rhm

It crossed my mind to do a 125 mile ride next weekend. What do I want to carry; how much water, how much food? Is a rack trunk enough baggage, or do I want a pannier or two?

Is there anything that noobs often carry, that the old hands don't bother with?

Thanks!

Rudi

Randochap

It really depends on such things as weather, route (remote or urban) accessibility of services along the way and the amount of time you plan to take.

Have a look at this page.

Carbonfiberboy 

You carry as little as possible. Two bottles. Food depending on services. You'll need 250 cal. food/hr. Figure it out. Pump. 2 tubes. Patch kit. Tire boot material. Mini tool set. Butt grease in a 35mm film can. Sun goo same. A spare shift cable is good. Minimal bandages, etc., and ibuprofen in another 35mm film can. Extra clothing as necessary. Much more usual to take it off than put it on. Sometimes an extra pair of gloves is really nice. You should be able to fit all this in an ordinary large saddle bag and jersey pockets.

lonesomesteve

+1 to it depends.

The minimum I carry on a ride like that is my tool kit (spare tube, patch kit, tire irons, multitool), pump, two full water bottles, a Cliff bar or two, wallet, phone, and the clothes I'm wearing. That assumes good weather and the availability of food and water along the way. I often carry more food than that because I don't like to stop to buy food if I don't have to, but I always leave with a little something on me for "emergencies."

In more unpredictable weather I may also carry a rain coat, rain pants, spare gloves, and spare socks. Arm warmers and leg warmers are nice because they allow you cover a pretty wide range of weather without carrying a lot, but I usually start out wearing them rather than carrying them.

Depending on how fast you ride and when you start you may want to carry a head light, tail light and some reflective gear (vest, ankle bands).

In the summer time I'm usually able to fit what I need in jersey pockets. In the winter when I'm often carrying more clothing, I have a small saddle bag that does the trick. Save the panniers for tours unless you are planning a small feast along the way.

chewybrian 

That's a solid list. I would only add: cell phone, cash, rain gear and a 3rd water bottle. I also carry a thermos of coffee, but most people wouldn't see the need for that. You should be able to have everything you need in the trunk bag and the jersey. Paniers are way over the top, if you have any support, or even a couple 7-Elevens on the ride. Good luck.

p.s. Supplements, like Endurolytes, especially if it's hot.

bmike

be careful with that. esp if dehydrated.
good articles here, here, and here.

Richard Cranium

You know - those are tough questions. And you already have several good answers.

The heart of the matter - is that every ride experience can be different. One thing to remember - since this is the Long Distance Forum, the longer you will be riding - increases the diversity of the conditions you will encounter.

So a good rule of thumb for any ride you go on is to think about what time of day (or night) you will, (or might not) finish the ride. Realize that the way things are at the start of a long ride may not be the way things are in the middle of - or later on - on any given day.

The next thing to do is check out everything you know about your bike. And whether or not you have any reason to beleive one type of component will fail or become "failed." Obviously, you must be prepared for a flat tire. But is it possible to be prepared for a "bent wheel?"

Obviously your bike is lubed and ready to go at the time of start - is there reason to believe that conditions will gum up shifting or braking? Have you played with or adjusted anything recently? Is there reason to believe you may need to readjust something after riding a long way?

Basically, preparation for a long distance bicycle event involves a very intricate series of "what if " questions, first about your own body and welfare, and then about your bicycle and its accessories.

Every new ride requires this preparation, but eventually, you'll have seen most of the scenarios and this process will become old news. Hope this helps.

The Octopus 

I tend to pack light, especially on 200Ks and 300Ks. Here's what that list would look like: Outside of the clothing I'm wearing, I'd have a tire, a tube, a patch kit, a basic multi-tool (including a spoke wrench), tire irons, something to boot a tire with (usually made from an old tube), and a pump. I carry about 200 calories on me and two bottles or Gatorade/water or straight water. The cell phone, ID, money (I budget $20 per 200K traveled), and a credit card are stored in a pint-sized ziplock along with the brevet card, and carried in a jersey pocket. Food and water are obtained on the route. If it were especially hot and humid, I'd carry sun screen for re-applying, otherwise I'd start the ride with it already applied and leave the tube behind. Where reflective clothing is required, the ankle bands are worn constantly (ankles are perfectly good storage places for ankle bands!) and the Sam Brown belt is rolled neatly, rubber-banded, and carried in a jersey pocket. All this stuff fits comfortably in a small saddle bag and jersey pockets. If the weather is constant, I've done a 400Ks with nothing more than this. Weather fluctuations mean additional clothing (a light jacket, arm warmers, and a head covering offer the most bang for the space).

Note that most randonneurs carry quite a bit more: more food, more comfort items, more clothing options, and more safety items (both for repairing the rider and for repairing the bike).

Two keys to minimizing risk with the minimalist approach are making sure both you and especially your bike are in the best shape they can be in. Keep yourself and your equipment running well with liberal preventative maintenance and care. Another key to minimalist success is being willing to accept some level of discomfort because you don’t have the optimal items for every condition or problem you might encounter. Minimialism in randonneuring also tends to be more expensive. You’ll be purchasing a lot more along the route and this can add up to significant money, especially on the longer rides.

Welcome to the sport and good luck on your 200K; let us know how it went!

rhm

Thanks for all the replies!

The ride in question is late April, so should be pretty fair weather; and it's around the flatlands of central NJ, hardly a wilderness.

It's funny: I know what to carry when I commute. I know what to carry on a multi-day tour. Figuring out what to carry on an all-day ride shouldn't be that difficult. Still, it helps to have the advice of those who regularly do such rides.

So no surprises in your lists... except... butt cream? For real? You must be joking... or are you seriously serious? I'd never have thought of that! I wonder if there's still some Balmex in the bathroom cupboard... we don't use it anymore now that the kids are out of diapers.

chewybrian 

Here's an example. Think of it like sunblock. If you don't use it, and figure out later that you should have, it's too late and you're in trouble. If you are riding further than you have in the past, it might be worth it. But some people never use it and never have issues, so...

daxr

Depends on if you will have places to stop for water. I went through about a gallon of water on my century yesterday, but had three or four refueling stops.

I just went roadie style, supplies stuffed in my back jersey pockets and one water bottle in a cage. I brought about 1200 calories in snacks - energy bars, fruit snacks, and a little bit of protein. Then a multi-tool, patch kit and levers, and cell phone, cash and card. That turned out to be plenty, though I'd have brought a spare tube too if I had one.

chill123

my first focus would be on food/drink (energy bars, real food, electrolyte drink, water) to keep you going. next focus on kit to keep you bike going (spare tubes, pump, tyre levers etc) add in a cell phones and cash/card for emergencies and you are nearly there. anything else will depend on how much you want to carry.

noteon 

I recently modified my organized-century checklist for my first 200K brevet. I'll PM it if you're interested.

PacersGuy

there is no substitute for experience! for my first planned century, one would think that i was carrying my entire tool box with me, as well as enough food for a battalion of cyclists. i now get by with a gel or so/hour a couple of bottles and knowledge of weather/terrain/available services along the way.

ericgu

Last one I did I had two bottles of accelerade, 5 packets of premix accelerade, a bagel or two, 6 fig newtons, beef jerky, and some salt tablets in case I need them.

rhm

Thanks, everybody! After an initial veto from my wife, I now have permission to go ahead with the ride-- a 125 mile ride that starts some 15 miles from home; so, total over 150.

Hey, another question, if you don't mind.
I have a couple pairs of 'cycling shorts' with those padded chamois foam things. But for the last several years I have done all my cycling in street clothes, i.e. cotton trousers or shorts with regular cotton briefs. I guess I've ridden well over 10,000 miles since I last used cycling shorts, but I have not done many really long rides.

So... I know my usual clothes work fine for 75 miles. Is there any reason to do something different for twice that distance? I'm thinking it would be folly to change something at this point.

noteon 

Bottom line (pun intended): Your ass may vary.

Somewhere between mile 60 and mile 80 is where it turned into a different ride on my first few centuries. If you're curious, why not get some bibs and see if you like them, in advance of the ride?

Edit: Oh, I see why not. The ride is this weekend.

halfbiked

Speaking of noob questions... Does anyone carry a lock?

noteon 

So how'd the ride go?

rhm

Good! About twenty people did the ride, in a fast group and a slow group. I went with the fast group, which started out as seven guys, but one switched to the slow group at the first rest stop because he was fixing flat tires (two in close succession).

The weather was great. Started out in the 30's, when I left the house at 5:30 AM (I had to ride 15 miles to get to the ride starting point). So I was warm for a while, but by the time the ride started, I was freezing, though that didn't last long. Still, there were some plenty cool breezes when we crossed rivers and bays and things, and along the shore. At some point in the afternoon we turned west, away from the shore, and the temperature climbed up into the 80's almost immediately.

The ride took us ten hours and 20 minutes, including all stops etc. An hour away from the starting/ending point, I called my wife, who decided to come pick me up, which was fine with me. I could have ridden home, but wasn't committed to it. So my total for the day was about 140 miles.

The only physical issue worth mentioning is that my neck got really sore. I guess I don't usually ride in such a bent over position. Yesterday I was fine, generally sore all over but nothing in particular.

Oh, and I used cycling shorts. This is embarrassing: I didn't want to wear all the coolmax and lycra and such, because I instinctively dislike that stuff, especially the way it makes you smell. But I decided to wear it just to fit in, since I figured all the other riders would be in that stuff (and I was right). I even changed my pedals, switching from platforms to SPD's for the occasion, and I found a nice new pair of cycling gloves to wear. I put the gloves in my rack trunk and forgot all about them.

At 47, I think I was the youngest person in the fast group. I had by far the oldest and heaviest bike, my old touring bike complete with rack, steel(!) fenders, chain guard, internally geared hub. It must weigh over 35 lbs, probably twice what some of the other bikes on the ride. It also seemed to be the most silent bike on the ride; not sure why that is. At any rate I have no complaints at all about the bike, except that the fenders make it hard to stick it in the back of a small car.

On this ride, no. Our rest stops were a fast food joint, a gas station with convenience store, and a convenience store; at least one was in a semi-urban area where I suppose one might have been concerned. But we just leaned the bikes up against the wall or a fence in a random fashion and no one looked particularly concerned about walking away from them and going into the store. And there was no problem.

noteon 

Congrats!

I haven't noticed any particular smell from lycra and all that. The only cycling garment I own with an odor (I mean, you know, assuming regular laundering) is my wool jersey, and what it smells like is wool.

mwmcginn

Congrats on the ride. I did my first metric centry on a moutain bike with my brother on a moutain bike as well. In retrospect we should have worn ties and kahki pants, so we would have looked even more out of place. But it was a lot of fun, for me anyway, my brother said no this time.

This weekend I am doing my second metric (the Moe Howard Metrics at the tour de stooges), and a full centry for tour de cure in June.

What did you end up needing on your ride this time? Last time I had a backpack with about everthing. I dont plan to do that again.

My plans:

2 water
Cellphone
Tire patch kit and levers
Sunblock
Protien Granola bars


Maybe a bike and a helmet too. This time I have a road bike, but I have trained less. I kept up on running, but not as much biking. Wish me luck.

rhm

I usually wear khaki's when I ride, but not a tie (I commute, and my office is informal). I wore the cycling gear on this ride, just so I wouldn't look too out of place.

Yeah, I carried all that except protein (I figured I don't need protein, but what do I know!). I carried about a pound of whole wheat fignewton-like things I got at my local health food store; ate one every twenty minutes or so. They were really good, while they lasted. The food you carry should have as low in glycemic index as possible --coarsely ground is better than finely ground-- so it hits your bloodstream over a longer period of time rather than all at once.

I used a camelback; definitely a good idea. Take a sip of water every time your mouth feels dry, never drink much, but stay hydrated.

I should have used more sunblock; got quite a burn on my right arm.

I had no mechanical issues, so didn't use any of my tools; I brought a gps, didn't turn it on once. I let the other guys navigate, so I never looked at the cue sheet. And so on. But I don't mind carrying things like that. Not in a backpack, though! I used a rack trunk.

Yes, wear a helmet! Good luck!

Jerry in So IL

Hey me too! Can't miss me, I'm the good looking red headed guy with the sexy bike!
Seriously, DD adn I love the Stooge and can't wait fo it.

I'm carrying the same, but with another water bottle(filled with heavily mixed gatorade to mix with the other bolles of water), and an extra tube.

The route has plenty of supported rest stops as well.

I'm doing the 63er and I think the DD is only doing the 20er.

See you there!
Jerry

mwmcginn

Didnt see you out there Jerry, but it was a great day for a ride. I had an awesome time and the shirt was cool too.

I ended up taking my list plus a pump, I had 2 flats on the trip, so I got to change some tires. Fell down once after the chain came off and I was clipped in, trying to spin it back on.

Cant beat the low speed fall in front of others.