Road Cycling - Best type of bike for Randonneuring

I'm looking to get into long distance unsupported endurance cycling, better known as randonneuring. Anyone here have experience with this type of riding? As fate would have it my new interest coincides with my need for a new bike. What type of bike is best suited for this type of riding? I currently ride a Trek 520 touring bike. It's a great bike and certainly capable of going the distance. The problem is it's heavy. It's best suited for loaded touring, not riding the distances called for in Brevets in the allotted time. Not that it couldn't be done. But as my Trek is best suited for loaded touring what bikes are best suited for this type of riding?

airborne bikes makes a few of their titanium bikes with what is called "audax geometry". It is basically longer chainstays, and they add on a few braze-ons to the frame. I think that if I were to do a brevet, thats what I would go for...

In the 2003 PBP (Paris-Brest-Paris -- the Mecca of randonneuring), there were such a great variety of bikes. One kick bike, several recumbents, tandems, etc. The English riders particularly had older heavy bikes. Some even appeared to be cobbled together from various brands.

My daughter (who went to PBP and finished) rode a Marinoni (a Canadian built steel frame bike). In 2002 she rode the RM1200 on a Giant (aluminum frame). I have done several brevets, too. One on an Italian steel bike and the others on a Trek 2000 (aluminum).

The steel bikes give better flexing and thus a little better comfort. The aluminum bikes are slightly lighter.

If you go too exotic, you may find a little more difficulty in getting the thing repaired while on the road.

My own suggestion is an aluminum bike with at least 105 groupo with eyelets for a rear rack and braze-ons for at least two water bottles. Get a good lighting system. Get a good rear bag (not panniers) and a small front bag where you can keep your munchies.

Here's the bottom line: be sure you get a bike that fits you.

I rode a full brevet series (200,300,400,600km) last year and also rode Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP). I think a lot of different kinds of bikes can be used for brevets. The key is getting something that you can sit on all day long and is reliable. I went with my old road bike (1986) over my new road bike (2002) for a number of reasons...

1) Down-tube levers. Less likely to fail than STI and have back-up friction mode.

2) More comfortable saddle (Selle Italia Turbo).

3) Higher handlebars. Also has quill stem allowing easy height adjustment during the ride if needed.

Tom,

I don't know how your Trek 520 is set up, if you like its comfort and if you currently do touring or other heavily loaded rides, but you might prefer to improve on the Trek 520 to make it more tour worthy and randonneur worthy at the same time.

1. Gears.
If your bike has the original setup (52-40-30 and 12-32), it might be a good idea to get smaller rings for touring. A setup with 48-38-24 (or 26) would give you smaller gears... and will also lower the 52/11 ratio that one rarely uses even in a downhill. You might even customise a bit more the touring wheel with something like the Cyclotouriste 14 cassette (14-30 or 14-34).
However, when randonneuring, especially with 48-38-24, use a more compact cassette like a 12-25.

2. Tires
Use narrower high pressure tires. Nobody says that 700x25 or 700x28 tires don't work on a Trek 520. If you fit such narrow tires, you'll find that your bike flies. Of course, potholes will also be larger, but for randonneuring, that could be a great option.
A sort of happy medium would be to use 700x28 slicks in front for most activities, but use 700x32 on the rear wheel (or go one notch narrower if your roads are smooth).

3. Wheels
One way to achieve easily the 2 sizes of tires is to have two sets of wheels. A wider touring wheel with low gears, and a narrower randonneur wheel with a more compact cassette.

4. Lighting
For daytime brevets, batteries are OK, especially with the newer LED technology. But for nighttime, nothing beats a Schmidt dynohub. Alas, it makes wheel swapping more expensive... but so would be a second bike if both are equipped with Schmidt dynohubs.

5. Rack and Panniers
Unless you have very heavy racks, they are OK. However, using small panniers or a trunk rack or a saddlebag would decrease the air resistance and the weight you carry.



Regards,

I'm looking to get into long distance unsupported endurance cycling, better known as randonneuring. Anyone here have experience with this type of riding? As fate would have it my new interest coincides with my need for a new bike. What type of bike is best suited for this type of riding? I currently ride a Trek 520 touring bike. It's a great bike and certainly capable of going the distance. The problem is it's heavy. It's best suited for loaded touring, not riding the distances called for in Brevets in the allotted time. Not that it couldn't be done. But as my Trek is best suited for loaded touring what bikes are best suited for this type of riding?

Well, one of our local riders did the Paris-Brest-Paris last year. He rides what looks like a mountain bike with dropped bars and big old tires (could be something exotic like a hybrid, I saw him on the road and riding next to someone at 20 mph is not a great time to closely examine the bike). At anyrate, his bike had to weigh as much or more then your Trek. I have commuted and done extensive night riding.

For Randonneuring you need low gears. Those guys don't like hammering hills. So the Trek is fine here.

You want large tires. At night, you may hit a pothole or run over a road kill or something. You don't want to be on 20 mm. The Trek is fine here too.

You want a comfortable bike. I would think a touring bike with its relaxed geometry would be good also.

You want something that will carry enough gear so you can do a long ride and be able to put on a rain suit of something. Touring bikes let you have a caboose.

You might be able to find something better then your Trek 500 but it seems to me that it is pretty close to ideal for randonneuring. Why not give it a shot? After awhile, you may decide you need to tweak things, but then you will know exactly what you want and need.

Check out this site: http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/raaminformation/info.htm

and it talks a lot about what you are asking. I understand the 'beam' bikes are preferred by a lot of raam riders...

You guys are killing me. The way it's suppose to work, is you all say the 520 is horrible for randonneuring. Then I print out out your responses and show them to my wife and say "See honey, everyone agrees that I need a new bike." Then I'm off to the LBS checkbook in hand.
Seriously, thanks for the input. I think the recommendation to give the 520 a shot is good advise. Maybe I'll hold off on the new bike until I have a better handle on my needs. Thanks to all for your thoughts.

In the UK, the standardd "audax" bike is lightweight steel, with clearance for 28mm tyres, although 25 are more commonly used. Braze-ons for rack, fenders and 2x bottle, and lightweight wheels.
Audax bikes are lighter than 520-style loaded touring bikes, and are usually equipped with a road triple (30/40/50).
sjscycles.com have an extensive range and lots of good info.

nothing beats a Schmidt dynohub

Don't want to divert the thread, but on the topic of brevets etc., what can you tell me about this hub. Where did you buy it? How do you think it may compare with the Shimano, which Sheldon lists for $58.00 U.S. I understand that there are no parts available for the Shimano version, what about the Schmidt version. Thank You.