Originally Posted by bobwysiwyg

In Googling some of these bikes out of curiosity, noticed a sizing reference I'm not familiar with. The usual S, M, L, and J? What does the "J" signify?

Originally Posted by hokiefyd

It could be "junior". Some bikes offer a "junior" frame with smaller wheels, to keep the basic geometry similar.

Originally Posted by bobwysiwyg

Originally Posted by hokiefyd

Do you have a specific example of a J frame size (web link)?

Originally Posted by hokiefyd

In that case, maybe it's just a typo on their page.

Originally Posted by cc_rider

Yes we can!

I was in New York this past weekend for the NY Century ride. Had done 40, 84 and 80 miles on my previous years on this ride.
Had not planned to do the full century. Wanted to ride 2/3 of the 75 mile route, then take a detour to do some site seeing and take pictures. But the 75 was actually 86 miles this year and I had a riding buddy to keep me honest. Did the full 75/86 route. When I reached the finish and had rested a bit, I saw I had 88 miles on the computer and was going to end with 90 anyway. My legs still felt good, so I decided to go for it. Did two laps of Central Park to end with just over 100 miles.

"Conventional wisdom" would say I couldn't have done it. I hadn't been training on long rides (had only done a few rides over a half century this season), I was on a 20 year old heavy hybrid, with a gel-pad seat, flat bars, a stretched chain, worn cassette, and I was getting over a leg injury from a fall on the previous week's ride. But everything came together. The injury affected the muscles for squatting and going up stairs and not my cycling (actually felt better when I was cycling). I was on the bike I was used to, on the set up I'm used to. The ride was relatively flat. The standard route was longer than anticipated. I took lots of breaks and stretched while riding. The rest stops were well stocked. Most important was having a ride partner to push me.

Drank two 2.2 liter camelbacks of water, 28 oz of Powerade, and ate lots of food. After the ride I even went out to a Chinese food buffet, then slept real well that night. I was a little stiff the next morning (and stiff after the 260 mile drive home), but I feel good.

Now that I've done my first century, I don't feel any pressure to do another one. I'll do one again if I feel like it, and won't if I don't. There's a club century this upcoming weekend but I'm not sure I'll try that one (several 1000 feet of climbing in the Shennendoah Mountains). I might be up for the 75 miler.

I'm curious, who else had done a century on a hybrid.


added - I was on the bike for about 8:40 minutes with an average speed of 11.7 mph.
(forgot to turn off the computer during the walk across the Tri-boro bridge )

Originally Posted by livedarklions

I've ridden that as far as 168 miles in one day...

Originally Posted by hokiefyd

That's quite an achievement. That's 14mph sustained for 12 hours.

Originally Posted by nymtber

I would rather do a centry on my hybrid (Specialized Sirrus) than on the road bike I sold last year (Specialized Allez). The road bike was far too bent over for me. I am much more comfortable on my Sirrus, and I feel I could just keep pedaling Although, most times, I need to get home, cool off, shower, and get to work ahh the fun of working second shift.

I am going to try to talk my brother into doing a metric century next spring, either on a fireroad he had found in PA, or right here in NY on the erie canal trail. Probably doing that on my mountain bike though, Ill have to put flat bar and bar ends back on that.

I might look into Ergon grips for my Sirrus. The specialized that are on it feel awesome, but they slip since they are not locked on. Definitely want the ones with integrated bar ends. I also saw specialized lock on grips at the LBS, those are an option too.