Anyone here done RAGBRAI fixed? I'm thinking about it and have a fairly decent fitness level. If you have, do you have any advice, pointers, or warnings?

Alcohol dulls the pain..

And there's plenty of alcohol to be had on RAGBRAI

Forget fitness, you'd better love your seat.

https://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=180099

One of the threads from last year, including the legendary shants packing list. No idea if any of those people actually did the ride, fixed or not. I might do it this year, but you couldn't pay me to go fixed, I'll be rolling a triple with the biggest cassette I can find.

From past experience, get some base miles in well beforehand with some mileage in crappy weather (rain, heat) with multiple high mileage days back to back. Fixed for the week should be no problem if you are prepared. Will you be the rabbit or the turtle? Drink accordingly.

I am planning on it... I dunno if I can do the full duration, getting work off for a week might be too much to ask.

I was thinking about this one myself. I think I'll be a wimp and ride the geared bike though. Now, if I can't get time off work and only end up riding one or two days I'll probably man up and ride fixed.

Check out:

https://www.63xc.com/genng/ragbrai.htm

Google. Wow. Who knew?

11,000 feet over the course of a week doesn't sound too hard to do without gears...

I am surprised i dont hear any other fixed gearers talking about ragbrai, this thread totally planted the idea of Ragbrai(thanks davidmcowan) in my head and i am seriously thinking of doing it. anybody here ever done it?fixed or not

MeLikeBike, You should do it! I'm psyched and looking at the topography it appears as though the greatest change in elevation is about 3000 ft on the final day, everything else is less. For a Denverite that shouldn't be too difficult, right?

this event sounds like a ****ing blast. i'll have to do it sometime.

As someone who has never gone (I didn't try one year but lost the the lottery), I'm no authority, but from what I've heard the route can vary from being almost continual fairly steep up/down rollers (on the more southern routes), to being fairly flat. I would think you might want to take this into account in your decision.

- Mark

Anybody from Minneapolis care to join me on a fixed for RAGBRAI? Guess either singles or fixed would be fine.
I'll be bringin' some cogs and tools so you can mix it up. Registration is due by 04/01/08(online). Otherwise I'll be "that crazy guy on a a track bike" alone.

Sam

P.S. Go Loons!

I would think so people do LEL which is 1400 km in less than 90 hrs fixed and although not mountainous it does get pretty hilly.

You only have to do 70 ish miles a day by the look of it.

I did RAGBRAI last year and rode out to the start from Des Moines. We did RAGBRAI+: 100+ miles every day for 10 days, 1082 total for the 10 days. I did it on a geared bike but saw a few fixed gear riders, not sure they did the whole week though. The only things that would make it tough doing it fixed would be it's hillier at the start and finish (near the rivers) and if you had a few tough headwind days.

70 miles a day? Is that the whole big deal?

I dunno, maybe the fact that I'm a commuter makes these numbers look like nothing special. I could do 120-130 Km/day every day for a week, no problem, right now. On a singlespeed.

Lots of hills and lots of wind. The wind means you really do better finding a pack to ride in. The hills aren't so dramatic that you can't do it on a fixed, and there are plenty of fixies completing it. However, it's hot, long, and windy. Long parts are really boring, but parts of the route are really beautiful. Can you do it? Yes. Do you want to? Perhaps not.

hrmmmm century rides used to sound so incredibly intense and long to me.

70-80 miles in day don't sound too harsh after racing 30 mile alley cats at night.

I think I will have to ride this event next year after i get some more proper equipment for it, and get in some more long distance riding in.

But damn does this sound like a blast.

and a little bit of me inside wants to hammer past some roadies going up a hill.
I've hammered past mtn bikers up the most grueling hills around here during races and i think i liked it too much , now to do it to a roadie i think i would wet my self in giddiness

I rode halfway across Missouri fixed, with all my **** in a milk-crate. Do it.

Not to be a *****, but who will actually ride it, huh? It's no race man just a good time. After seeing maybe 5-7 fixed riders tops I'd like to see an organized fixed/singlespeed team. Passin' those roadies was quite a good time, HAHA!


PS: I thought 60+ miles in a day would be no problem, but in 90-95 degrees and no clouds yer a** gets tired

What is the relative humidity like, there? Are we talking 20-40% or 85-95%? That makes a huge difference on how much one will suffer the heat.

it would be aprox 75-85% humidity i'm guessing

Yeah that sounds about right, but the real killer was the horrible sunburn I suffered. For anyone with doubts I saw more than a good share of huffy/target bikes. It's doable and should be a great time.