elanamig

Sorry for the newbie question again, but what are "40/14-34 gears"? I can gather that it's something not too good, and that my Raleigh has it...

I really appreciate your input regarding the best option for the tires. I apologize for not knowing all of the vocabulary yet and I can't really offer any kind of input here because I simply have no idea. I think I'm going to take all of your comments and show them to someone at the bike shop for help, when I'm ready for it.

I am sure a lot depends on my own physical ability. I might be able to get away or maybe I'll need to switch to more distance friendly tires to help me reach the goal. I'll see where I will be in the following months...

Thanks again, any info is very valued and appreciated!

Thanks! I'm going to be getting a spare and a repair kit, as well as watching a handful of youtube videos on changing flat tires. Since we're on the topic, mind if I ask another question? There are CO2 pumps, and I guess they make inflating the tire easier. I've read a whole bunch of comments that people couldn't get past 70 with hand pumps, and CO2 pumps made all the difference. What is your experience? Should I consider a CO2 pump, or will a hand pump suffice?

aramis

The 40-34 gears means you only have a single chain ring up front (40) and a largest rear sprocket of 34 and smallest rear sprocket of 14 so you will be limited on the gearing range. Going downhill you'll likely just be able to coast and uphill you will not be able to spin very fast. Actually 40-34 should be fine as long as there aren't really any decent sized hills. Smaller ones you should be able to do since the 34 in the back is pretty big and my guess is on a comfort bike you aren't pedaling too much down hills.

I'd just get a hand pump and forget the CO2. If you get a hand pump with a little pull out foot so you can use it on the ground like a full size pump, they are pretty easy to get to 100 psi actually.

pierce

your bike has a 40T front chainring, and 7 speed 14-34 in the rear. thats actually a fairly wide gear range. assuming a 26x2" tire...

gear inches[TABLE="class: mytable, align: center"]
[TR]
[TD="class: c0n, align: center"][SUB]front[/SUB][SUP]rear[/SUP][/TD]
[TD="class: c1n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]14[/TD]
[TD="class: c2n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]16[/TD]
[TD="class: c3n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]18[/TD]
[TD="class: c4n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]20[/TD]
[TD="class: c5n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]22[/TD]
[TD="class: c6n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]24[/TD]
[TD="class: c7n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]34[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: c0n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]40[/TD]
[TD="class: c1n, align: center"]85.5[/TD]
[TD="class: c2n, align: center"]74.8[/TD]
[TD="class: c3n, align: center"]66.5[/TD]
[TD="class: c4n, align: center"]59.9[/TD]
[TD="class: c5n, align: center"]54.4[/TD]
[TD="class: c6n, align: center"]49.9[/TD]
[TD="class: c7n, align: center"]35.2[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


speed in mph at cadence (rpm)[TABLE="class: mytable, align: center"]
[TR]
[TD="class: c0n, align: center"][SUB]gear[/SUB][SUP]cad.[/SUP][/TD]
[TD="class: c1n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]50[/TD]
[TD="class: c2n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]55[/TD]
[TD="class: c3n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]60[/TD]
[TD="class: c4n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]65[/TD]
[TD="class: c5n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]70[/TD]
[TD="class: c6n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]75[/TD]
[TD="class: c7n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]80[/TD]
[TD="class: c8n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]85[/TD]
[TD="class: c9n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]90[/TD]
[TD="class: c10n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]95[/TD]
[TD="class: c11n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]100[/TD]
[TD="class: c12n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]105[/TD]
[TD="class: c13n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]110[/TD]
[TD="class: c14n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]115[/TD]
[TD="class: c15n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]120[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: c0n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]40 x 14[/TD]
[TD="class: c1n, align: center"]12.7[/TD]
[TD="class: c2n, align: center"]14.0[/TD]
[TD="class: c3n, align: center"]15.3[/TD]
[TD="class: c4n, align: center"]16.5[/TD]
[TD="class: c5n, align: center"]17.8[/TD]
[TD="class: c6n, align: center"]19.1[/TD]
[TD="class: c7n, align: center"]20.4[/TD]
[TD="class: c8n, align: center"]21.6[/TD]
[TD="class: c9n, align: center"]22.9[/TD]
[TD="class: c10n, align: center"]24.2[/TD]
[TD="class: c11n, align: center"]25.4[/TD]
[TD="class: c12n, align: center"]26.7[/TD]
[TD="class: c13n, align: center"]28.0[/TD]
[TD="class: c14n, align: center"]29.3[/TD]
[TD="class: c15n, align: center"]30.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: c0n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]40 x 16[/TD]
[TD="class: c1n, align: center"]11.1[/TD]
[TD="class: c2n, align: center"]12.2[/TD]
[TD="class: c3n, align: center"]13.4[/TD]
[TD="class: c4n, align: center"]14.5[/TD]
[TD="class: c5n, align: center"]15.6[/TD]
[TD="class: c6n, align: center"]16.7[/TD]
[TD="class: c7n, align: center"]17.8[/TD]
[TD="class: c8n, align: center"]18.9[/TD]
[TD="class: c9n, align: center"]20.0[/TD]
[TD="class: c10n, align: center"]21.1[/TD]
[TD="class: c11n, align: center"]22.3[/TD]
[TD="class: c12n, align: center"]23.4[/TD]
[TD="class: c13n, align: center"]24.5[/TD]
[TD="class: c14n, align: center"]25.6[/TD]
[TD="class: c15n, align: center"]26.7[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: c0n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]40 x 18[/TD]
[TD="class: c1n, align: center"]9.9[/TD]
[TD="class: c2n, align: center"]10.9[/TD]
[TD="class: c3n, align: center"]11.9[/TD]
[TD="class: c4n, align: center"]12.9[/TD]
[TD="class: c5n, align: center"]13.9[/TD]
[TD="class: c6n, align: center"]14.8[/TD]
[TD="class: c7n, align: center"]15.8[/TD]
[TD="class: c8n, align: center"]16.8[/TD]
[TD="class: c9n, align: center"]17.8[/TD]
[TD="class: c10n, align: center"]18.8[/TD]
[TD="class: c11n, align: center"]19.8[/TD]
[TD="class: c12n, align: center"]20.8[/TD]
[TD="class: c13n, align: center"]21.8[/TD]
[TD="class: c14n, align: center"]22.8[/TD]
[TD="class: c15n, align: center"]23.7[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: c0n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]40 x 20[/TD]
[TD="class: c1n, align: center"]8.9[/TD]
[TD="class: c2n, align: center"]9.8[/TD]
[TD="class: c3n, align: center"]10.7[/TD]
[TD="class: c4n, align: center"]11.6[/TD]
[TD="class: c5n, align: center"]12.5[/TD]
[TD="class: c6n, align: center"]13.4[/TD]
[TD="class: c7n, align: center"]14.2[/TD]
[TD="class: c8n, align: center"]15.1[/TD]
[TD="class: c9n, align: center"]16.0[/TD]
[TD="class: c10n, align: center"]16.9[/TD]
[TD="class: c11n, align: center"]17.8[/TD]
[TD="class: c12n, align: center"]18.7[/TD]
[TD="class: c13n, align: center"]19.6[/TD]
[TD="class: c14n, align: center"]20.5[/TD]
[TD="class: c15n, align: center"]21.4[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: c0n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]40 x 22[/TD]
[TD="class: c1n, align: center"]8.1[/TD]
[TD="class: c2n, align: center"]8.9[/TD]
[TD="class: c3n, align: center"]9.7[/TD]
[TD="class: c4n, align: center"]10.5[/TD]
[TD="class: c5n, align: center"]11.3[/TD]
[TD="class: c6n, align: center"]12.1[/TD]
[TD="class: c7n, align: center"]13.0[/TD]
[TD="class: c8n, align: center"]13.8[/TD]
[TD="class: c9n, align: center"]14.6[/TD]
[TD="class: c10n, align: center"]15.4[/TD]
[TD="class: c11n, align: center"]16.2[/TD]
[TD="class: c12n, align: center"]17.0[/TD]
[TD="class: c13n, align: center"]17.8[/TD]
[TD="class: c14n, align: center"]18.6[/TD]
[TD="class: c15n, align: center"]19.4[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: c0n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]40 x 24[/TD]
[TD="class: c1n, align: center"]7.4[/TD]
[TD="class: c2n, align: center"]8.2[/TD]
[TD="class: c3n, align: center"]8.9[/TD]
[TD="class: c4n, align: center"]9.6[/TD]
[TD="class: c5n, align: center"]10.4[/TD]
[TD="class: c6n, align: center"]11.1[/TD]
[TD="class: c7n, align: center"]11.9[/TD]
[TD="class: c8n, align: center"]12.6[/TD]
[TD="class: c9n, align: center"]13.4[/TD]
[TD="class: c10n, align: center"]14.1[/TD]
[TD="class: c11n, align: center"]14.8[/TD]
[TD="class: c12n, align: center"]15.6[/TD]
[TD="class: c13n, align: center"]16.3[/TD]
[TD="class: c14n, align: center"]17.1[/TD]
[TD="class: c15n, align: center"]17.8[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: c0n, bgcolor: #CCFF66, align: center"]40 x 34[/TD]
[TD="class: c1n, align: center"]5.2[/TD]
[TD="class: c2n, align: center"]5.8[/TD]
[TD="class: c3n, align: center"]6.3[/TD]
[TD="class: c4n, align: center"]6.8[/TD]
[TD="class: c5n, align: center"]7.3[/TD]
[TD="class: c6n, align: center"]7.9[/TD]
[TD="class: c7n, align: center"]8.4[/TD]
[TD="class: c8n, align: center"]8.9[/TD]
[TD="class: c9n, align: center"]9.4[/TD]
[TD="class: c10n, align: center"]10.0[/TD]
[TD="class: c11n, align: center"]10.5[/TD]
[TD="class: c12n, align: center"]11.0[/TD]
[TD="class: c13n, align: center"]11.5[/TD]
[TD="class: c14n, align: center"]12.0[/TD]
[TD="class: c15n, align: center"]12.6[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


realistically, on a comfort bike with an upright seating position, your pedaling will be at the lower cadences (columns), 60 to 70 rpm likely. a road bicyclist strives for 80 or 90 or higher, running in a lower gear.


CO2 cartridges are quick and easy, but poof, and that cart is /gone/ so you need a bunch of them.

I use a floor pump at home (and in my car when I bring the bikes somewhere, or we go camping).

the little shortie mini pumps are a real pain to use. those little pumps end up only moving a very small amount of air each pump.

the way air pumps work, the longer the pump barrel, the higher the pressure you can pump. the fatter the barrel, the more air you can push, but it takes more force to push more air volume at higher pressures, so high pressure pumps are very skinny and long.

see, to pump 70PSI, you have to compress air (14 psi at sea level) about 5 to 1. so, if your pump as a 10" long stroke, the first 8", you're just squeezing the air pin the pump, then the last 2" actually puts the air in the tires. Thats not much air from a small pump, so it takes forever. And, if the pump has a ~ 1" barrel (really, 1 square inch, which is pi yada yada round), then it takes 70 pounds of force on that last 2" to push the air into the tire, and thats just too much force for a hand pump, so you make the pump much skinnier, but then it does even less air per stroke. a floor pump can be a little bigger because you can put the weight of your body into it, and it generally has a much longer stroke as its taller.

guapo717

Just a couple of thoughts here. You can certainly do a century on 1.95 tires, but your going to be toast at the end. I know, I've done it (and was toasted). My first few centuries were done on my trusty 1990 mountain bike. Like most of the guys here said, skinnier road friendly tires will be a blessing. 26 x 1.5's should be just fine. Folding tires, rather than wire bead ones, have a softer sidewall and will give a better, softer ride, and that helps in a century. Stick with a hand pump. I've seen guys pop tubes with co2 and it is just such a pain that a little pumping is a small price to pay (besides, it gives you a few more minutes rest). Centuries are mostly mental, but you have to put in a lot of training miles. Not just total miles in a week, but long miles in one shot. Doing 15 miles a day for three or four days may add up to a lot of miles, but you need to string them together and do 60 or so miles in one day and do that a number of times. Another thought, if your upcoming century is an organized one, then they probably have a metric one (60 - 65 miles) running also.....try that first. There is lots of good info on BF and lots of guys that will be happy to give you advise, so don't be afraid to ask. Good luck and keep us informed!

chasm54

First of all, this stuff about "if I'm hungry or thirsty it's too late" is complete nonsense. It's propaganda from the sports drink people. The latest research indicates that it is fine to drink when you are thirsty, mild dehydration has minimal effect on performance. And while you should certainly eat, most people eat too much. You can't absorb more than about 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour. That's only 250 kcal.

Second, what you are proposing is easily doable. If you want a speciifc training plan, Carmichael's "Time crunched cyclist" has a programme for new cyclists that will get you in shape to do this (faster than you now believe possible) in eight weeks training. You have twice that much time to prepare.

krobinson103

I ride 100 miles every weekend on an mtb with slicks in about 6 hours. You don't need a roadbike for distance. Been as far as 220km in a day on that bike. As for training ride till i hurts then do that for a.week. Add another 10km and pick up the pace a bit the next week.Then ride till it hurts again. Repeat that cycle with 3-4 good rides a week and you'll be good to go. Lots of water and whatever food you want is important as well. Can't stress the water enough. Not enough and you will cramp ane shut down.

elanamig

Thanks!
Yes, it will be an organized Century. They offer a few shorter rides (earlier finish lines) as well, so if I feel I can't go on, I can complete the ride earlier. They all have the same starting point. They don't have a metric century, but they do have a 55 and a 72 mile finishes, so it should be OK.

I figured I'll see with my training how the 1.95" wheels work out. If at some point I will plateau, or will feel that I'm not getting close to the 100 mile mark fast enough, I will switch do a different set of tires. I'm sure 1.5 will be easier than 1.95, no doubt. But I don't want to accumulate stuff (I'm a minimalist by nature) and on a budget to boot, so I'll try to put it off as much as I can.

Thank you for recommending the folding tires and the hand pump. I've put them on my shopping list!

I'm really excited and can't wait for the weather to get better, so that I could finally put my determination to the test

Good to know about food! I figure if I just listen to my body I'll be fine. Just have to remember not to ignore the signs as I sometimes do when my mind is elsewhere.

Thanks for the training plan! I'll look it up. Right now I'm working off of this guy's schedule. I'm going to be working up to week 1 for the next month.
https://gtinla.wordpress.com/my-centu...ide-a-century/

I'm nowhere near your time! I haven't timed myself outdoors yet, but at the gym I've done 11.5 miles an hour at level 5, random hill. I have no idea how that translates to a relatively flat terrain on a comfort bike. I'm going to be timing myself with Endomondo once I get out, but I'll be lucky if I can do 11-12 miles for now. Mentally, I'm preparing myself for a 10 hour century (including breaks). It's a long long ride. But rewards are great - telling my husband "I told you so" is worth the literal pain in the a..

pierce

to simplify my earlier discussion about air pumps, it boils down to this basic suggestion: get the longest stroke pump you can fit on the bike. if you can find find a portable pump with an 18" stroke that will fit on the bike, it will be a WHOLE lot easier to inflate the tire than a little 6" stroke minipump.

elanamig

I'm wondering whether there are portable foot pumps out there... I think a 6" mini-foot pump will out-pump any 18" hand pump hands down...

To answer my own question: How about something like this:

https://www.bobs-bicycles.com/MP-03G-...Awg#googlebase

It says it's good up to 100psi.. That should cover my tires, no? And even 1.5" if I should get them...

pierce

foot pumps tend to be good for high volume relatively low pressure.

my best pump is my floor pump, but that doesn't travel on the bike.

elanamig

Really? Why is that?

I have a large foot pump at home, which seems to do the job. But I'm looking for something that I will be able to use on the road. I don't know if I'll be able to pump a spare to full volume with a hand pump.

pierce

see my previous discussion of stroke vs bore for air pumps. a foot pump would be useful for inflating a car tire, where you need a lot of air at 36 PSI or whatever.

elanamig

Sorry... I did read your post, was just wondering that maybe I'm doing something wrong - my home foot pump seemed to be inflating the tires enough, but maybe not really... Need to check that.

Anyway, I have a lot of research yet to do...

elanamig

So I'm doing some tire research. The rims on my bike are these: https://www.amazon.com/Avenir-Joytec-.../dp/B003RLHFAM and it says 1.5-1.75 tires can go on them.

The Raleigh I have put on 1.95' on these rims. I'm thinking of switching them out for these:
https://www.amazon.com/Schwalbe-Kojak...822137&sr=1-11

or these

https://www.amazon.com/Ritchey-Tom-Sl.../dp/B0010VXPVO

What do you think? Or are they too narrow for the rim? Should I stick to 1.5 and above?

Bill Kapaun

Your rim will take 1.25" without problem.

You should be more concerned about adding some grease to the front wheel bearings and adjusting them properly.
They use minimal lube on these cheap wheels and the bearings are usually so tight, they're "gritty".

stevel610 

Your bike is fine. Tires are totally usable. Plenty of time to train. You are setting yourself up for success! Let us know how it turns out.

elanamig

Thanks for the pointer! I'm going to take the bike for a tuneup next week, and I'll ask about the wheel bearings.

I'm not sure I want to put a 1.25" tire on the bike. I do want to maintain the "comfort" aspect of it. Do you think there will be a major difference between 1.5 and 1.4 that I showed above?

My problem with the current tires is such: I did a test 20 mile ride this weekend and my average speed was dismal. 8 mph? It will take me about 12 hours of net riding to complete the century at this speed. I won't last that long. I'd like to go for 12-13mph. A lot of it is conditioning, I'm sure, and I'm working on that. But I'd like to help myself out a bit, LOL.

I'm looking for the tires that will give my speed a boost without turning my bike into a road bike. I still need to be comfortable enough on low speeds to be able to ride the bike with my kids, who are much slower.

Thanks. Are you talking about my current ones? They are usable. But will I survive a 12 hour century?

Bill Kapaun

Skinny tires don't make you ride fast. They HELP you ride fast. You can still go as slow as you want.

IF you really want to do a century, you don't want to have to accelerate a heavier tire every time you slow down or stop. A little wasted energy here and there adds up over the course of the day.
It's up to you to decide how miserable you want to make it though!

rumrunn6

give it a try one day and see how far you get in 6 hrs.

Winnershcyclist

I have 23c tyres however have had larger sizes I like the look of the 23c and speed however 25c plus are way more comfy on Uk roads .

elanamig

I'm sure. I'm looking at 32-38 range.

elanamig

You're right. I just don't know if I'm there yet. There's probably a fear factor involved as well. For some reason I'm afraid that I won't be able to control my bike as well on turns and bumps if the tires are too thin or I'm going too fast.

elanamig

I have to work up to 6 hours. 20 miles took me 2.5, so I won't get far at the moment . Next test ride in 3 weeks. Spending a lot of time building up my leg muscles (mostly in spinning classes still because NY forgot that it's April and still thinks that its February (disgusting))

pierce

wait, I thought you had 26" wheels, currently with 1.95" (50mm) wide?

elanamig

Correct. I meant I'm looking at 32-38mm range (1.25"-1.5", translated into metric for the UK gentleman).

Sorry for confusion.