Eire Mick

So the Tour De Palm Springs is coming up in February and I'm going to ride it. I'm deciding whether to do 55 mi. route or the 102 mi. route on my my Felt TK3. I'm not It sounds like fun and the challenge is eminent. A little dough for charity is always nice too.

I'd like to hear from anyone whose gone on long rides on the fg. I've never ridden more than about 60 mi. in one sitting so some training is in order, but this seems like a good excuse to get the milage up. Bring it.

BTW, might be cool to get some FG riders out there to represent. If you're interested, check it out.

https://tourdepalmsprings.com/home

pjb

I think quite a few of us have done centuries here. I did 110 miles this october and posted about it and it seemed that longer rides were pretty common. I say go for the 102 and good luck. You'll be fine. I'd do too it if I weren't stuck in Chicago.

bgblue1978

I've done a couple of centuries and ms150's fixed gear. they are fun and you always meet a lot of people who are curious about fixed gear. Go for the 100

kimolop

Normally, I ride between 50 and 60 miles on the weekends too. When the occasional century comes up, I don't have any problems with it. I make sure I don't start out too fast and eat a couple of peanut butter and jellys on the way. Have fun!

Eire Mick

Awesome. I'm on it. The century it is. I've been thinking about doing it for a while so now I'm stoked to have it to look forward to. Hopefully this'll lead to more intense rides. Thanks.

Wake

It depends on the hills for me. I commute with a SS and ride in the 14-20mph range and average ~15, which isn't too much different than I would on a geared century. Here in KY there are very few centuries without plenty of hills, though, so I haven't done one (yet).

tFUnK

depends on how much climbing is involved. but many have done centuries on a fg. if you want to do it just to do it, go for it. but sometimes it's nice to be able to coast or drop down a gear or two to battle headwind.

WickedOne513

Hear someone talking about the MS150, I am looking at doing the one in Columbia Missouri and they bring up the option of doing 100 mile loop on both days. Has anyone tried this, basically doing a back to back century. I want to do it on my FG didnt know if people have done this

vw addict

Have you done a back to back century on a geared bike? Advil will be your best friend.

Sixty Fiver

The gearing you use might have to be different for a century and if you have a double stepped hub you can work on gear selection... a high gear in the low 70' s and a low around 60 is a good way to go.

dookie

again, how much climb? i have done back-to-back fixed centuries in our local ms150, but the course is dead flat the whole way and the wind was pretty light that weekend. 46x16 (~76") with a moving average of ~21mph.

worst part is not being able to coast to catch a stretch. i recommend 25c tires.

rustybrown

Century, bro.

Just cruise, you're in no hurry. Stay hydrated and feed your hunger.

Light ride the day before, just to "warm" the legs. Save your energy for the century. Mile 88, your legs will thank you.

adriano 

when i think missouri, i think flat. show me, yay or nay?

Yalc

just train for it, make sure your bike has a proper fit, drink lots of water and eat food. Iv done many 100+ rides on my old bianchi pista, and a few more on my surly steam roller. The tk3 is a bit more aggressive, might want to make up for it with steam and seat height, but just make sure it isn't pain full.

rustybrown

Ozarks?

adriano 

i wouldnt recommend it if going through the ozarks.

dsh

I can't tell if you've never done a century, or just never done one fixed.

Either way, really concentrate on managing your effort. Especially after 10 miles or so when you're fully warmed up and feeling like a million bucks.
If it's the kind of big organized century where there will be lots of pacelines flying by, it will probably be tempting to try and latch on to one. Which, while fun, means you will have the pace dictated to you instead of the other way around. Which is a recipe for bonking at 75 miles.

polobreaka

how does your ass feel during a century ride? ive always wanted to do one, but im afraid my ass wont like it.

WickedOne513

I live in the Ozarks, lol but the MS 150 is in Columbia, Mo

I will be riding with friends some of which have MTN bikes so I am expecting a slow spread

PluperfectArson

A century is not as bad as one would think on a fixed gear.

I did Beaverton, OR, to Astoria, OR, with a 48x16 gearing, which I do not recommend if the course is somewhat hilly. I hated my life going through the mountains.

Kol.klink

except for


its a bit of plus to be on fixie as long as the terrain is relatively flat, but i found getting up out the saddle towards the end of the ride to kinda more trouble than it was worth and my balls paid the price, if you're riding in hilly terrain i would recommend a double fixed hub so you can change up the gear toward the latter half of the ride.

But go for it, you won't regret it.

tcs

When Thomas Stevens arrived in Liverpool to continue his around the world bicycle ride, he was met by several members of the local cycle club who had ridden century and double century rides the year before. This was in the spring of 1885.

Jack London used to ride 75 miles on Saturday afternoons to visit his girlfriend and ride back home on Sunday afternoons. This was in the mid-1890s.

evilcryalotmore

Im doing that ride but with the roadie.

PedallingATX

I don't think the FG aspect is much of an obstacle, but if you're riding a TK3 you should optimmize your fit for comfort. Flip that stem (no, no...the other way)

EDIT: If you do adjust the fit, make sure to do a reasonably long ride a few days or so beforehand to make sure it's comfy.

CliftonGK1

Yeeha that's a steep gear; but if it's a flattish course and you can haul ass, then go for it.

I've done a couple of fixed centuries, and there's guys with my club who ride 1200km brevets with 35,000' of climbing on a fixed gear. The preference for gearing there usually tends to the mid or upper 60-inch range. I use a 44/18 for both my fixed and free sides. 65-ish gear inches is enough that I can sit and lug myself up a 20 mile long 5% climb on a mountain pass, or stand and hammer up a 1 mile 10% grade. On the flats, it's a comfy 90rpm to zip along at 17mph; not quite haulin' balls, but fast enough that I won't fall behind on any brevet timestops.