Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - I must have lost my mind...

As some of you may have seen in the road cycling forum, I have decided to do the Texas Time Trials 24 hour event not on my CF Giant, not on my Planet X TT bike, but on this 55 pound beast:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid214/p25c0a09a2556a732e18c8238c2c82c03/ed24ae46.jpg

My LBS dared me to try it, and I am nowhere near placing in JMC, so I figured why not try it and raise some money for charity. The bike shop then decided to pitch in and modify the bike for better "rideability".

It is a 7 speed Shimano Altus with 48T front, 18 to 20 center, and 34-11T rear. The cranks were changed to 172.5's and look pedals attached. The seat was changed to something easier to sit on, and the front wheel was changed to a lower drag rim with a really good hub. I tested it in the parking lot, and in the 14T rear was able to get it to 22.3mph in about 100 yards. I can't wait to see how fast it is on downhills!! I am also making a fake gas tank that will hold a CamelBak. :roflmao:

Anyway, I just thought you other LD peeps might get a good laugh out of my total brain lapse... wish me luck!!!
BTW, I am hoping for at least 150 miles, but would LOVE to get a double century or better. It is a hilly course. Here are some more pics too:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid214/pafe1e293e5f55bf0a392f65575490341/ed24abe1.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid214/p0a467ab759d9719c9751b01416db03d2/ed24a96c.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid214/pe7caa598ddbede9bffcbefb667a414b0/ed24a74c.jpg

Probably no worse than doing it on a mountain bike. I've seen tons of people do that. Actually saw a guy do a century on a tandem with only one rider once. Bet this thing will scream down the hills! You should put some playing cards in the spokes for the realistic engine sound. :-)

I will be looking forward to passing you a few times. Hopefully more than a few times. This will be my first 24hr event and I have no idea how it will go. My goal is 300 but who knows for sure. Good luck and I will see you there.

Steve

Hopefully your arms don't fall asleep.....

Hopefully your arms don't fall asleep.....

:lol: Yeah, I thought about that. I have a few different hand positions and will probably change bar positions a few times.

As for passing me, I hope you do too, but remember on the downhills...on your left...

I'll also be doing the 24 hour TTTT race. It'll be fun seeing your bike there. Good luck to you.

Well I went out for the "maiden voyage" and found a few problems. First, the seat that I tried to fit on broke 3.5 miles in, so back to the drawing board there. Second, the re-gearing has made hills nearly impossible unless I develop some huge quads soon. The smallest gear is equivalent to a 56-34, which wouldn't be bad if the bike wasn't over 55 pounds.

For the good news though, on the flats, it rolls very easily at a nice 20 mph pace, and I had it up to 33.5 with a very slight downhill. So, if I can conquer the seat and hill problems, it might do okay. If not, I will be doing a lot of walking in Texas next month... :lol:

I love the instrument panel, but since weight is not an issue, what about a 7 inch monitor to feed the garmin data to the larger display... and the camelback gas tank is an awesome idea.

You could then take a picture while you are going downhill at 75MPH... :D