Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Bike recommendations needed for MS-150

My wife and I will be doing our first MS-150 in March (Houston - Austin). She does not have a bike. I am looking for recommendations for a good bike for her to start training on and also would be a good choice for doing an MS-150. I do not mind spending a little extra money if it will be worth it.

I am hoping that if we start training this month, we should be be in good enough shape to ride and hopefully finish without injury :eek:

Thanks

Well, that's a hard question to answer. This type of ride can be done with just about any bike. Just needs to fit properly. Also depends on how much riding she'll do after the 150. If not much or none, then I wouldn't spend much on a bike and would get something more relaxed like a hybrid. If more, then maybe buy an entry level road bike. Take her to your local bike shops and try out a few bikes. I'm sure you'll be able to find something that'll work fine there. She'll be able to get a proper fitting from the store also which will make a huge difference.

To back up knobster's point that the ride can be done on just about any bike -- the MS-150 was my first introduction to long distance riding and I did it on a $300 Trek 720 hybrid. I've seen other cyclists do it on Schwinn singlespeed cruisers (unfortunately sans tassels).

I did it years ago on an a Raleigh, my riding buddies on a (in order of newness and price) Nishiki, Peugot, and Huffy MTB.
(we were riding in Ohio... out to Sandusky from Cleveland - pretty flat - make sure the gearing on the new bike will work with her fitness and terrain)

Go to a reputable shop and try to get the fit right - if she's uncomfortable after her body gets used to riding it will be hard to convince to stay with it.

Here's an idea if you want to do the extra work: When looking for the bike, find one that you can later put fenders and racks on. That way if both of you get long distance/touring bug, you can equip it with those accessories.

Another idea that will work if she rides the same sized-bike you do, is to buy her your dream bike. If she stops riding, you have a new ride.:D

I agree with the above posters, above all get a bike that fits. I've ridden 5 of the MS150s and I would recommend a triple chainring, unless shes a really strong rider, it gets pretty hilly on the second half of the first day and around Bastrop the second day and a wider range of gears will help. Also, carbon forks and seat stays will absorb alot of the road chatter over the two days.

Start training as soon as possible, three or four rides a week to build endurance. Hit as many of the organized training rides as possible come February to get used to riding in large groups. The MS150s are a blast to ride and very rewarding. If I can help, don't hesitate to contact me.

Good Luck, Train Hard, and See Ya' in LaGrange!

Thanks for all of the advice. I am a bit of an obesesive nerd when it comes to buying things. I usually research it to death and then go crazy on finding the absoulte best deal. In this case I will take the advice and hit the local bike shop down the street from me. I have been wanting to give them some business. This way her ride has a good fit along with the features froggmann mentioned and I get a new shop to fix my ride when I hurt it.

I don't know for sure ,but a guy at the bike shop told me if your not signed up by January it's to late.Might be a good idea to check on it.Have fun,George

I am hoping that if we start training this month, we should be be in good enough shape to ride and hopefully finish without injury :eek:
If you need tips on a training regimen, the MS Society has a proposed schedule that I found to be rather helpful when I was starting out.

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/mam/event/event_detail.asp?e=8825

It presumes that you have the time to train almost every day (with one day off for rest). If your schedule is too busy to accomodate that sort of pace, I've found that you won't lose too much conditioning if you scale back and just, say, ride every other day. The important rides to do are the Saturday distance rides, and a couple of brisk or standard pace rides during the week.

(btw, three months is plenty of time to get ready if you're a beginner)

good luck and have fun!

Here is a list of rides that you can do as well....to get prepaired...

http://www.ms150.org/ms150/riding/recommended_rides.cfm

Here is another calendar....

http://www.ms150.org/ms150/calendar/index.cfm

I rode my Mtn bike my first year so anything can be ridden....there is a guy here that pretty much does it on his unicycle...my question is what kind of riding does she want to do after the ride? Down by the river every other weekend or around the edition then lean twords a hybrid....if she is thinking about getting in to road riding look for a road bike....

You can get a great bike for just under a grand....

Get her at least one pair of padded shorts as well! This may help her avoid the deal breaker.....seams rubbing where seams shouldn't rub!

Don't forget about Craig's List, Houston, either!

I wanted to second Critterpace's comment about a bike that can take fenders. I rode in the MS-150 this past year, in the rain, and I was glad to have fenders on my bike.

And like everyone else said, your level of fitness is probably more important than the bike. In my group, there were fixed gear bikes, steel touring bikes, road bikes, and mountain bikes. We all finished in reasonable times.

Yeah I agree. I'm planning on doing my long rides like the MS-150's on a steel touring bike. It's got fenders and a rack and it's comfortable. Yeah, not flashy, but I'm not a member of the OCP.

I did the MS-150 for the first time this year and it started in rain. I had the PlanetBike Speed-Ez fenders on my roadbike which helped a lot.

You just can't get too close to the people in front of you who do not have fenders.