nick > > > On Tuesday, March 6, 2012 12:09:17 PM UTC-5, Smitty-A-Go-Go wrote: > > >> I'm thinking of riding in a 100k populaire in a couple weeks. I know it's > >> not a tremendous distance but it'll be my first rando event and my longest > >> ride ever. > > >> I plan to do it on my Hilsen... I've got the necessary reflectors, lights > >> (battery), fenders, and a small sackville saddle bag + front trunk sack to > >> carry stuff. > > >> I've got 40mm Marathon Supremes on there now. I imagine I'd be the only > >> one with 40mm tires. Not that that's a deal breaker but I've been > >> contemplating getting a set of faster tires and this seems like as good a > >> reason as any to make a purchase. What sort of tires do people normally > >> ride on such an event? I love all the Schwalbes I've had and am tempted to > >> get Kojaks out of brand loyalty. I was also eyeing the 32mm Grand Bois > >> Cypress on Jan's site. As far as I can tell Jan is the rando guy and I > >> can't imagine he'd sell crappy tires. > > >> What sort of foods do people eat? I'd rather avoid things in the power > >> goo and protein pudding food group. I went for a ride with some roadie > >> types a few weeks ago and brought dates as my snack. I was keeping up ok > >> before I ate the dates but the dates sat heavy in my belly and I became a > >> slug. > > >> How extensive of a tool kit do people generally bring on a ride like > >> this? I generally carry more tools than I've ever really needed on the > >> road. Flats are really my only stop-me-in-my-tracks roadside repair I've > >> had to deal with. I'm tempted to minimize the tool kit but don't want to go > >> too small. > > >> I realize the ride is short enough that I could probably get by doing > >> business as usual and get through it but thought I'd solicit advice from > >> those who have gone before. Perhaps I could appear more sophisticated than > >> I really am. Any thoughts or advice... food, tire, tool, or otherwise... > >> would > >> be appreciated. > > >> Oh yeah, FWIW... the ride is the OR Randonneurs Brewpub > >> Popularie<http://www.orrandonneurs.org/rba/2012/Brewpub/Brewpub_Info.html> > > >> Thanks, Smitty -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
