Ashhow

Outside of occasional mountain biking and spin classes, I’m a total newbie looking to buy a road bike to ride a century with family.
At 5’3”, the local bike store said I’d likely need a 48, S women’s or XS unisex.
I’m a relatively active person, but would love your training tips for a century (my longest ride has been ~40 miles).
Would also love recs for great bikes (<$1k). Recs for shoes, affordable bike computers, and anything else you particularly love would be amazing as well!
I’m just trying to learn everything I can! Thanks

veganbikes

If you are interested in a road bike and interested in going on long distance rides get something comfortable, don't worry so much about price but be prepared to spend 1k and up for a decent road bike. Hybrids can go for less but aren't always ideal machines for long distance riding. The reason to spend money on the bike now is it sounds like you are interested in it so rather than trying to upgrade later get something more decent out of the gate and enjoy it more.

Personally I would look at something in steel or titanium (ti would be well out of budget but well worth it) as they are really forgiving frame materials which provide good comfort and durability. However if I was looking to save money Aluminium could work just find something with decent tire clearance so you can slap some wider rubber to help smooth out the ride. For components I would want Shimano 105 or above if I am looking to ride often and have it in the shop less. 105 is Shimano's workhorse groupset and is good quality and lasts a good long time. Not as pretty as Ultegra or Dura-Ace but works pretty darn well for the price. Rim brakes if you can find them will also likely lower cost as they are falling more out of favor in the market (though still plenty of great options for rim brakes out there)

I personally ride with SPDs because I like the walkability, aerodynamics aren't as important to me and I find SPDs to be pretty easy to use and adjust and wide spread so I have loads of options for pedals. I personally use Shimano XT pedals with the outer cage for more foot support (like the pd-m8020 but older versions) but I also use the PD-T800s and the PD-A600s on a vintage road bike. For shoes I have wide feet but so far the Shimano shoes have been pretty good. I like a shoe with BOA laces because they are easy to tighten and loosen which I have done while riding sometimes as my foot swells or if I don't have them tight enough. Having a stiffer sole will give more comfort on the bike and better power transfer.

What do you want out of a computer? If you are going for a cheapie cycling computer go with something wired. Sigma makes some nice wired ones that are pretty decent in quality. If you are looking for something with navigation and more features, Garmin and Wahoo make some excellent stuff but it ain't gonna be cheap.

In terms of other really important stuff. A bike fit I think is the best decision you can make and one of the more important ones. Being as comfortable as possible on your bike is crucial especially on long rides. A good bike fitter can optimize your position and recommend things like handlebars, stem lengths, saddles and help position your cleats properly plus they can also help you figure out what bike you are looking at is best for you. Look for a dynamic fitter (like one using Retül) and they can really help dial in the bike and that can be a huge game changer. It is not something just for pro-riders it is for everyone.

For riding longer distances, I would start off with smaller chunks and then go bigger and bigger each week or every two weeks or something. Maybe start with 20 miles and then go to 30 and 40...take it easy and take breaks when you need to and don't be afraid to say "hey I need to stop" if you are out with friends or other riders. If they don't want to stop (unless for reasons of safety or something like that) stop riding with them they aren't worth your time. Maybe also consider doing some harder rides in between that are short. Find some really hilly areas and do short rides or a more intense work out some days which can help as well get the distance up but also improve skills. Make sure before you do your 100 miles or more you also figure out nutrition. I recommend having some sort of electrolyte mix like Nuun or Camelback Elixir and stuff that is easy to eat while riding. Not to go too far down the nutrition rabbit hole but isotonic energy gels like Science In Sport are really nice as they don't require water like your GUs or Clif Shots but both can be used. Varying your flavors and textures is nice as well.

dedhed

Don't assume the seat or stem the bike comes with will suit your individual needs.

woodcraft

I wouldn't worry too much about getting the perfect bike since if you get into it you will likely want a better bike later, and will know more what to get.

As a rule of thumb, if you can ride 60 miles OK, you can ride a century- just takes more time and a bit more food, & maybe riding partners.

Don't be afraid to fiddle with riding position- it will change over time & fitness.

ridewithgps.com is good to map out rides by distance, elevation gain, etc. so if you want to ride 30 miles or whatever, you can figure out in advance a route.

downtube42

There are two ways to ride your first century.

Ramp up fast, make big leaps, power through it, and suffer through an epic experience.

Ramp up slowly, solving little problems that crop up as rides get longer - comfort, nutrition, hydration. Don't move up in distance until you can finish a ride fully hydrated, fueled, and comfortable.

In either case you're going to want a bike that fits. Brand doesn't matter so much as fit, as long as it's a quality bike that isn't going to break down. I've ridden a lot of centuries on a lot of different bikes. MTB on slicks, 3-speed cruiser, 8-speed IGH flat-bar commuter, drop-bar road bike, recumbent. Some were faster than others, some light, some heavy. What matters for a comfortable, enjoyable experience is a good fit. Go to a LBS, tell them what you want. If your BS meter goes off, find another LBS.

Cheers

surak

Getting a road bike and working toward a century is a fun goal. I did it a few years back, learned a lot in the process. It bears repeating that the bike must be the right size for you. It's also important that it be possible for the bike to support the gear range you need will, for example if you'll be climbing anything steep then avoid stuff that has limited rear derailleur capacity or are setup for racing with big chainrings in the front.

For $1k in today's market, where bikes are in short supply, you may be forced to compromise by getting something older. I bought a NOS disc brake bike with Tiagra shifting that still had QR rather than thru-axles and mechanical disc brakes, whereas ideally I would have preferred thru-axles with hydraulic brakes and larger tire clearance than 30mm, but it was 30% off MSRP and left me lots of budget to buy other stuff, like bib shorts with good chamois (very important to me, I went with Rapha Classic bib shorts from their Archive sale and they work great up to about 100 miles, you can easily spend $100 or more for top tier bibs though there are cheaper ones that work OK for some), a bike computer (whatever you do, don't buy a Garmin Edge 520 or anything older than their *30 series, the 520 was horrible and I ended up getting a Wahoo Elemnt Bolt as soon as they added Varia radar support), SPD shoes and pedals (didn't get the best stuff because I bargain hunted on REI and Nashbar, but good stiff shoes are expensive and you can get by without top of the line, though I now use powermeter Look-style pedals with S-Works 7 shoes that combined cost more than that first road bike), fast rolling tires (back then Continental GP 4000 S ii was a good choice, now GP 5000s have supplanted them, but watch out if you want to go tubeless as they can be hard to mount), and then rode a ton.

For long endurance riding, you must get used to being on top of your hydration and nutrition while keeping track of your energy expenditure. Gradually take longer rides (find good rides using RideWithGPS), don't worry about speed, definitely go slower than you would on your shorter rides at first until you adapt. Remember it's OK to stop for breaks, ride out of the saddle periodically to give your backside a break (it may take a lot of trial and error to find the perfect saddle, so you have to be able to workaround whatever it is you find is the best you've tried even if it's still not great).

There's a YouTube channel called the Global Cycling Network (GCN) that has many simple how-to videos for things such as doing your first century. They're a good starting point to understand what the typical issues people encounter or need to prepare for are.

I didn't get a bike fit until later. If you experience persistent discomfort on the bike that isn't just from not being used to it, then a bike fit is definitely worth considering. But in the beginning you may just need time to adapt.

Phil_gretz

https://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_STOR20.cgi?Action=Details&ProdID=3306

Here you go. Good luck. PG

Germany_chris

Whatever you buy you're probably going to want a different saddle so figure that cost in, if you're into looking like a cyclist bib's and jerseys are not anything like inexpensive and if you run to Amazon to buy whatever's cheap you will regret it. Bar tape for road bikes and grips for flat bars are fairly personal and we all have our preferences, I'm not a big fan of gloves so I like cork and leather. The pedals on your new bike are intended for test rides not for long term use if you want to ride flat pedals I like Shimano gr-500's they're not expensive and are grippy for clipless I prefer SPD because I can walk in the shoes but it's not exactly fashionable to ride SPD's on a road bike. For shoes I default to Shimano there's usually something decent and a price I'm willing to pay but then I only ride clipless in the winter when I want some protection in the summer I'm a sandal/flipflop guy much to the chagrin of BF. I don't ride with a computer if I need navigation I just use my phone Apple/google maps has yet to fail me but if I have a GPS receiver that I use both in my Jeep and on the bike if I need it.

The only thing I'll really advocate for is lighting preferable something with a cutoff beam, wet and cold are uncomfortable unseen is dangerous.

Thomas15

Lots of good advice already given.

We have no idea where or when you are planning on doing your first century. By that I mean a century in a coastal Delaware kind of landscape, where the land is +/- 10 feet over the 100 miles is not the same as a century in the French Alps. So personally I would suggest the first century in Delaware and train accordingly. If plans are to do the ride in the spring and you live in the snow belt then some type of indoor training might be worth consideration.


The only century I have done is a 109 mile ride on my indoor trainer using Zwift. My moving time was six and a half hours, actually not too bad. I took one rest stop about 15 minutes and changed my clothes, refill water bottles. I worked up to it over about 4 months increasing my ride times as I went. Just to throw out a number if you travel at average 15 mph then it will take 7 hours + stops but probably considerably longer. So it will take a lot of training rides to toughen up so that you will be able to stay on the bike that long.


Another poster surak mentioned clothing. This is important. Riding 20 miles is one thing, 100 miles in less than quality riding apparel will be the cause of unnecessary suffering. If your shoes don't fit well, your feet will hurt, if your shorts have a rub you will be miserable.


I did 5 metric centuries and a 75 mile ride this past summer on my mountain hybrid bike on a rail trail. The only reason I didn't do a full century on that bike and that trail was I couldn't schedule the time to accomplish the ride not because I didn't think i could do it. Riding a heavy bike on softish dirt paths is not for everyone, more of a personal challenge for me to say I did it. The lesson here is conditioning, spend a lot of time on the bike gradually increasing the amount of time and miles. If you can ride 80 miles in one ride then you can ride 100 it will just take longer.


There are lots of books on training for such a ride, a few published by Bicycling Magazine. You might consider getting one and try to see what suggested training plan will fit your particular life situation and go from there. We are all different and have different motivations.

blacknbluebikes 

Doing centuries is basically about getting yourself to the point of "doing what we all do" for about seven hours. That's your goal, in a nutshell. Don't overthink it, just work up to it in a way that feels right.

guachi

I actually did my first century in Delaware. Less than 10 feet per mile elevation change. Fully supported, including Amish pies.

I was a newbie in 2019 when I did that century. Things I found useful, in no particular order:
1. Ensure your bike fits and don't change anything just for the ride.

2. Your fitness matters more than how fancy the bike is. I have Shimano 105 and it's really nice, but an aluminum bike with 105 will be above budget. The next lower level, Tiagra, is nice, too.

3. Fueling is crucial. You can manage a few hours without food (or even water) but my century was a different story. If the ride is sponsored, and I recommend you do a sponsored ride, you'll have places you can eat and fill your water bottles. You will blow through all your glycogen stores and I recommend doing a few training rides (40-60 miles or so) where this happens before you do your century.

4. It's possible the rest of your body will give out before your legs do. My back hurt at about mile 70 and it was painful finishing. A few weeks ago my wife and I tried a metric century on a 20 mile loop using our car as our SAG wagon. Wife had to stop at mile 45 as the outside of her left knee started to hurt. She has no problem riding 6+ hours, with breaks, on the indoor trainer on a bike that's almost identical to her outdoor bike but there was enough difference that it affected her.

5. Useful gadgets/accessories - I use simple Shimano m520 SPD pedals. I've found that Shimano and Bontrager shoes aren't too narrow for my feet. Clip-on aero bars were incredibly useful for an aero position and to lessen pain in my hands. Not cheap, but the $250 Wahoo Element Bolt is a very good bike computer. Not necessary to start riding but very useful once you train more and great for the century to input your ride and give you turn-by-turn instructions. A power meter. Also not cheap but immensely useful for training. I didn't have a power meter for my century but I'd ridden enough on my indoor trainer that I knew what power I could output for a century and I knew what it felt like so pacing was much easier.

Thomas15

I was all set to do the 2020 Ocean to Bay Tour in Bethany Beach Delaware. Had a room in OC two nights and was going to make this my first century and in general have a great time. It was of course postponed to the Fall and I couldn't make the new date. Anyway spend many months training and thinking about this event but even the best laid plans can go to %&$#.

A bunch of people from this area in PA go to this event every year. I see they have registration for the April 23, 2021 ride open now. I think I will pass and concentrate on other things and see what happens next year. I did get a refund on my room but not the ride and so I'm not sure I want to just throw money at the local C of C for no benefit to me personally. It is though I think a great first century.

JDandy

My advice would be not to worry too much about the “stuff” surrounding cycling (shoes, computers, etc. - even the bike) and just ride what you have.

I totally relate to trying to learn everything at once but there is no substitute for the experience of riding and what you learn from it.

Keep reading the forums. Watch YouTube videos or whatever keeps you engaged in the learning process but keep riding. All the good advice will start to make a lot of sense as you relate it to your riding experience.

Drink water and eat something at least once an hour. Do that on all your rides. A good rule of thumb is to take a drink whenever you think about it. It might sound funny but it works.

If you need a bike right away, take the advice of your bike shop as long as it fits within you budget. As you really get into the sport that is when you will have a better understanding of what works for you and what you want.

Did I say just ride?😀 . . . really, I mean it. Good luck!

Tomm Willians

I did my first century just this past fall at age 60 and I was a bit surprised how much easier it was than I expected. I’ve only been “seriously” (whatever that means to you) cycling for about a year and only did 2-3 rides over 50 miles before I did the 100.

For me the secret was two things 1-a comfortable bike and 2-lots of food and water. I rode my Soma Pescadero touring bike which rides like a station wagon🤣 perhaps a bit slower but very comfortable mile after mile. As far as food, I consumed numerous GU gels and Clif Bars as well as a couple of sandwiches. Don’t wait until
you feel your energy fading to start eating, it’s too late at that point. I started eating within the first 10 miles and kept nibbling on stuff all ride long.
Also carrying along some ibuprofen proved helpful 🤣
Good luck you can do it !!!

KCT1986

A lot of good advice so far from experienced people.

What I haven't seen mentioned is learning to ride in a group and safely draft. If you plan to have a group together for most/all of the ride, everyone should know how to draft properly. The saving that drafting gives cannot be underestimated. The stronger riders can do more than their share if needed and let the others rest as needed.

downtube42

I prefer to say enthusiastically. Seriously sounds so... not fun.

one4smoke

Ashhow ...when I did my first century, I figured it'd be as simple as doubling a 50 miler, which I had ridden plenty times, easily. Wrong. The last 20 miles were tough. But, I made the mistake of closely watching the miles. Don't do that. Its similar to climbing a steep hill. If you constantly look ahead at the climb, it'll wear you out mentally. If you look only several feet out in front of you and think about something else, it's much easier. So, try to not concentrate on how many miles you have to go, and just enjoy the ride, the people you're riding with and your surroundings. Just keep going like that and before you know it ...you'll have it done!