Brevet Bikes / Gear

[bmike]

I'm packing my gear for the Boston 600k this coming weekend and started thinking about gear, lists, bags, racks, fenders, GPS and all the goodies I see other people using on the road. I rarely have the presence of mind to seriously check out peoples bikes and gear en route - and when I get to controls I tend to take a quick peak and never remember some of the things I've seen...

So...

Let's share our Brevet / Randoneuring Equipment / Bikes / Gear / Lists here.
Photos are welcome! Show off your ride, loaded or not, for your typical Brevet.
I'll post a few of mine as I stage my gear tonight for loading into the car.

Examples might include Machka's authorative list of gear, cue sheet contraptions, GPS, bags, water carrying solutions, checklists, and pics of wonderful bicycles "rigged" for brevet riding.

I'm curious, and love seeing what works for others.


[edit: lets keep this Brevet and Randoneurring specific]
[edit: I know some of this stuff may be scattered throughout the forum - but now that we have a LD category, I thought we could consolidate some of the good stuff into 1 post]

[Machka]

Good idea ... and maybe this should be a sticky. Many of the other forums have a bicycles and gear sticky.


Well .... you've already mentioned my list, so here it is: http://www.machka.net/packinglist.htm

It's a list with a 1200K surrounded by a tour in mind ..... so obviously you wouldn't bring the camping stuff or the "civvies" on a brevet or randonnee, but most of the rest of it accompanies me on my brevets and randonnees.

[supcom]

In addition to the normal tire repair and multitool, I always take a small backpacking medical kit, an ultralight rain suit, and two shower caps (one for my helmet and one for the saddle). If it's cold at the start I take both long and short finger gloves and change accordingly. I use a Carradice Pendle saddlebag so I have plenty of room to store cold weather clothing if/when it warms up.

For flat repair, I take one spare tube, a patch kit, tire levers, and a road morph pump. I don't bother with CO2 cartridges as the road morph will easily get to normal pressure and saving two minutes isn't worth the cost and weight of the cartridges.

I also usually take a camera and a GPS. I like the GPS primarily for recording a timestamped track that can be merged with digital pictures so I have a record of where each photo was taken.

[spokenword]

this is a picture taken at the Springfield train station the day before doing the Westfield 400k. The panniers had clothes for the motel stay and some additional repair gear that I wasn't going to bring on the brevet.

The bike is a relatively stock 2004 Trek 520 touring bike. 52/42/30 crank with an 11-32 cassette gives me plenty of top end for descents while also letting me spin my way up the hills that we have to do in New England brevets. The only thing that's changed on the bike since this picture is a swapped saddle (Specialized BG Indie) and a new battery operated 5-LED lamp on the front fork. There's a Blackburn 3-LED taillight on the left chainstay that's obscured by the panniers. Hopefully, it should be an example for folks that you don't need a dyno-hubbed, GPS-equipped, custom jobbie for long-range endurance riding. Any bike should do, so long as it's comfortable and durable. Rest of the spec.

Front wheel: Bontrager Maverick rim with 36 spokes laced to Deore LX hub, 37mm Continental Top Touring tire

Rear wheel: Sun CR18 rim with 36 spokes laced to Deore LX hub, 32mm Pasela T-Serv tire.

Drivetrain: SRAM 970 11-32 cassette w/ Deore LX rear derailleur, Shimano 105 front derailleur with 52/42/30 105 Crankset.

Shifters: Shimano Dura-Ace barcons.

Brakeset: Avid Single-Digit 5 w/ DiaCompe 287 levers. Salmon Kool-stop Brakepads.

Steering: Cane Creek headset, w/ Bontrager Race 7 stem, Bontrager Select handlebars and Specialized black gel tape.

Accessories: Zefal HP-X frame pump, Cateye Mity8 computer, Planet Bike fenders, Shimano 520 pedals.

My standard loadout for a brevet is as follows:

Arkel handlebar bag:
Ziploc Bag 1 (keys, phone, wallet)
Ziploc Bag 2 (6x clif shots)
Case for sunglasses with interchangeable lenses
4x Clif Bars
Ziploc Bag 3 (nuts, grapes, raisins)
3 packets of Gatorade powder

Axiom trunk bag
Ziploc Bag 4 (spare cue sheets and brevet card)
reflective vest for night riding
reflective ankle and wrist straps
two spare tubes
patch kit
multitool
2 tire levers
1 Fiber-Fix kevlar spoke replacement
Ziploc Bag 5 (Digital Camera, PDA)
headlamp and battery
Marmot rain jacket
Pearl Izumi AmFib Leg warmers
Two bungee cords
Small roll of duct tape
One handipack of tissues

Added for a 400K and 600K
one box of ginseng tea
Ziploc Bag 6 (chain lube)

1.5 L Nalgene Hydration pack

[bmike]

It's been awhile since I did a brevet, but I've been testing the new bike and gear, getting everything tuned in for next season. I've got several centuries and numerous 70+ mile days in the Green Mountains on the new ride, and just recently added the fenders.

The bike is my IF ClubRacer
I've added Scwalbe Marathon 28's. Not sure if I like them.
Fenders are Honjo's, smooth.
Lights are dual E6's powered by a Schmidt (I've also got a Cateye thingy that mounts on the fork as a front blinkie)

I love the Ortlieb gear. Everything I have of theirs is waterproof (I've ridden in plenty of rain lately).
Seat pack is the medium version. I also have the large which I used for last season's brevet's without the h-bar bag.

[Road Rash]

I have two bikes I use for long distances. Pictured below is my Trek 720 which I built up on July 4th this year. The bike is a garage sale find. I kept the original bottom bracket and cranks, although I changed the front gearing from a 50/45/28 to a 50/34. I changed from the 27" wheels to Sun CR18 700C and changed the stem to a Nitto Pearl with Nitto 176 handlebars and Dia Compe aero Brake Levers. I also added a 105 front derailler and Ultegra Rear Derailer, with an Ultegra 9 speed rear cassette and Shimano 9 Speed STI Barcons. The Brake Calipers are Cheap Tektro Cantilevers with Aztek pads.

The original Blackburn Rack is mounted. For most rides I use the seatbag that is pictured and a stuffsack that I put on the rack to handle clothing. For some events I add a handlebar bag to hold a cue sheet.

[brunop]

hey bmike! yer bike is sick dude!! way sick! (i mean that in the surfer/skater way!). visited mine at the IF factory the other day. should be ready to build up soon!

[danimal123]

Bmike:

Sweet bike! 2 Questions:

1. How do you get the handlebar bag on without interfering w/ your shifter cables? Those are brifters, I'm assuming, and on my bike the cables (where they go into the brifter) really get in the way of my handlebar bag.
2. Is it just me or do you have that bike in the large chainring and one of your larger rear gears? The tensioner on your rear derailer looks really taut.

Dan

[Marcello]

1. How do you get the handlebar bag on without interfering w/ your shifter cables? Those are brifters, I'm assuming, and on my bike the cables (where they go into the brifter) really get in the way of my handlebar bag.

If you look closely at the picture, you see that the shifters are Campagnolo Record, which have very clean lines and shifter cables that run under the bar tape. I have never tried them, but they look so much nicer than Shimano brifters. I don't think you will have problems with the handlebar bag being in the way of the shifter cables if you use the Campagnolo shifters.

[bmike]

Bmike:

Sweet bike! 2 Questions:

1. How do you get the handlebar bag on without interfering w/ your shifter cables? Those are brifters, I'm assuming, and on my bike the cables (where they go into the brifter) really get in the way of my handlebar bag.
2. Is it just me or do you have that bike in the large chainring and one of your larger rear gears? The tensioner on your rear derailer looks really taut.

Dan

Thanks.... been awhile since I logged in!


Campy Ergolevers makes routing clean....

... and I'm probably in a 50x22 there - I'm running a 13-29 rear cassette.

[Paul L.]

Ok, Lets see, a Bacchetta Strada High Racer Recumbent is my platform. It has a Carbon Fiber seat. Depending on my mood I run a double waterbottle holder strapped to it, or a homemade hydration pack that straps behind the seat. Seatbag that straps to the seat behind me (holds just about everything I need).
Shimano 3n71 dynohub with homeade quad LuxeonIII LED light.
Princetontec EOS headlamp as a backup (lighter than the cateye and almost as good)
Spare derailleur cable
Maltodextrin mixed with endurolytes in Ziplock baggies to supplement food along the way
Multi-Tool with an incorporated Chain tool (Crank Brothers)
Carbon fiber mini-pump (did use a road morph but I have been experimenting with this one as my gatorskins don't flat much)
extra tube
Patch kit
Folding Tire
Key to locking hubs
GPS
Bike Computer/HRM
Depending on the weather forecast-
Rainpants
Windstopper wind/rain jacket (if it is raining hard enough to get through this I figure I will likely be soaked anyway or I can incorporate a trash bag)
Leg warmers
Tights
Full fingered gloves or winter gloves (This might be changing to mittens as I just changed to bar end shifters and don't need my fingers for shifting anymore).

[vik]

Ok, Lets see, a Bacchetta Strada High Racer Recumbent is my platform. It has a Carbon Fiber seat.

Nice bike! If $5K landed in my lap I'd buy a Bacchetta Aero. Do you see many 'bents on your brevets?

[markw]

Here's a nice Brevet Aero setup.

http://escapevelocipede.blogspot.com...09/stable.html

I use a Corsa myself. Didn't have the cash for the Aero. I've done a couple centuries, 2 200k's and the Davis Double this year on the Corsa with a brainbox. I like his light setup, had I been thinking I'd have done the disc brake SON also, instead I went the standard route with a single lumotec.

[vik]

Here's a nice Brevet Aero setup.

http://escapevelocipede.blogspot.com...09/stable.html

I use a Corsa myself. Didn't have the cash for the Aero. I've done a couple centuries, 2 200k's and the Davis Double this year on the Corsa with a brainbox. I like his light setup, had I been thinking I'd have done the disc brake SON also, instead I went the standard route with a single lumotec.

Ya Micheal's bike is sweet. I was going to order a SON disc hub with dual E6s, but then I decided to get the Solidlights 1203D instead of the E6s. No bulbs to replace and a lot of the UK Audax crowd seems to prefer them.

Solidlights 1203D

ACF Audax UK 1203D Discussion

Either way I don't think you can go wrong.

[Paul L.]

Nice bike! If $5K landed in my lap I'd buy a Bacchetta Aero. Do you see many 'bents on your brevets?

There is a guy with a Rans Force 5 xp that shows up but hasn't shown up to any since dropping out of the 400k last year (that was a pretty wild ride- http://www.lamanchadesign.com/brevet...11_13_2006.htm )
I turned out to be the first recumbent to finish the 600k route in the Arizona series (he had knee trouble last year when he tried it and I had back trouble from my upright bike which caused me to skip the 600k but led me to the Strada which I rode the 600k on this year).

I like the dual headlight idea on the Aero Brevet setup. I may look at splitting my Luxeon IIIs to either side of the fork and mounting them with closed cell foam and zip ties.

[bmike]

hey bmike! yer bike is sick dude!! way sick! (i mean that in the surfer/skater way!). visited mine at the IF factory the other day. should be ready to build up soon!

tx!

photos please when you get yours ready to ride...

[vik]

There is a guy with a Rans Force 5 xp that shows up but hasn't shown up to any since dropping out of the 400k last year (that was a pretty wild ride- http://www.lamanchadesign.com/brevet...11_13_2006.htm )
I turned out to be the first recumbent to finish the 600k route in the Arizona series (he had knee trouble last year when he tried it and I had back trouble from my upright bike which caused me to skip the 600k but led me to the Strada which I rode the 600k on this year).

I like the dual headlight idea on the Aero Brevet setup. I may look at splitting my Luxeon IIIs to either side of the fork and mounting them with closed cell foam and zip ties.

Is mounting fenders on the Strada or Aero a big deal? You may not need 'em in AZ, but does the bike have enough clearance if you wanted to put some on?

[Paul L.]

Is mounting fenders on the Strada or Aero a big deal? You may not need 'em in AZ, but does the bike have enough clearance if you wanted to put some on?

You would be amazed. That 400k ride report has me crossing rivers across the road that going up to the bottom brackets of other riders. The carbon seat keeps nearly all water off of my back, the thick tube stops most of the water from the front wheel. As far as mounting fenders the back wouldn't be an issue, the front would probably take a set of raceblades. Granted no one wants to draft me but not a lot of riders use fenders around here anyway so drafting usually breaks apart in the rain. Incidentally, in 2 out of 2 years of the Arizona Brevets at least one ride has featured rain and last years was epic rain with snow forecast at the turnaround after sunset, I was the last one out of town that night and it was really cold and rainy but the O2 rain pants worked good and the garbage bag I was wearing made a huge difference. The majority of riders quit at the turnaround after battling nuclear headwinds for 130 miles. The tailwind after turning around was awesome, just wish it would have lasted all the way back.

When I say nuclear I mean I got blown off the road in a 50 mph gust at one point and nearly blown off on several other occasions. I mean people climbing false flats in the smallest ring of a triple chainring and having their front wheel come off the ground like they were climbing a 20 degree grade. Add rain and cold temperatures to this and you have it. I have never been looked at by so many people who thought I was completely nuts as I was on that ride.

[Jellyroll]

Bmike:

Sweet bike! 2 Questions:

1. How do you get the handlebar bag on without interfering w/ your shifter cables? Those are brifters, I'm assuming, and on my bike the cables (where they go into the brifter) really get in the way of my handlebar bag.Dan

Here is one example how to install the cables. Add two aluminium stubs to end of cabeles. Stubs are from V-brake cable set.

http://www.adamk.ca/tourbike.htm

[Tmax1]

Sunrise saturday,
I was biking the backroads,
lost in the moment..

Nice haiku...