Hi From Dubai
 

HI i am a seasoned rider of some 20 yrs now i am 40 something and weigh 80k something......i am planning a Alpes trip nxt yr with some mates and were going to watch the tour go through then were going to have a go at a stage ourselves,
my question is whats my best gear range for this also i am looking at a set of 303 Zipps to give me that edge i ride a custom carbon Colnago at the present i ride a Dura Ace standard race block, i know Carbons are not really suited to comuting so they will only be for training and race day another thing is should i go Clincher or Tubs bearing in mind i have never rode with Tubs. Pleeeaaase is there anyone with any info? :D

Welcome to BF, I lived in UAE for a year. It don't remember much cause I was a baby but It's changed a lot since then. :)



Before anyone makes gear suggestion, how strong are you?

Hi there, yes i have been riding in the seniors for a few yrs now, and i am from Cairns in Oz where there are more mountains than flat,
so you could say i prefer the mountains so quite strong in the legs as i am a proffesional Diver by trade,

am fit as in i run 10 k most mornings and in the gym most nites as i am ex-marine.
any help would be great thanks.
i just dont want to go to the Alpes and not be abel to finish the climbs.......

Get a compact crank maybe?

Personally I like tubs but I'd be inclined to use clinchers when traveling like that. You can easily swap out a new tire in your hotel room or where ever you are staying if it's a clincher. IT's a tough call though because coming down those mountains and cornering on tubs would be a righteous experience. IF you do decide to use tubs get them now so you can get the experience in how to use them before you head off to the mountains. A lot of people buy them, hate them, then sell them which is great for people like me who scour the Internet for good deals on tubs and wheels :D

Alps? 80kg? You don't want to run all-carbon rims. The brakes overheat on descents that require a lot of braking. I'm 64kg and I've had a tire blow off a carbon clincher rim due to braking heat. (we have some really steep twisty descents here).

And since you're not racing, you don't need the tiny tiny improvement on climbs that comes from the lighter weight. You're riding with friends, so you don't need tubulars either. You want clinchers that are easily repaired when you flat, so you are not making your friends wait while you figure out how to mount a tubular and then wait more while you crawl down the descents paralyzed with fear of rolling a tire. What you are doing is a fun ride, not a race. You want reliable parts not race parts. That way you can concentrate on the scenery or whatever and not hassle with broken bits. If it's going to hurt your ego to get beat by your friends, train more. That'll be more effective that anything you can buy anyhow.

As for gearing, that's a personal choice. But I recommend fitting lower gearing than you think you will need. That way if you have a bad day you won't be struggling to turn over the pedals. I run a 50/34 compact and 12-27 cassette for just about everything, including crits. The 34x27 is low enough that I can go up 10% climbs on a recovery ride, or make it up the 17% pitch to my house at the end of a hard ride. I have done a lot of big mountain riding and I have never been sorry that I fitted too low a gear- I can always shift up when it doesn't hurt enough.

Thanks for the info, we are all mates, but very compeditive.......lol so you can see my reasoning they live in the UK i live in Dubai so we only see each other prob once a yr........
i like the mountains and prefere to ride them as anyone can ride on the flat. we will be seeing the sights but i know there will be a little compertition going on as well,
as i have read more and more articals on Tubs i think your right i will stick with clinchers,
but i am still torn about the wheels..........

anyway thanks fo the info.
regards.
Wayne.