Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - 53-39 for PBP??

Will a double chainring in front (53-39) and a 12-30 cassette be OK for the hills in PBP or do I absolutely need a triple??

I ride/train 5000+ miles/yr., but it's pretty flat, so hills aren't my thing. Just want to know if I need to start shopping around, cause it'd mean I'd need a triple AND a long-cage derailer. I'm hoping the 30-tooth cassette and the 39-tooth chainring will be low enough.

Thanks,

Dan

The hills on the PBP aren't long (most of them), but they are steep, and they go on for the entire 1200K. The whole ride is uphill, downhill, uphill, downhill.

I was extremely happy with my low gear of 30x34 (chainring: 53-42-30; cassette: 11-34) ... by the end, I just stayed in the 30 and flipped a bit back and forth in the cassette.


I will mention though that I did very little hill training before the PBP because I lived in Manitoba where there are no hills. I'm still working on learning to climb the things.

But there are people who do the ride on single speeds and fixed gears!!

Thanks, Machka!
I'm in South Florida, so I know what you mean about hills....I don't get enough practice on those things, either!

As I get ready for next year's brevets, I'll probably have more questions. I wish there were brevets longer than 200K close by, but the nearest 300-600K brevets don't start until next January and even those are a 4-5 hr. drive away. Until Jan. it's just 200K's and centuries.

Thanks,

Dan




The hills on the PBP aren't long (most of them), but they are steep, and they go on for the entire 1200K. The whole ride is uphill, downhill, uphill, downhill.

I was extremely happy with my low gear of 30x34 (chainring: 53-42-30; cassette: 11-34) ... by the end, I just stayed in the 30 and flipped a bit back and forth in the cassette.


I will mention though that I did very little hill training before the PBP because I lived in Manitoba where there are no hills. I'm still working on learning to climb the things.

But there are people who do the ride on single speeds and fixed gears!!

Thanks, Machka!
I'm in South Florida, so I know what you mean about hills....I don't get enough practice on those things, either!

As I get ready for next year's brevets, I'll probably have more questions. I wish there were brevets longer than 200K close by, but the nearest 300-600K brevets don't start until next January and even those are a 4-5 hr. drive away. Until Jan. it's just 200K's and centuries.

Thanks,

Dan


The Randonneur season usually pretty much wraps up by mid-June or early-July. Just when the racing crowd is getting started, we're done!! :D

And I know what you mean about the distances to get to the events. Where I live, for all but one 200K (which I'm hosting) I have to travel anywhere from 2-3 hours to get to the start of the "local" brevets .... and I'm toying with the idea of riding a 600K in one of the provinces on either side of me next year which will probably involve a flight or a full day's drive.

Keep doing those 200Ks and centuries though ... they are great practice for the longer rides.

I've been running a 53/39 double for all of my randonneuring with an 11-23 cassette. I can't say I've yet run into anyone else running this gearing, but it's worked for me. Of course, I'm an idiot and I actually enjoy climbing more than descending! :eek:

I plan on running this gearing next year at PBP. So look forward to a post in 14 months requesting a referral to a good orthopod to reconstruct my knees. ;)

My first PBP used 50-38 & 12-24. My second used a two speed, 71" and 53". Plenty do it on fixed (usually close to 70") but if you are from Florida, a wider range will be ... more comfortable.